Learning mentor to educational counsellor
A learning mentor already meets 53% of what the educational counsellor role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.8/ 100
1 How much of what an educational counsellor is expected to do is already part of a learning mentor’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 11 of its required skills as things a learning mentor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- communicate with youth
- consult student's support system
- counsel students
- counselling methods
- identify education needs
- learning difficulties
What stands in the way is 9 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 25 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 a learning mentor background worth leading with.
- already held school psychology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held counsel students communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held developmental psychology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held learning needs analysis education
- already held primary school procedures education
- already held show consideration for student's situation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 25 carried skills, including the 11 the educational counsellor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 7 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 liaise with educational institutions required
- optional, not held advise on learning methods optional
- optional, not held apply crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held conduct educational activities optional
- optional, not held establish educational network optional
- optional, not held provide information on education financing optional
- optional, not held work in vocational school optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held provide career counselling optional
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn crisis intervention required
- still to learn tackle issues that block academic progress required
- optional, not held provide information on study programmes optional
- still to learn monitor educational developments required
- optional, not held inspect education institutions optional
- still to learn adolescent psychological development required
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
- still to learn perform educational testing required
1 further area 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held communicate with youth skill
- 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 liaise with educational staff skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held monitor student's behaviour skill
- already held support children's wellbeing skill
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held behavioural disorders knowledge
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held developmental psychology knowledge
- already held education law knowledge
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held liaise with educational support staff skill
- already held oversee extra-curricular activities skill
- already held primary school procedures knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held school psychology knowledge
- already held secondary school procedures knowledge
- already held show consideration for student's situation skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- optional, not held community education optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on learning methods optional
- 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 provide information on education financing optional
- optional, not held work in vocational school optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- optional, not held community education optional
- optional, not held inspect education institutions optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with children's parents optional
- optional, not held provide career counselling optional
- optional, not held provide information on study programmes optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
14 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 adapt teaching to student's capabilities skill
- not needed by the target role apply person-centred care skill
- not needed by the target role assist students with their enrolment skill
- not needed by the target role communication disorders knowledge
- not needed by the target role construct individual learning plans skill
- not needed by the target role encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- not needed by the target role manage resources for educational purposes skill
- not needed by the target role organise projects to fill education needs skill
- not needed by the target role perform playground surveillance skill
- not needed by the target role promote the safeguarding of young people skill
- not needed by the target role provide teacher support skill
- not needed by the target role social development knowledge
- not needed by the target role support the positiveness of youths skill
8 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 assessment processes optional
- optional, not held community education optional
- optional, not held psychological counselling methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a learning mentor become an educational counsellor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A learning mentor already covers 53% of what an educational counsellor is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 11 of which the educational counsellor role treats as required.
What skills does a learning mentor need to become an educational counsellor?
9 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 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 learning mentor to educational counsellor?
Its learning distance is 52.8 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.