Academic advisor to educational counsellor
An academic advisor already meets 40% of what the educational counsellor role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.1/ 100
1 How much of what an educational counsellor is expected to do is already part of an academic advisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the educational counsellor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An educational counsellor role treats 9 of its required skills as things an academic advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult student's support system
- counsel students
- counselling methods
- identify education needs
- learning difficulties
- learning needs analysis
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An educational counsellor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an academic advisor background worth leading with.
- already held advise on learning methods communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held tackle issues that block academic progress assisting and caring
- already held provide information on education financing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held counsel students communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide information on study programmes assisting and caring
- already held learning needs analysis education
All 18 carried skills, including the 9 the educational counsellor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn use psychoeducation required
- still to learn communicate about youth's well-being required
- still to learn communicate with youth required
- still to learn liaise with educational institutions required
- still to learn liaise with educational staff required
- optional, not held apply crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held conduct educational activities optional
- optional, not held establish educational network optional
- optional, not held work in vocational school optional
- optional, not held assist students in their learning optional
- optional, not held liaise with educational support staff optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held show consideration for student's situation optional
- still to learn monitor student's behaviour required
- still to learn perform educational testing required
- optional, not held oversee extra-curricular activities optional
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn crisis intervention required
- still to learn adolescent psychological development required
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- still to learn support children's wellbeing required
- optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
- optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held community education optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an educational counsellor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 client-centred counselling study this
- 02 use psychoeducation practise this
- 03 adolescent psychological development study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 18 skills that carry over
- already held consult student's support system skill
- already held counsel students skill
- already held counselling methods knowledge
- already held identify education needs skill
- already held learning difficulties knowledge
- already held learning needs analysis knowledge
- already held listen actively skill
- already held monitor educational developments skill
- already held tackle issues that block academic progress skill
- already held advise on learning methods skill
- already held assessment processes knowledge
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held education law knowledge
- already held provide career counselling skill
- already held provide information on education financing skill
- already held provide information on study programmes skill
- already held psychology knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held inspect education institutions optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held conduct educational activities optional
- optional, not held establish educational network optional
- optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held work in vocational school optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held assist students in their learning optional
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held community education optional
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
- optional, not held inspect education institutions optional
- optional, not held liaise with educational support staff optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held oversee extra-curricular activities optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held show consideration for student's situation optional
13 held skills the educational counsellor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role action research knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse education system skill
- not needed by the target role construct individual learning plans skill
- not needed by the target role curriculum objectives knowledge
- not needed by the target role curriculum standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role education administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- not needed by the target role give constructive feedback skill
- not needed by the target role labour market knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise job search workshops skill
- not needed by the target role promote education programmes skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on school services skill
- not needed by the target role university procedures knowledge
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn adolescent psychological development required
- still to learn crisis intervention required
- optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held behavioural disorders optional
- optional, not held community education optional
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can an academic advisor become an educational counsellor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An academic advisor already covers 40% of what an educational counsellor is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 9 of which the educational counsellor role treats as required.
What skills does an academic advisor need to become an educational counsellor?
11 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is client-centred counselling.
How hard is the move from academic advisor to educational counsellor?
Its learning distance is 63.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.