Guidance Counselor: Average Salary of a Guidance Counselor

Published Sep 03, 2009

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Guidance Counselors work with elementary, middle and high school students to provide academic, emotional and vocational support and assistance. The average salary of a Guidance Counselor is $54,000 per year, according to data gathered by Indeed.com.

Guidance Counselor Career Summary

Guidance Counselors work with students, from kindergarten to senior year, providing academic, emotional and vocational support. The exact role Guidance Counselors play in students' lives generally depends on the age of the student.

Elementary school Guidance Counselors work closely with teachers and administrators to create curricula that meet the developmental and academic needs of students. Through individual meetings and classroom supervision, Guidance Counselors evaluate and determine the individual needs of students who may be suffering from emotional or learning disabilities.

Guidance Counselors at the secondary school level deal more with students' vocational needs. Though they sometimes work individually with students who need academic or emotional support, high school Guidance Counselors primarily assist students by helping them choose and apply to colleges. In fact, Guidance Counselors at the high school level are often called 'college counselors.' Another important job of high school Guidance Counselors is providing vocational support to students in the form of resume editing, interview practice and job search assistance.

Guidance Counselor Career Outlook and Salary Information

According to Indeed.com, the average salary of a Guidance Counselor is $54,000 annually. Guidance Counselors can earn additional income by working for the school system or in other positions during summer vacation. Additionally, most schools offer competitive benefits packages.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, reported that employment for Guidance Counselors was expected to grow by 13% between 2006 and 2016, which was about average for all occupations. Job prospects should be most promising in rural and urban areas, where schools typically have more trouble recruiting new hires.

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