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What is a teacher counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Juleen Buser Ph.D.,
Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a teacher counselor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.81 an hour? That's $45,362 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 32,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a teacher counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.
ScoreTeacher CounselorUS Average
Salary
3.5

Avg. Salary $45,362

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.4

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
7.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 3.48%

Black or African American 15.60%

Hispanic or Latino 11.12%

Unknown 5.06%

White 63.50%

Gender

female 55.20%

male 44.80%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Teacher counselor career paths

Key steps to become a teacher counselor

  1. Explore teacher counselor education requirements

    Most common teacher counselor degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.9 %

    Master's

    13.2 %

    Associate

    7.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific teacher counselor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Behavioral Problems16.03%
    Crisis Intervention14.48%
    Mental Health5.66%
    Residential Treatment Facility5.17%
    Direct Supervision4.14%
  3. Research teacher counselor duties and responsibilities

    • Certify in CPR / a, first aid, and communicable disease.
    • work as a caregiver for children- certify in cpr and first aid-pass meds -ccm training
    • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
    • Maintain therapeutic relationships with youth through effective teaching and coaching techniques to provide leadership and foster relationship building skills.
  4. Prepare your teacher counselor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your teacher counselor resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a teacher counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable teacher counselor resume templates

    Build a professional teacher counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your teacher counselor resume.
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    Teacher Counselor Resume
  5. Apply for teacher counselor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a teacher counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first teacher counselor job

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Average teacher counselor salary

The average teacher counselor salary in the United States is $45,362 per year or $22 per hour. Teacher counselor salaries range between $28,000 and $72,000 per year.

Average teacher counselor salary
$45,362 Yearly
$21.81 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do teacher counselors rate their job?

-/5

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Teacher counselor reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

To help most people out of their respective concern.

Cons

I don't like people perishing, especially the teenagers.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Working with kids and helping them achieve their goals.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.

Pros

Change agent when people are stuck and need support in the process of restoration. One on one and group processing is powerful.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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