School Counsellor
School counsellors help students work through the personal, social and emotional difficulties that get in the way of their learning and wellbeing.
- Median salary
- $112,000
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 4,100
2.5%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +23.4%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
School counsellors work inside primary and secondary schools, usually within a small wellbeing team alongside year advisers, learning support staff and the school leadership. The role sits between teaching and mental health work: in some states and school systems it is filled by registered psychologists, while elsewhere a qualified counsellor works with teaching staff. Most weeks are split between individual sessions, group wellbeing programs, and meetings with teachers, parents and outside services such as child protection and community mental health.
How much do school counsellors earn?
The median full-time salary for a school counsellor is $112,000 per annum, before tax, up $23,200 since 2018.
Pay follows the school sector and the state or territory agreement, so a counsellor in a government school and one in an independent school with the same qualifications can sit on different scales. Where the role requires psychologist registration, the psychology classification usually lifts the salary, and experienced counsellors who take on a head of wellbeing or year level coordination role often receive an allowance on top. Part-time work is common, so the advertised full-time figures can be higher than what many counsellors actually take home.
What does a school counsellor do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Sitting with a student through a first session that can turn from a friendship problem into a welfare concern in ten minutes
- Writing case notes and risk assessments while the details are still fresh, often before the next appointment
- Meeting with teachers, year advisers and parents who each want a different plan for the same student
- Running a wellbeing or resilience session for a whole year group between individual appointments
- Deciding whether a disclosure needs an immediate mandatory report or ongoing support, sometimes within the hour
What skills do school counsellors need?
Employers look for counselling and support work, pastoral care and wellbeing, student assessment and reporting, backed by Counselling assessment software (e.g. Welltrak, InsideOut Institute tools) fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Counselling and support work
- Pastoral care and wellbeing
- Student assessment and reporting
Software and tools
- Counselling assessment software (e.g. Welltrak, InsideOut Institute tools)
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
- Student information management systems (e.g. Compass, Sentral)
- Psychological assessment tools
General skills
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Problem solving
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 4,100 people work as school counsellors in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 23.4% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a school counsellor?
Here's the path most school counsellors take, step by step.
- 1Start with a degree in teaching, counselling or psychology
Most people enter through a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Counselling or a psychology degree, and the one you choose shapes the postgraduate study you need later. Check the requirements for the state and school system you want to work in before you enrol, because they differ.
- 2Add a postgraduate qualification in counselling or psychology
The most common qualification in this workforce is at Postgraduate level, held by 42% of school counsellors, and it is usually a master's in counselling, psychology or educational psychology. This is the study that lets you assess and work with students rather than refer them on.
- 3Meet the registration requirements where you work
New South Wales public schools require school counsellors to be registered psychologists through AHPRA, while other states and sectors often accept teacher registration plus a counselling qualification. Requirements vary by state, so confirm them early rather than at the end of your degree.
- 4Build school experience
Practicum placements, teacher aide work or a student wellbeing role give you the classroom and child safety context that counselling courses do not fully cover, and schools look for it when hiring.
- 5Keep supervision and professional development going
Counsellors usually keep a supervisor outside the school, and membership of a professional body such as the Australian Counselling Association or PACFA supports ongoing registration and training.
Ready to apply as a school counsellor?
Whether you're working toward becoming a school counsellor or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a school counsellor move to?
Moving into Secondary School Teacher typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $8,700 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teacher School counsellors with teaching registration can return to the classroom, using pastoral expertise to support secondary students.Known move | +$8,700 | 29% | requalify |
| Psychologist School counsellors bring student wellbeing and assessment skills, but moving to psychologist requires full psychology registration.Known move | +$2,600 | 16% | requalify |
| Social Worker School counsellors' casework and welfare skills transfer, though social work requires a recognised social work degree.Known move | +$900 | 26% | requalify |
| Educational Psychologist School counsellors bring learning and wellbeing knowledge, but educational psychology requires specialist psychology qualifications and registration.Known move | −$12,200 | 53% | requalify |
| Curriculum Coordinator School counsellors understand curriculum and student needs, but curriculum coordination requires teaching registration and leadership experience.Known move | −$35,000 | 18% | requalify |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a school counsellor?
The typical school counsellor is 41 years old; 80% are women, 53% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 41
- Median age
- 80%
- Female share
- 53%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a school counsellor?
The job has the rhythm of the school year, with intense terms and long breaks, and a caseload that rarely matches the hours available. Much of the work is triage: brief support for many students and longer work for the few who need it most, with teachers and families often seeking a quick fix you cannot give. It suits people who are calm in a crisis, comfortable holding confidences, and patient enough to keep helping a student who is not ready to change yet.
What people like
- Seeing a student change over years. A Year 8 student who would not speak in a first session can walk into Year 11 with plans and a group of friends, and working in a school means you are there to see it.
- A school-year rhythm. Term dates, holidays and predictable hours make the role easier to combine with family life than many allied health jobs, even though term time itself is busy.
- Working with the whole school community. Teachers, year advisers, families and outside services all come through your office, so you see how the school works as a system rather than from one classroom.
- Early notice when something is wrong. Counsellors often pick up a shift in attendance, friendships or engagement before it becomes a crisis, which gives you a chance to act while the situation is still manageable.
What people find hard
- A caseload set by the school, not by you. Being the only counsellor for a thousand students means deciding who gets four sessions and who gets a check-in at lunchtime, and the waiting list rarely clears.
- Crisis work does not keep to the timetable. A disclosure at 3pm can mean phone calls, paperwork and a follow-up plan well after the final bell, and the next day's appointments still stand.
- Confidentiality has limits. You hear about things happening at home that you cannot change, and your job is to help the student cope and, where the law requires it, report what you have been told.
- Admin squeezes the counselling. Notes, risk assessments, referrals and reporting obligations take time that would otherwise go to students, and they cannot be skipped.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ school counsellors?
Education and Training employs the largest share of school counsellors, followed by Health Care and Social Assistance.
Top employing industries
- 1Education and Training
- 2Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 42.1% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 33.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 9.8% | |
| Year 12 or below | 8.2% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 5% |
Will AI replace school counsellors?
AI and automation reach only a small part of this job, because most of it happens in a room with a student and depends on reading a situation accurately. Student information systems like Compass and Sentral already manage timetabling, attendance and parts of the record keeping, and wellbeing surveys can flag who might need support, but none of that changes what happens in a session. Judging risk, working with a family in distress and knowing when to escalate are the parts that keep the role human.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- One-on-one counselling sessions with studentsA session with a student who has stopped attending class depends on tone, silence and trust, which no tool provides.40%low
- Wellbeing programs, referrals and meetings with familiesScheduling, referral forms and program materials can be partly automated, but the meeting where a parent disagrees with the school's plan cannot.25%moderate
- Risk checks and mandatory reporting decisionsDeciding whether a disclosure about life at home meets the threshold for a report is a judgement call that carries legal weight.20%low
- Case notes and record keepingTemplates and voice-to-text tools can speed up session notes and wellbeing records, which is welcome in a week where admin competes with appointments.15%high
Common questions about becoming a school counsellor
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do school counsellors earn?
School counsellors earn a median of $112,000 per year before tax, based on full-time workers. Pay is set by the school sector and the state agreement rather than negotiated school by school, so the biggest differences come from whether registration as a psychologist is required and whether you hold a leadership role. Treat the figure as a guide rather than a promise of what a particular school will pay.
How do you become a school counsellor?
Most school counsellors start with a teaching, counselling or psychology degree, then complete a postgraduate qualification in counselling, psychology or educational psychology. From there you need to meet the registration rules for your state or school system, and build experience with children and young people through placements or support roles. Requirements differ across states, so check yours before choosing a course.
Are school counsellors in demand?
School counsellors are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 23.4% over the decade to 2035. The work is funded largely through school budgets, and about 53% of school counsellors work full time, so part-time and shared roles are common. If you are looking for work, that means watching individual school and sector advertisements as well as the overall figures.
Will AI replace school counsellors?
No, and the exposure here is low because most of the work happens in conversation. Student information systems such as Compass and Sentral already handle attendance records and appointment scheduling, and wellbeing surveys can flag a year group that is struggling, but a screening tool cannot tell you why a Year 10 student has stopped eating lunch with her friends. Working that out, and deciding whether to ring her parents that afternoon, is still the counsellor's job.
Do you need to be a psychologist to work as a school counsellor?
It depends on the state or territory and the school system. In New South Wales public schools, school counsellors must be registered psychologists, while other states and sectors often accept a counselling qualification alongside teaching experience. If you are planning your study, check the rules for the state where you intend to work before you commit.
What can a school counsellor move into?
Registered psychologists can move into clinical or private practice, and median pay in that role is $2,600 more. Educational psychology fits the assessment side of the work, but it needs specialist psychology registration, and median pay there is $12,200 less. Social work draws on the same casework and welfare skills, and median pay in that role is $900 more.
Related roles
- Psychologist
- Educational Psychologist
- Curriculum Coordinator
- Social Worker
- Secondary School Teacher
- Secondary School Teacher
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