School guidance counselor vs employment counselor

The differences between school guidance counselors and employment counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a school guidance counselor has an average salary of $49,562, which is higher than the $43,848 average annual salary of an employment counselor.

The top three skills for a school guidance counselor include crisis intervention, community agencies and professional development. The most important skills for an employment counselor are litigation, employment law, and HR.

School guidance counselor vs employment counselor overview

	School Guidance Counselor	Employment Counselor
Yearly salary	$49,562	$43,848
Hourly rate	$23.83	$21.08
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	82,545	29,459
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a school guidance counselor do?

School Guidance Counselors assess students' ability and potential, provide private counseling, and coordinate with fellow professionals on student matters. To help students in realizing their objectives, school guidance counselors evaluate their attributes. Also, they identify behavioral problems and appropriately to remedy the situation. Part of their duties is to cooperate with parents, external partners, and academic staff. To succeed, these guidance counselors must be authentic and accessible with good communication skills and a profound interest in helping students to achieve career and academic goals.

What does an employment counselor do?

The employment counselor is someone who guides and advises people on how to choose, manage and continue in a career path they've chosen. The employment counselor educates people on each career's pros and cons, giving them insights into what to expect, salary rates, and employment chances in a particular profession. The employment counselor will also show how to excel in a specific career, offer ideas on what training or seminar to attend and what skills to enhance to achieve an edge over others.

School guidance counselor vs employment counselor salary

School guidance counselors and employment counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	School Guidance Counselor	Employment Counselor
Average salary	$49,562	$43,848
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $67,000	Between $26,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Tolleson Union High School District	Apple
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between school guidance counselor and employment counselor education

There are a few differences between a school guidance counselor and an employment counselor in terms of educational background:

	School Guidance Counselor	Employment Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	School Counseling	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

School guidance counselor vs employment counselor demographics

Here are the differences between school guidance counselors' and employment counselors' demographics:

	School Guidance Counselor	Employment Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%	Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between school guidance counselor and employment counselor duties and responsibilities

School guidance counselor example responsibilities.

Participate in IEP's staff meetings, parent meetings and individual student counseling.
Attend and participate in IEP meetings, truancy elimination meetings, children s clinic meetings, and parent meetings.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Employment counselor example responsibilities.

Complete reports, manage client files and process WIA billing invoices for tuition and supplies.
Manage a caseload of Calworks participants in working towards the goal of self-sufficiency and employment.
Monitor caseworkers to ensure rehabilitation services are properly coordinate to aid clients in achieving self-sufficiency.
Source, develop, and implement HRIS systems.
Provide case management to TANF recipients that move clients to employment.
Document in accordance with JCAHO, Medicaid, and all quality improvement standards.

School guidance counselor vs employment counselor skills

Common school guidance counselor skills

Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Agencies, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
K-12, 4%

Common employment counselor skills

Litigation, 16%
Employment Law, 14%
HR, 10%
Employment Litigation, 6%
FLSA, 5%
Training Programs, 4%

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School Guidance Counselor vs Employment Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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