Snakes and ladders: how I became a counsellor in four easy-ish steps

I clearly remember our primary school teacher asking us, a class of 7-year-olds, what we wanted to be when we grew up. My best friend Jonathan immediately said, “Train driver”. Others followed with “footballer”, “nurse”, “farmer” and “pilot”. When it came to my turn, I had no hesitation in saying “University counsellor”. 

Of course, this never happened. 

I imagine that few of us university counsellors had this as a career objective. We work in a job that people arrive at via other routes, either organically or because a vacancy arises and we feel we have the right skill set to a) enjoy the work, and b) know that we can contribute something meaningful. 

Many of us have a background in education, but the popular perception is that progressing (if that is the word they would use) to the role of counsellor is the equivalent of a racehorse being put out to pasture. My own high-school careers adviser had been a PE teacher for 30 years, and it was decided that he was too old to continue in that role. So they had to create another post for him.

My own route will probably be familiar to many counsellors, and is certainly not atypical. But I hope there are some observations that might highlight the range of skills that are needed to be a successful university counsellor. 

From astrophysics to roadsweeping

For reasons far too embarrassing to detail (let’s just say that it came about through trying to impress a classmate), I chose to study astrophysics at university. Then, via stints as a roadsweeper on London’s King’s Road and as a parcel packer at a famous department store, I started teaching physics and sport at a boarding school. 

Fast forward a few years, and I worked in a London sixth-form college. Here, among other things, I ran medical-taster and work-experience courses at a London teaching hospital, wrote books on university entrance and taught A-level photography. 

The move from physics to photography wasn’t as big a jump as it appears: my degree involved a final-year project on astrophotography. Since school I had also been spending a lot of my spare time on photography, and had managed to exhibit and sell some of my work. So I (literally) saw the light and switched disciplines.

Observation 1

Choosing to do something I loved, regardless of having to jump off the career-progression ladder temporarily, not only made me happier but led to new opportunities. This is an important lesson for today’s students, whose long-term career prospects are more difficult to plan, given the rapid pace of technological change.

Travelling (education) salesman

The next phase of my working life was in international recruitment, travelling the world looking for students who were interested in (or could be persuaded to consider) studying in the UK. 

Two major facets of this were visiting schools and attending education fairs. Talking to young people and their parents was invaluable in getting to understand motivations for overseas study, and how the role of parents in the decision-making process varied from country to country. 

Observation 2 

Understanding the aspirations of young people and their families at the start of the decision-making stage was excellent groundwork for my current role. Equally useful was learning to appreciate the financial implications for the families in the choice of where and what to study. Often, as university counsellors, we are primarily focused on the best-fit opportunities for our students without a full understanding of family circumstances.

Bonding over branded keyrings

Education fairs were also a great learning experience, in terms of exposure to universities and, perhaps as importantly, meeting fellow reps over a drink or two at the end of an eight-hour session handing out brochures and branded keyrings in a draughty conference hall. 

Observation 3 

Having experienced life on the other side of the table at these events, I believe that I have become a much more effective counsellor. Understanding the pressures on university recruiters is helpful. But, more importantly, I appreciate the lengths they will go to in order to help us in our work.

The final pieces in the counselling jigsaw

The final roll of the dice in my snakes-and-ladders route to becoming a counsellor was Covid. In mid-2019, I made the decision (in retrospect, not a great decision) to set up my own consultancy business, travelling throughout Asia on behalf of UK institutions. 

Like millions of people worldwide, the work I was doing became non-viable during the pandemic, and I had to look for other opportunities. 

While the pandemic showed the education world that many of the traditional aspects of student recruitment were unnecessary, and could be undertaken creatively and effectively using technology, it also did not deter ambitious students from looking at international education. Without direct and face-to-face contact with their school counsellors, families often looked at getting help from other sources. And so I built up, through word-of-mouth recommendations, a consultancy working with students throughout Asia who were aiming at the most competitive courses and universities. 

Enjoyable as it was, my work was exclusively with students who were aiming at courses such as medicine or universities such as Oxbridge and the Ivy League. So my ultimate (I assume) move was to work on the broader ambitions of international school students. And here I am.

Observation 4 

If my students were reading this, they would be rolling their eyes as I now mention “skills” – this is the recurring theme of my sessions with them. But in my case, the skills I had built up since I first started working – well, perhaps not the roadsweeping – are essential pieces of the jigsaw that is my counselling work. 

They were gained through being flexible, occasionally taking a step back in order to advance, and doing things that I enjoyed rather than what I thought I needed to do for career enhancement.