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 Guidance Counsellor takes place with groups and also on a one-to-one basis. It consists largely of the following functions:

• Counselling: helping pupils with coping skills for the ever changing circumstances in their personal, educational, and career development; decision-making and problem-solving

• Personal and social skills development

• Career information management to acquire, store and disseminate useful careers and courses information

• Assessment: using psychological and educational standardised measurements to help students understand their strengths and level of ability

• Vocational preparation: job search skills, work experience and interview skills

• Consultation with Parents, Staff and services in the wider community

• Referrals: when apprpriate students are referred to qualified professionals outside of their school

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.

Further Information

• Guidance Counsellor - Post Primary - from: GradIreland

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.

All Teachers, including second level Guidance Counsellors, must register with the Teaching Council. You must first be eligible for registration as a Second Level Teacher, and in addition, hold a recognised qualification in Guidance Counselling. 

Courtesy of Teaching council of Ireland 

PSI Registered Psychometric testing skills, Online and blended career guidance options, and ICT skills may be required for delivery of the guidance programme in post primary schools. 

Postgraduate Study options Guidance and counselling is a postgraduate one. Employers place importance on the right personal qualities. Relevant life and work experience are also highly valued.
 
There are four courses available at different institutions around the country:

• DCU Guidance Counselling NFQ Level 9
• Maynooth University Educational Guidance Counselling NFQ Level 9
• Limerick Unversity Guidance Counselling & Lifespan Development MA NFQ Level 9

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

Last Updated: November, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €44k - €80k

Salaries vary based on employer, location, experience, duties, yearly scaled, and sessional rates between 5-22 hours, and a possibly additonal teaching role. 

Data Source(s):
A.S.T.I/ Payscale/ TUI/ Glassdoor/ Indeed/ PAS/ DES

Last Updated: August, 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

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.

Second level Teacher 

Employment growth was below average for secondary teachers with numbers remaining relatively unchanged since 2020. Enrolments in post primary schools have been in increasing in recent years, with some, but not all, of the most recent increase due to the enrolment of nearly 5,500 Ukrainian pupils in 2022/23; enrolments were expected to decline from 2025, although this may depend on migration patterns (such as the presence of Ukrainian students). Teachers with specific subject combinations remain difficult to source, however.

A 2021 report by the Department of Education noted particular challenges in recruiting teachers of STEM, modern Irish, modern foreign languages and home economics subjects. A recent survey by ASTI on recruitment, retention and supply of teachers highlighted particular difficulties in recruiting teachers for Mathematics and Irish and also signalled that issues such as pay and availability of housing is a significant deterrent for attracting teachers to the sector. The Department of Education has introduced a suite of measures to address teacher demand in priority subjects, including procuring Level 8 programmes to upskill teachers to teach Mathematics, Physics and Spanish as well as a pilot scheme to facilitate teacher sharing between schools.

• Institute of Guidance Counsellors

  • The Basement, 17 Herbert Street, Dublin 2
  • (01) 676 1975
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Department of Education and Skills

  • Marlborough St, Dublin 1
  • (01) 889 6400
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• The Teaching Council

  • Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth Co. Kildare
  • (01) 651 7900
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here