Student Advisor

Job Duties

Student advisors work with elementary and secondary students. You give students information and advice about personal issues, educational issues, career planning or personal development. You may also provide counselling services to parents, teachers, faculty and staff of educational institutions. You may work for school boards, correctional facilities or government agencies. You may also be called a guidance counsellor.

Generally, student advisors:

• Help students with timetables and scheduling, school adjustment, attendance problems and study skills.
• Help students with personal and social issues.
• Talk to teachers, parents and other professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists and social workers about different issues and concerns.
• Refer students to community agencies or other professionals, as needed.
• Coordinate co-operative work placements and school-to-work transition programs.
• Administer standardized intelligence, personality, vocational, aptitude and interest tests, and analyze the results.
• Develop and coordinate study skills groups or workshops on topics such as note-taking, test or examination anxiety and preparation strategies and time management skills.
• Counsel student crisis situations such as dealing with the death of a friend, or family member, suicidal tendencies and abuse situations.
• May supervise peer counselling programs in school settings
• May teach regular classes

Source: Government of Canada

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: College or University

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Level of Education Required
College Instructor	Post-Graduate
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	College or University
Student Advisor	College or University
Private Tutor	College or University

Experience

This job requires 2 - 5 years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Years of Work Experience Required
College Instructor	2 - 5
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	0 - 2
Student Advisor	2 - 5
Private Tutor	2 - 5

Source: Government of Canada

Essential Skills

As a student advisor, you need to:

• Speak, read and write English.
• Have excellent listening, questioning and assessment skills.
• Use assessment tools to find out students' aptitudes, skills and interests.
• Use word processing, database, spreadsheet, presentation, internet and email software.
• Be empathetic, non-judgmental, and have a positive attitude.

Source: Ontario Skills Passport

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person and in writing with students and co-workers. You need to build relationships with students. For some positions, you need excellent oral presentation skills.

Labour Market Information

Trends

The demand for student advisors is affected by educational policy, funding for education, and enrollment.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: FAIR

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Work Prospects
College Instructor	Fair
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	Good
Student Advisor	Fair
Private Tutor	No Data

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: C$30/hour.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Average Wage/Hour
College Instructor	$32.31
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	$16.41
Student Advisor	$30.00
Private Tutor	$0.00

Source: Job Bank

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

• Related programs at Ontario colleges
• Search for related programs at Canadian universities

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

• See bridging programs for teachers

Language Training

Here is a list of some language training programs:

• Specialized Language Training Programs

Work Experience Programs

Some college programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

• Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
• Canadian Career Information Association
• Career Professionals of Canada

Helpful Links

• Career Map for Teachers
• Information for Internationally-Trained Elementary School Teachers
• Information for Internationally-Trained Secondary School Teachers
• Ontario College of Teachers
  • Registration Requirements for Internationally-Educated Teachers

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.