How to hire an adult school counselor

How to hire an adult school counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adult school counselor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an adult school counselor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new adult school counselor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an adult school counselor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An adult school counselor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, adult school counselors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents adult school counselor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Adult School Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Adult School Counselor	Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors advise people who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or other behavioral problems. They provide treatment and support to help the client recover from addiction or modify problem behaviors.	$18-32
   Counselor/Case Manager	A Counselor provides advice for coping with everyday situations, relationships, health challenges, or disabilities of patients. Case Managers develop, monitor, and evaluate treatment plans and the progress of patients within the social service departments, healthcare companies, hospital networks, etc.	$15-22
   Counselor Internship	When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision... Show more	$14-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Substance Abuse
   • Community Resources
   • Group Therapy
   • Discharge Planning
   • Social Services
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Individual Therapy
   • Domestic Violence
   • Motivational
   • Community Agencies
   • Severe Mental Illness
   • Cognitive Behavioral
   • Individual Sessions

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
   • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
   • Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your adult school counselor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An adult school counselor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, adult school counselors' average salary in georgia is 42% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level adult school counselors 44% less than senior-level adult school counselors.
   • Certifications. An adult school counselor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an adult school counselor's salary.

   Average adult school counselor salary

   $51,207yearly

   $24.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adult school counselor salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an adult school counselor job description

   An adult school counselor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an adult school counselor job description:

   Adult school counselor job description example

   The primary responsibility of the MFLC program is to provide a full scope of Behavioral Health services to military service members and their families throughout the U.S. and at select installations in Europe and Asia.
   
   MFLC counselors provide non-medical counseling services to military service members and their families. Non-medical counseling is supportive in nature and addresses: living conditions; life skills; improving relationships at home and at work; stress management; adjustment issues, such as those related to returning from deployment; marital problems; parenting, fear, grief and loss.
   
   Counseling modalities consist of individual, family, couples and groups. MFLC may be based out of an installation's family center, a National Guard and Reserve Joint Force HQ or other facilities and will provide proactive outreach to service members and their families via walk-around counseling.
   Responsibilities:
   
   + Provides face-to-face non-medical counseling to military service members and their families.
   
   + Makes appropriate referrals and handoffs to military and community resources according to the needs of military service members and their families.
   
   + Develops and/or uses approved training and education programs and materials.
   
   + Advises on new or revised presentations by military leadership, when requested.
   
   + Provides tracking of services performed and referrals made using the appropriate reporting system.
   
   + Communicates information regarding trends and issues at assigned installation to supervisors.
   
   + Participates in regular in-service training, quality improvement committees, or other contract activities as assigned.
   
   + May participate in surge and on demand events.
   
   Minimum Requirements:
   
   + A Master's degree in the Behavioral Health Professions (MS/MSW/MA)
   
   + Minimum 1 years of post-master's supervised clinical experience
   
   + *Licensure to practice at the independent practice level (LCSW, LMFT, LPC LCPC, LMHC)
   
   + Must be a U.S. citizen
   
   + Must be able to obtain NACI clearance
   
   Desired Experience:
   
   + Prior military service/military family member and/or strong familiarity with the military culture
   
   + Bilingual capabilities
   
   External Referral Bonus:Ineligible
   
   Potential for Telework:No
   
   Clearance Level Required:NACI
   
   Travel:Yes, 10% of the time
   
   Scheduled Weekly Hours:40
   
   Shift:Day
   
   Requisition Category:Professional
   
   Job Family:Certified Career Counselors
   
   Pay Range: REQNUMBER: R-00055371
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Leidos will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in accordance with relevant Laws. Leidos is an equal opportunity employer/disability/vet.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find adult school counselors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your adult school counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit adult school counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with adult school counselor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new adult school counselor

   Once you've found the adult school counselor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new adult school counselor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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