University Counselor

• Provide individual and group counseling sessions.
• Advise students about college entrance processes:
• Guide secondary students through the entire college admissions process.
• Teach students where to find information about colleges.
• Refer students to specific programs.
• Discuss with students whether college is the right choice for the time.
• Help students complete applications thoroughly and on-time.
• Meet regularly with Grade 11 students/parents in the spring and Grade 12 students/parents the fall, and with younger students where appropriate.
• Offer guidance on which classes students should take up in MYP and IBDP to prepare for a specific career path.
• Advise students for college entrance exams. For example, SAT/ACT, BMAT/UKCAT, TOEFL/IELTS etc.
• Maintain a student reference library of books, university pamphlets and prospectuses.
• Assist with completion of documents:
• Help students complete the required documentation for the application process such as college essays, personal statements, resumes, scholarship applications etc.
• Submit transcripts, board exam results, predicted grades, and any supplementary materials required by a university as necessary.
• Write counselor recommendation letters as well as edit and format all confidential teacher recommendation letters.
• Conduct meetings and college visits:
• Build and maintain relationships with university admissions representatives.
• Keep updated about college entrance requirements and offerings by visiting college campuses and meeting with admissions representatives from all over the world.
• Arrange for college personnel to visit OIS to talk about the college experience and application process and share what an OIS student would bring to their campus.
• Arrange for students to visit both, local colleges as well as colleges abroad.
• Attend professional conferences such as IC3, IACAC, and NEASC/CIS as well as information sessions held in Mumbai.
• Share college-related information to students (How to Choose a College, Applying to College, Personal Statement and Essay Writing etc.), parents (Intro to Uni Counseling, How to Choose a College, Applying to College etc.), and staff (Writing Letters of Recommendation etc.) through periodic workshops.
• Utilize different platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and email to regularly communicate with other counselors about current events and maintain good working relationships with other Mumbai-based counselors.
• OIS Promotional Events and Activities:
• Counselors are expected to attend at least one of the forums listed below (one counsellor per event) every year. The international and local events, in order of importance for OIS are as follows:
• Definite Involvement:
• IACAC in the summer (International)
• IC3 in late August (International, esp India)
• CIS/EARCOS in Sept (International, esp Europe)
• Possible Involvement:
• GUCC (Singapore) in April (International esp Asia)
• UCAS in June (United Kingdom)
• Other Responsibilities include:
• Ensure that each student meets the academic requirements to graduate from OIS and apply to university.
• Work closely with the teachers, MYP and DP coordinators, and SSP department to monitor student placement and progress.
• Collaborate with students of concern to create improvement plans and we facilitate their make-up credits through on-line University of Nebraska High School courses.
• Maintain application records and results on Cialfo, the college admission data management system.
• Guide students and parents in understanding and utilising the Cialfo College Guidance platform.
• Help students write professional emails and prepare for interviews.
• Assist students in the use of existing resources for learning about careers of interest to them, including RoadTrip Nation and online assessments through the Cialfo College Guidance platform.
• Hold an annual Career Day in late May for students in Grades 7, 8, 9, and 11.

  • Suggest experiences for students throughout the year, including places to volunteer, summer programs, academic courses both in person and on-line, and internships.

• Organize a two-week summer internship program for students in Grades 10 and 11 with companies locally in Mumbai.

• Offer the PSAT/PACT (October) and the SAT (October, March, May) year as well as Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing (October) and the University of Waterloo Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (November and April).

• Build and maintain the OIS Alumni Network and plan alumni sessions with current students and parents.

• Assist students who are transferring to another school with applications, recommendation forms and any testing required.

General

The counselor is expected to:

• Support community related activities in the promotion of the life of the school. - Provide support for other activities as deemed appropriate by the Head of School within the scope of responsibilities as teacher.

• Any other duties that may, from time to time, reasonably be required within the general level of responsibility of the post.

Review

This Job Description will be reviewed as part of the Schools Appraisal Process. It may also be reviewed by mutual agreement outside such a cycle at the request of either the Head of School or the post holder.

Framework

To support the post holder in the fulfilment of the terms of this Job Description, Oberoi International School undertakes to provide, within the limitations of available resources:

• OIS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of students, faculty, staff members and visitors to its campuses, and expects all members of the OIS community to share this commitment.

• A full and appropriate induction programme

• Ongoing Professional Development opportunities linked to the strategic plan and agreed goals

• Personal and professional support as appropriate.

• Equality of opportunity in career progression.