Student Guidance
How to choose the right career counsellor
Five things worth checking before you pay for a session — and two questions worth asking directly.
Check five things before choosing a career counsellor: their actual credentials, whether they disclose any commission from colleges, whether their method is a real assessment or just a generic chat, reviews from identifiable people rather than anonymous ratings, and how they answer two direct questions before you pay.
The checklist
- Credentials — some certification is a baseline, but low-bar certificate mills exist. Ask what training and how long.
- Commission disclosure — see how college admission agents make money for why this matters more than it sounds.
- Real method vs. generic chat — a structured assessment (interests, aptitude, options) beats an unstructured conversation that could apply to anyone.
- Identifiable reviews — a named student or LinkedIn-verifiable review carries more weight than an anonymous star rating.
- Follow-up structure — one-time chat vs. an actual roadmap with a next step.
Ask these two questions directly, before paying
"Do you receive any payment from colleges for referring students?"
"What happens after this one session — is there a plan, or does it end here?"
Specific, confident answers to both are a good sign. Vagueness on either is worth taking seriously.
Why this matters more than picking based on price
A cheap session from someone with an undisclosed commission structure or no real method can cost more in the long run than a fairly priced one that actually changes your decision — see is career counselling worth it for the fuller cost framing.
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