Counselling

Yes, training to practise as an architect can take seven years – but plenty of jobs are available for graduates of a three- or four-year degree in architecture

As university counsellors, we often hear our students say they want to study ‘business’ – but what do they really mean by that?

A programme in Togo provides high-achieving, low-income students with the resources and guidance to continue their education

Being a counsellor is not just about the short-term goal of getting students into university – it’s also about helping them to find satisfaction in their future careers

School counsellors can connect with the school and local community to ensure that all students reach their goal

Too often, students are asked ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’, but perhaps that isn’t the right question. Instead, asking them to identify what issues they believe in and what brings them joy might help them to identify their career paths

Students are often interested in the work that engineers do – but find the E-word offputting. How can counsellors change their mind?

Career-development and guidance theories underpin much of the work that counsellors do – but they can have limitations as well

Counsellors can look to university careers services when helping students choose universities and, ultimately, understand what their return on investment might be

What can origami paper ducks teach students about future career options? Rather a lot, it turns out

As counsellors, one of our responsibilities is to get to know our students. Could these personality tests help?

Working with students on applications for art and design courses can be enjoyable and challenging – and a refreshing change from reviewing personal statements

High school counselling can be like the unfolding plot of a Netflix series. So what are the central themes of each season?

Many students believe that a history degree will limit them to a teaching career on graduation. Rebecca Jennings from UCL states the many reasons why a history degree has good earning potential and teaches key skills that all employers are looking for

Samantha Caras uses her “Finding Fit” activity to help students better understand the concept of best fit – and she learns something new every time, too

The university application process is filled with data. In order to provide informed guidance, counsellors need a basic understanding of statistics

Law is a highly transferable, sought-after degree – but applying to study law involves more than just watching back episodes of Suits

Career Exploration Day is a classroom activity designed to help students fuse multiple academic subjects into different professions

Students assume that apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships are for the less academically able – but they provide exactly the skills that employers are looking for

Generalists tend to explore widely, take on failure and gain confidence in who they are – all traits we should be encouraging in our students

The Japanese concept of ikigai refers to something that gives a person value, joy and a sense of purpose in life. How can we help our students find theirs?

With nearly 30,000 universities around the world, it can be difficult for students to know which ones to apply to – which is why visiting some of them can be helpful

Just as wearing a poorly fitting pair of shoes is an uncomfortable experience, so students will find it uncomfortable attending a university that isn’t the best fit for them

Preparing students for the professional world is crucial – and where better to start than with your school’s community network?

Choosing which universities to apply to is one of the biggest decisions of our students’ lives. How can we use psychological research to help them with it?

One of the best ways to be an effective counsellor is to implement a social-emotional learning approach. But how do you do this?

Counsellors, students and parents can have very different ideas about what higher education should achieve. Can those ideas be reconciled?

The vast array of university options can leave students afraid of making the wrong decision. How do you bring order to the chaos?

University visits involve welcoming representatives from colleges and universities to your high school to speak to students. But what do they actually achieve?

Students whose passport country is different from their country of residence often have unique needs and considerations. How can you best support them?

Increasing students’ awareness of the skills they will need for their future careers helps to prepare them better for success at university, says Alan Perkins

Most students follow a well-trodden path – but there are alternative routes that may be better suited to helping them achieve their goals. Arjumand Rafiq considers the benefits of veering off the beaten track

Climate change will have an impact on the skills required in the future and will lead to the creation of new careers. It’s time green guidance became part of the counsellor’s job, says Khushboo Bedi

In Cameroon, counsellors are supposed to work closely with 300 pupils. But a shortage of counsellors means that they’re more likely to be working with 900

The right CPD enables counsellors to keep up with sector trends, enhance their knowledge and support students more effectively

Counsellors will often have to move abroad and learn new languages and a new culture. These tips can help counsellors to bridge those gaps and assimilate into a new place

Recognising your own strengths allows counsellors to tailor CPD activities accordingly. These tools can help you identify the areas where you excel

Counsellors spend a lot of time advising students on how to find their best-fit destinations – but ‘best fit’ can apply equally to job-hunting counsellors, too

The path to becoming an effective university counsellor inevitably involves mistakes. What are some of the common ones?

Working in remote or less-touristed areas can be challenging – but also exhilarating and rewarding, as long as you learn to expect the unexpected

New and experienced counsellors alike might be looking for new challenges and the opportunity to develop new skills – but where should you begin?

Are you thinking of training to be a university counsellor? Here’s the information and resources you need to get started

As a counsellor, it’s easy to feel as though you’re the only person guiding students to their destinations. But is it up to you to have all the information?

In order to do our jobs to the best of our ability, school counsellors must first define who we are doing it for, says Deborah Mason Pontual

Counsellors should never stop learning and growing, no matter how experienced they are. David Hanna offers some tips on staying ahead of emerging trends