Careers Adviser/Officer

Introduction

Careers advisers enable people to make well prepared and realistic choices about their education, training and employment options. Careers advisers work in a wide variety of settings, including schools, further and higher education, economic development organisations, independent guidance agencies and organisations that support people with disabilities.

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Work Activities

Careers advisers enable their clients to make well prepared and realistic choices about their education, training and employment opportunities.

Many careers advisers work with young people in schools, further education and higher education. Careers advisers also work with adult clients who may be unemployed, facing redundancy or who want to change their career.

An important part of the careers adviser's role is to encourage people to consider their own likes, dislikes and abilities. They guide clients through assessment techniques, such as psychometric tests and computer guidance software. They may also use audio, video and printed material.

Face-to-face interviews are an integral part of the adviser's work. In schools, they assess, inform and encourage the young person, and help them to plan ahead. They may write reports based on the interviews, and discuss these with parents and teachers.

Careers advisers may also give talks to year groups and lead group work with pupils.

Careers advisers try to make sure their services are available to the people who most need advice and guidance. They help clients to overcome the barriers they may face in finding and staying on in employment, training and learning opportunities. For example, they may help people to complete job applications, construct a CV or prepare for interviews.

Advisers work closely with employers and training providers, contacting them to obtain careers information and perhaps visiting them to give advice on recruitment, employment legislation and changes in educational qualifications or procedures.

Careers advisers need to keep careful client records. Other administrative tasks include writing reports after meetings and visits, managing careers information resources and corresponding with employers and professional institutions.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a careers adviser, you must enjoy working with people, and helping them to make important decisions about their education, training and employment options.

Good communication skills are very important. You must be able to listen carefully, and ask the right questions to determine the client's interests, skills and options. Knowledge of assessment techniques such as psychometric tests and computer guidance software is useful.

You need IT skills for writing reports and keeping records, searching the Internet for information or demonstrating guidance software.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Salaries for fully qualified careers advisers in Scotland are in the range of £20,500 - £33,130 a year. Probationary careers advisers start at around £20,500 a year. Qualified careers advisers with a couple of years experience would probably earn around £23,500 to £24,000 a year.

Careers advisers normally work a basic 35-hour week which, depending on the post, may include evening work.

Most vacancies in Scotland are with Careers Scotland, the national careers service which is now part of Skills Development Scotland. Other jobs are with universities, colleges and commercial organisations, economic development organisations such as Local Enterprise Companies and independent guidance agencies. Elsewhere there are vacancies with Careers Wales and with Children's Trusts in England.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

To undertake the Qualification in Career Guidance and Development (QCGD) candidates will need to show that they can cope with postgraduate level study, but need not necessarily have a first degree. Skills and abilities gained working with young people are an advantage.

The QCGD is available on both a full- and part-time basis.

• 28% of people in occupations such as careers adviser work part-time.
• 33% have flexible hours.
• 9% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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