If you are reading this, you are on your way to start Career Counselling in India. Let’s get to the basics first:
- What is Career Counselling?
- Why is Career Counselling important?
- Who is a Career Counsellor?
- What’s the scope and growth of the counselling industry?
- How can you start professional Career Counseling in India?
Career Counselling also known as Career Guidance is a process designed to help students choose the right career path. Ideally suitable for students from grade 8 to 12, Career Counselling in India has become extremely important.
Did you know? More than 50% of India’s population falls under the age of 15 to 24 years.
This definitely increases the need for education services for students and parents in India. Therefore, there is an unprecedented demand for professional Career Counsellors today.
Here’s an exercise for you: Pick 5 kids around you and ask them what they want to become after growing up? You’ll mostly hear a Doctor, Engineer, Lawyer, or an Astronaut. 8/10 kids are most likely to dream about these career options and later come to realize that this is not what they want to become.
This proves that there is a huge gap between parent and student mindsets. The most common complaint students and parents have is that there is either too much information or too little information thereby resulting in the need for career counsellors in India.
Key Takeaways for you!
In this article, you will learn everything about Professional Career Counselling in India. We will cover the following:
Who is a Career Counsellor?
A Career Counsellor is a trained professional who guides students towards the right career path. To become a Career Counsellor in India, one needs to be qualified enough to understand the techniques and methods of Career Counselling. One can start practicing Career Counselling on their own, or intern under a renowned professional or join an organization/school and the list goes on. We will talk more about it later in this article. Here’s an overview of Career Counselling in India.
Quick Fact: Career Counselling as a profession is not restricted to just schools or universities. There are several industries that hire Career Counsellors as full-time employees.
What is the Scope & Growth of Career Counselling in India
India has the largest student population in the world, accounting for over 350 million students. The nation needs a whooping 1.4 million career counsellors to maintain a globally accepted student-to-counsellor ratio. This provides a wide scope for passionate professionals and budding entrepreneurs to enter the market.
The need for career counselling is on the rise with the increasing ambiguity of choosing the right career among students today. The market size for career assessment and guidance is currently estimated at over Rs 5,000 crore in India and continuously growing. This means that there is an inherent advantage of gaining profitability from this booming sector and also serves a relatively untouched market.
Read More: Scope Of Career Counselling
Today, Career Counselling is one of the most sought after jobs globally with a 19% employment rate as per Industry reports.
Globally there is a favorable counsellor to student ratio of 1:250 whereas in India it is 1:3,000, thus, opening up HUGE opportunities for career counsellors. There is tremendous growth in job opportunities for Career Counsellors in schools, colleges, freelancing, etc with job portals having thousands of jobs at any given time.
Industries that Hire Career Counsellors on the Payroll
Career Counselling as a profession has been stereotyped for many years now. Most people don’t understand the job of a Career Counsellor. They think only weak students go to Career Counsellors. Infact, most people think that only students need career counselling. Well, that’s not true. There are multiple industries today that appoint Career Counsellors on their payroll. Let’s look at some relatable industries:
- Education Industry
- Corporate Sector
- Non-Governmental Organization/ Non-Profit Organization
Education Industry
In the last 10-15 years, the Indian education system has seen some drastic improvements. One for sure is that Career Counselling has become the heart of every curriculum. Did you know? In 2018 CBSE made it mandatory for schools to have a Career Counselling wing on campus. Now imagine the number of schools and students in India. Most of the schools have trained their faculty to be able to offer guidance solutions in class, whereas, some of the country’s most renowned schools have opened a Counselling wing and hired trained Career Counsellors for batch-wise students. Not only schools, but renowned Universities also look for career counsellors in their admission departments.
List of most common job prospects in the education industry:
- Career Counsellor in Schools
- Admissions Counsellor in Universities
- Study Abroad Counsellor by Private Coaching Centers
- Behavioural Counsellor in Schools & College
Corporate Sector
Stress has become a common part of an employees life. It is not always work pressure that causes stress. As per a survey conducted by Times of India, over 60% employees say they hate their current jobs. Now, why is that? This is because of a lack of proper guidance resources. These days it is very common to see employees upgrading themselves with online programs almost every weekend. Some want a promotion, others want to highlight it on their CV and the rest do it to gain knowledge. This trend has urged the corporate sector to have a counselling wing as part of their HR resources. In most corporates, counselling falls under the HR training and development department.
List of most common job prospects incorporate industry:
- Corporate Counsellor
- Career Growth Consultant
- Corporate Trainer & Advisor
- Behavioural Counsellor
Non-Governmental Organization/ Non-Profit Organization
NGOs and NPOs work independently towards a specific cause or issue. The area of work is such that they have collaborations with schools, corporates, private companies, lawyers, celebrities, etc. While they deal with several issues and types of people, they often need a Coach to guide them internally. Such organizations also look for long-term collaboration with Career Counsellors who can help them in their social campaigns. This adds value to the NGO and the counsellor too.
List of most common job prospects in NGO/NPO:
- Freelancer Counsellor
- Academic Trainer
- Motivational Speaker
- Teacher
Earning Opportunities for a Career Counsellor
It is recommended to do your own research and find out how much a career counsellor earns. An average salary of a Career Counsellor depends on multiple factors like, experience, training level, and city/country you work in. According to an ongoing survey by indeed.co.in, the normal pay for a Career Counsellor in India starts from INR 20K and above per month in a School or a company.
Read More: See How the Future of Career Counselling Looks Like
How much does a Career Counsellor Charge?
It is extremely important to establish your market value as a Career Counsellor. The amount of your fees will depend on the following criteria:
- Charge per session
- Years of experience
- Type of service (physical or virtual)
- Variety of guidance solutions
- Grade of the student
- Curriculum of the student
And more…
An early Career Counsellor with 1-3 years of experience gains around INR 25K to INR 50K per month. A mid-level Career Counsellor with 3-5 years of experience gains around INR 60K to INR 1 Lac per month. And if a Counsellor is an entrepreneur with his/her own setup, then per session charges start from INR 1500 and go upto INR 5000 and above depending on the levels of experience and training.
Added earning opportunities for Career Counsellors
In addition to the general service Career Counsellors provide, there are multiple ways in which a Career Counsellor can make some extra income. Yes, we’re talking about various products. Being a qualified Career Counsellor is not good enough! A good Career Counsellor should be able to constantly innovate his/her services with the changing times and needs.
Let’s look at some earning opportunities through unique products:
- Psychometric Tests – helps in accurately assessing student needs. This saves time & effort and also gives a professional vibe to your type of counselling. There are so many kinds of psychometric tests depending on the age and requirements of students. You can charge a student for your service and every test they take.
- Summer Programs – helps students indulge in some world-class activities during their summer vacation. This way, your market value as a Career Counsellor increases and you can charge students for the service. Univariety has tie-ups with the most renowned Summer Programs in India and abroad, like, Jindal Global Summer Program, ISDI, Oxford Royale Academy, NSLC, to name a few.
- Profile Mapping – Nowadays it is extremely important to have an impressive profile to get admission in the right college. Students and parents look for assistance when it comes to profile mapping or profile building for college applications. Most of them don’t realize that profile building is recommended from grade 8, but it’s never too late. ProMap is a cutting edge student profile builder for colleges and scholarships. You can recommend the same to your clients and charge them for your added service.
- Virtual Internship Program – Internships have become a major factor in getting admission and acquiring jobs. Internships are a great way to experience different fields of careers. Since we all live in a digital world, there are so many internships online. One such program is the Virtual Internship Program which is a 2-3 hour online program in 18 fields of career and also offers a certificate of completion after the internship. You can recommend the same to your clients and charge them for your added service.
Each product or program that you sign up for or buy in bulk can get anywhere between INR 1000 to INR 5000 per product for people consuming it.
To get assistance on how much you should be charging, get in touch with us by
Top 5 Qualities of an Effective Career Counsellor
To be a good Career Counsellor, one must be honest and passionate towards the service. Do not treat Career Counselling as a job, it’s a service that a Career Counsellor provides which shapes a child’s future. It is necessary to keep the following qualities in mind to become a good career counsellor in the industry. Keep your eyes open and check if you have all these qualities.
- Communication Skills – Can you strike a conversation with a stranger? Can you make them feel comfortable around you? Can you analyze the situation and change your tone/behaviour as needed? Can you put across the most difficult statement in the most polite manner? If your answer is yes to all of these, you can be a wonderful guide.
- Good listener – To become an effective career counsellor, be a careful listener and try to read in between the lines. Make sure you let the other person talk first. Make the candidate feel like you are there for them, you are ready to listen to them when no one else will. Pay attention to their story/problem, this will help them open up more.
- Non-judgmental – Gain your client’s trust. This is the most important quality one seeks in a Career Counsellor. Nobody likes to be judged. If they are sharing a problem with you, there shouldn’t be any kind of biased reaction or decision.
- Active learner – Remember step 2 from how can you become a Career Counsellor in India? Learning never stops! You must keep researching and evolving in your professional and personal life. You could discover the latest techniques and methods of career counselling or even find some digital tools that can help you better your practice. Watch out for updates and never miss a chance to upgrade yourself.
- Maintain confidentiality – Along with being non-judgmental, make sure you maintain confidentiality with regards to your client data and their problems. This is how you can gain some of the most loyal clients.
Professional Challenges of a Career Counsellor
Career Counsellors face several dilemmas, difficulties, and challenges when it comes to setting up a successful Career Counselling and guidance mechanism. Most of the time – purposely or unwittingly – clients forgo opening up about their inclinations to Counsellors. This builds stress on counsellors to get customers to confide in them and consider them to be somebody they can talk uninhibitedly to. Professional Challenges for Career Counsellors in India:
- Pressure to provide guidance solutions in less time: Career Counselling is not a short time process. It involves understanding the client, building a rapport, and then providing the right guidance as per the client’s need and capacity.
- Drawing the line: With some clients, it gets difficult to manage how and when to draw the line between career counsellor and personal advising. It is extremely important to not get carried away during the session because time is money and in the end, if the client doesn’t get what they signed up for, all the personal bonding will go to drain.
- Gaining client’s trust: Most of the time clients are not willing to talk or share their problems in the first session. It is difficult to make them open up to you as a Career Counsellor and build that trust. It is a time investing process.
- Dealing with difficult clients: Not always will a career counsellor have a clear headed, sorted, bright student to counsel. Many times there are students who are very difficult to deal with. There are students who are forced to take a counselling session, sometimes parents don’t agree to what their child wants. It is a rollercoaster for career counsellors, but a fun ride.
- Proving your worth: First sessions are usually like first impressions. If you have got the client in the first session, then you’ll most likely have them till the end. But 8/10 times clients look for some validation and proof that you are worth it. If they are paying per session, it better add value to them. There is a constant pressure to prove your worth and make sure you don’t compromise on your quality of work.
- Being careful about your own words and behaviour: While counselling students, you will come across different types of people. Make sure you are not stereotyping your clients while guiding them. Treat everybody equally and with respect. Avoid differentiating between gender, race, caste, religion, nationality, income levels, etc.
- Lack of Recognition for Career Counsellors: One of the biggest professional challenges a Career counsellor faces is the lack of valid recognition to provide the clients regarding his/her proficiency in Career Counselling services. India is the search for programs that can be recognized by all the institutes globally.
How Can You Become a Career Counsellor in India?
To become a Career Counsellor in India, one needs to have the passion and willingness to guide students towards the right career path. With time and experience, you will eventually find yourself turning into a good Career Counsellor. To establish yourself as a professional Career Counsellor, you must follow these steps:
Step 1: Complete your undergraduate degree:
This is a stepping stone to start working as a professional. Be it in the fields of Psychology or Science or Arts, anybody with minimum qualification can pursue Career Counselling in India. One can choose to study further or pursue an online course while already working as Counsellor as well.
Note: If you are keen on becoming a Career Counsellor right after graduation, then save your time by pursuing a correspondence course that provides a structured form of knowledge & training in the field of Career Counselling.
Step 2: Extensive research:
Are you curious by nature? If yes, this will help you learn more in life. Your ability to research will lead you to finding ways to grow as a professional in life. Be it a job or an online course, being able to look for information in the right place is extremely important.
Step 3: Upskill with renowned training:
The first 2 steps will direct you to the third step. To practice career counselling in India, you need to strengthen your base. For those who have completed their B.Aa / M.A. Psychology might find it easier to start working as a professional counsellor, but they will still require some training and up-gradation to become a Career Counsellor. Non-teaching and non-psychology background individuals can very well become a career counsellor with the right training.
Yes, you are thinking right! We are referring to the program mentioned in the video at the beginning of this article. The Global Career Counsellor Program from University of California, Los Angeles Extension (UCLA Extn.) and Univariety is an all-in-one guide to Career Counselling in India. Continue reading to know more about this one-of-a-kind program.
To know more about the course and how it can help you grow professionally!
Asia’s First Comprehensive Global Career Counsellor Program
Launched in 2016 by Univariety in collaboration with UCLA Extension, the Global Career Counsellor Program is a skillfully designed online course for aspiring Career Counsellors. The online course has its own advantages. It is a 40-hours video & PDF based program divided into 15 modules that cover everything a Career Counsellor in India needs to know.
It has successfully created its own network of trained counsellors in the last 4 years. Today, the Global Career Counsellor program is India’s most preferred career counselling program.
Benefits of the Global Career Counsellor program:
- Online Course – do it from the comfort of your home
- Access to Psychometric tests – get access and training on how to use Psychometric tests
- Regular industry updates – Receive weekly industry updates on WhatsApp and email
- Member of Counsellors network – become a part of India’s largest network of career counsellors
- Invitation to a 1-day workshop – meet, network, learn from peers and industry experts
- Resume support – get full support from the team to make a job worthy profile for you
Trusted by 5500+ Trained Global Career Counsellors
Who Can Become a Career Counsellor?
An individual with the right motive, passion, honestly and skills can become a Career Counsellor in India. All one needs is the knowledge and skill set, along with a credible training program that can validate his/her practice. Career Counselling as a profession has an immense scope and growth today. The Global Career Counsellor program is one such program that empowers individuals to become a Career Counsellor in India.
Let’s see how this program helps individuals from different professional backgrounds.
If you are a teacher, then it helps you to:
- Answer questions about careers and colleges beyond your subject domain
- Gain understanding of how universities evaluates students
- Take on the additional role of a career counsellor in your school
If you are already a career counsellor, then:
- Gain credibility through an International recognition of repute
- Learn the latest counselling techniques from around the world
If you are a Fresher or from Non-Education field, then:
- Get a chance to gain multiple job opportunities in the Education domain
- Gain credibility through an International recognition of repute
- Receive support on Resume building by experts
If you aspire to be a Teacher, then it will:
- Add weightage to your CV through a record of participation from UCLA Extension and Green Belt Certificate from Univariety
- Guide you In applying for jobs as a teacher and as a counsellor at renowned schools across the country
If you are already a psychological counsellor, then:
- Gain credibility through a record of participation from UCLA Extension and Green Belt Certificate from Univariety
- Add the knowledge of career guidance to your existing counselling skills
If you are a Housewife, then:
- Get a chance to earn while working from the comfort of your home
- Gain insights on how to guide your child better through his or her education
If you are an Industry personnel, then:
- Learn critical people management skills
- Gain insight into the tools, techniques, and processes required to manage your workforce better
This International Program Can Open Doors to 5 different Career Options
In the last 4 years, individuals from multiple educational and professional backgrounds have enrolled for the Global Career Counsellor program proving that the field of Career Counselling is open for those who strive to guide students towards the right career path. The Global Career Counsellor program opens doors to multiple career options like:
- Independent Career Counsellor –
All you need to become a Career Counsellor in India is, get trained by a trusted institute. The Global Career Counsellor program is backed by UCLA Extension which is one of the oldest and Top 20 institutions in the world and Univariety is India’s largest career guidance and college planning platform for schools. With such strong names on their profile one can easily find credibility. Here’s Ambika sharing her experience of successfully starting her own Career Counselling practice. Ambika is also an author now. She has launched her first book called ‘Careers on Mars’.
- Admissions Counsellor in a school/university –
No matter which industry you come from, if you have the zeal to guide students towards the right career path, this is your chance to grow and shine. The Global Career Counsellor program offers a scope of job opportunities in schools and colleges. Ever since CBSE has made it mandatory for schools to have a Career Counselling wing, they are constantly looking for trained Career Counsellors. Here’s Sonia sharing her experience of becoming the Head Career Counsellor of a Leading School in India.
- Overseas Consultant –
Career Guidance has many aspects to it. Some want to know about their personality type, some want to know which stream to select, some are worried about college admissions in India and some have specific requirements of studying abroad. The Global Career Counsellor program equips individuals with world-class knowledge and technical skills to guide students on ‘study abroad’ destinations. Here’s Khaled sharing his experience of mastering the overseas consultants market.
- Motivational Speaker/ Trainer –
We often see schools, colleges, corportes, etc invite Trainers and motivational speakers to boost their morale and confidence. Well, one cannot just wake up and become a motivational speaker or a trainer. They need the right mindset, knowledge and skills. As discussed in one of the sections in the beginning, ‘Good Communication’ is the key and one of the top qualities of becoming an effective Career Counsellor. If you have this skill and the right training that can validate your capabilities, nothing can stop you from having a successful career. Here’s how Bharti turned herself into a motivational speaker and an NGO activist. She is currently campaigning for ‘Kavach – A Movement’ protection from social stigma.
- Teacher –
If you are already a Teacher or aspiring to be a Teacher, you definitely need a B.Ed. If you want to teach primary school students, a good qualification is all that you need. One can easily find a job with this international course and parallely pursue B.Ed. In fact, you can become a Trainer or Career Teacher in schools. The Global Career Counsellor Program has empowered over 3000 Teachers across 80+ cities in India. Not just teachers, it has successfully transformed passionate individuals into budding Career Counsellors. The program is trusted and recommended by India’s top educational institutions. Here are some of the renowned schools & colleges in the country that have trained their faculty with the Global Career Counsellor Program.
Top 10 Career Counsellors in India
Just like you, we googled Top Career Counsellors in India. Do you know what’s common between all these Career Counsellors? They are all successful and trained Global Career Counsellors.
Read more: Top 10 Career Counsellors in india
Conclusion
We hope you have understood that today, there is a dire need for Career Counsellors in India. In addition to that, there is a massive scope for professionals like you to grow in this industry. If you have decided to make the most of your career and grow as a professional Career Counsellor in India, step forward.
Don’t wait for the opportunity, create one! Become a Successful Career Counsellor in India today!
Sukriti is a Hyderabad-based Writer, covering the exciting world of Career Counselling and Entrepreneurship. She also writes about mega-trends in education, diversification for Teachers & other individuals with a focus on how innovation and upskilling can help them grow professionally. She is an MBA in Public Relations & Event Management. When she is not trying to understand complex changes & needs in the counselling and education industry, she enjoys travelling and watching movies with a cup of black ginger tea.
2 Comments
sirs my gmail adress is dvramana250664@gmail.com pl guide me to become a education counsellor in ap state
Hi Venkataramana, thank you for reaching out. I have forwarded your email ID to my colleague who manages Training & Certification at Univariety. Please expect an email shortly.