Work Environment
Guidance Advocates typically work in the following Career Sectors:
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Most commonly reported Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Organising, Planning, and Prioritising Work Developing specific goals and plans to prioritise, organise, and accomplish your work.
- Interacting With Computers Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
- Documenting/Recording Information Entering, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
- Provide Consultation and Advice to Others Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
The Work
The work of the Advocate (Often a qualified Guidance Counsellor) takes place with groups and also on a one-to-one basis. It consists largely of the following functions:
Counselling: helping learners with coping skills for the ever changing circumstances in their personal, educational, and career development; decision-making, problem-solving and behavioural change
Personal and social skills development
Career information management to acquire, store and communicate useful careers and courses information
Assessment: using psychological and educational standardised measurements to help the learner understand their strengths and areas for development
Vocational preparation: job search skills, work experience and interview preparation
Consultation with Parent/s & Guardians, Staff, and the wider community
Referrals: when appropriate, learnerss are referred to qualified professionals outside the learning enviornment
Delivering and assessment of career modules for example: QQI Career Planning & Preparation, Personal Professional Development, Work Experience modules in FET centres
Most commonly reported Work Tasks
- Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.
- Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs.
- Identify cases of domestic abuse or other family problems and encourage students or parents to seek additional assistance from mental health professionals.
- Counsel individuals to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
- Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.
- Provide special services such as alcohol and drug prevention programs and classes that teach students to handle conflicts without resorting to violence.
- Conduct follow-up interviews with counselees to determine if their needs have been met.
Qualities - Guidance Advocate
As a Guidance Advocate, you must enjoy working with people, and helping them to make important decisions about their personal, education, training and employment options. The following qualities are desirable:
- The ability to put people at ease and give information clearly is important
- Good communication skills are very important. You must be able to listen carefully, and ask the right questions to find out about the learners interests, skills and values
- Knowledge of assessment techniques such as as psychometric tests tests and computer guidance software
- The ability to use information technology is important, whether for administrative tasks, searching the internet for information or demonstrating guidance software
- The ability to teach & facilitate groups
- Be non judgemental, inclusive and empower learners to be more self-directed
Interests - Guidance Advocate
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Social
The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.
Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Enterprising
Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and are drawn to commerce, trade and making deals. Some pursue sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or in management roles in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.
Entry - Guidance Advocate
All teachers, including second level Guidance Counsellors, must register with the Teaching Council. You must first be eligible for registration as a FET or Second Level Teacher, and in addition, may pursue a qualification in Guidance and Counselling. The qualification in guidance and counselling is a postgraduate one.
Training & Development pathways
FET Centre Traineeship & PLC courses: Teaching, Youth & Community work, Social work, and Probation work or personnel work NFQ level 5-6 Search FET Courses
CAO Higher Education entry: Teaching, Youth and Community work, Social work, and Probation work or personnel/ HR NFQ level 6-8 Search CAO courses
Posgraduate Options: Career Guidance & Counselling NFQ Level 7 [special purpose] & post grad NFQ level 9
Dublin City University (DCU)
MSc in Guidance Counselling
2 year part time (contact DCU directly regarding entry criteria)
University of Limerick (UL)
MA Guidance Counselling & Lifespan Development
2 year part time (contact UL directly regarding entry criteria)
Maynooth University (MU)
Certificate in Adult Guidance Theory and Practice
1 year part time (contact MU directly for more information and entry criteria)
Post Graduate Diploma in School Guidance Counselling
1 year part time - SCHOOL ONLY (contact MU directly for more information and entry criteria)
Master of Education - School Guidance Counselling
1 year part time - SCHOOL ONLY (contact MU directly regarding entry criteria)
Post Graduate Diploma (Arts) in Adult Guidance Counselling
2 year part time - FURTHER EDUCATION ONLY - (contact MU directly regarding entry criteria)
Courses involve both study and practical experience. Subject areas covered in a guidance and counselling course include such areas as:
- Counselling theory and practice
- Group theory and practice
- Career development and behaviour
- Principles and practice of psychological training
- Sociology of education
- Career information management
- Casework/counselling practice
Employers place importance on the right personal qualities. Relevant life and work experience are also highly valued.
Recognizing Foreign Guidance Qualifications
NARIC Ireland provides advice on the academic recognition of foreign qualifications by comparing them, where possible and appropriate, to a major award type and level on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). A comparability statement for each qualification listed is available for download on the NARIC website.
Professional Development & CPD
Institute of Guidance Counsellors
Last Updated: April, 2023
Pay & Salary - Guidance Advocate
Salary Range (thousands per year)* €32k - €60k
Salaries are linked to the ETBI salary scales and circulars.
Data Source(s):
ETBI/ Gov.ie
Last Updated: July, 2024
* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.
View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available
Labour Market Updates - Guidance Advocate
This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).
Employment growth was below average over the five-year period, with little growth since 2020. It should be noted that career guidance professionals working in the second level system are most likely captured in the secondary teaching occupations. Employment permits issued in 2022 were all intra-company transfers and related to roles outside of the education sector.
Useful Contacts - Guidance Advocate
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IACTO Irish Association for Community traning organisations
- IACTO CLG Suite 1B, Bluebell Business Centre, Old Naas Road, Dublin 12, D12 XV7K
- 01 – 450 42 49
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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NLN National learning network
- Rehab Group Head Office, 10D Beckett Way, Park West Business Park, Dublin 12
- (0) 1 205 7200
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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IGC Institute Of Guidance Counsellors
- Institute of Guidance Counsellors, The Basement, 17 Herbert St., Dublin 2, Ireland.
- 01 6761975
- [email protected]
- Click Here
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Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI)
- Piper's Hill, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co Kildare, Ireland
- +353 (0)45-901070
- [email protected]
- Click Here
