Lesson Structure:  Careers Counselling BPS202

There are 10 lessons:

1.    Introduction …Scope & Nature of the Industry

• Definitions: career, careers counselling, counselling
• Broad employment options
• Services offered in the employment industry
• Assumptions about career counselling practices
• Cross cultural careers counselling

2.    Nature of Careers …What is a career, what makes it successful?

• Introduction
• Elements of career building and job seeking
• Factors contributing to career success
• Realistic expectations
• Range of options
• Persistence
• Case study

3.    Careers Advice Resources …Brochures, Publications, Web Sites

• Employer considerations: qualifications, experience,personality, age, adaptability, productivity, etc
• Case study

4.    Career Services ….Where can people get help (Social Services, Work Experience, Education)

• Career counselling services
• Careers and vocational guidance
• Vocational planning
• Setting goals
• Job seeking supportJob seeking strategies
• Other services

5.    Developing Counselling Skills

• Key areas for career counselling
• Helping clients focus on reality
• Helping clients identify opportunities
• Helping clients consider all elements
• Overcoming resistance from clients
• Listening skills
• Questioning skills
• Problem solving skills
• Essential reality checks
• Improving clients predictive ability

6.    Conducting a Counselling Session

• Why people come to a career counsellor
• Strategies to develop trust
• A career counselling session
• Individuals who know the job they want
• Psychometric testing for individuals still choosing a career
• Types of psychological tests that may be used
• Referring people elsewhere

7.    Counselling Students and School Leavers (with little work experience)

• Understanding youth
• Career counselling for adolescents
• Assisting indecisive teenagers
• Career counselling for students
• Giving advice on study
• Choosing a course
• Workshops for students
• Workshops for university students
• Resources for counselling students

8.    Counselling Adults (inexperienced or facing career change)

• Identifying adult needs The training program
• Advice and support during job hunting
• Course of action
• Career changing
• Easiest paths to career change
• Challenging path to career change
• Starting a business
• Case study
• Writing a business plan

9.    Job Prospecting

•  Ways of finding work
•  Supporting clients decisions
•  Prospecting for work
•  Tips on getting a job
•  Writing resumes (CV’s)
•  Preparing for a job interview

10.    Nurturing and growing a career once it has started

•  Getting a job is only the first step in a career
•  Self management for business people
•  Marketing and pricing
•  Case study
•  Advising clients about career advancement

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Learning Goals: Careers Counselling BPS202

• Identification of people and organisations which offer career advice or support and the services they offer
• Improved ability to distinguish successful from unsuccessful careers, and to prepare for anticipated changes in the workplace.
• Skills that will enhance your ability to guide others in the establishment or development of a career.
• Ability to plan and execute an effective Counselling Session
• Understanding and strategies for dealing with the needs of inexperienced young people.
• Identifying and meeting the needs of inexperienced adults or those facing career change.
• Understanding of how and where to find employment in the job market.
• Appreciation of the need to nurture and grow a career and plan for change.

Set Tasks and Practice

• Undertake research into the scope and nature of employment services and service providers in your region or locality;
• Research a career area to identify the kind of work involved, requirements, who offers it, trends etc.;
• Role play a counselling session to practice and evaluate your skills in helping a client with a issue;
• Conduct research to improve your understanding of what careers counselling entails.
• Plan a careers counselling session, including the session goal, timeframe, and anticipated issues;
• Discuss career concerns with young people who are leaving or have recently left secondary school;
• Discuss with adults their experiences of career change;
• Plan strategies to assist young and adult clients deal with common and important identified issues.
• What is Involved in Careers Counselling?

Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course, but also the quality of the person teaching it. This course is taught by Iona Lister and your course fee includes unlimited tutorial support throughout. Here are Iona’s credentials:

Licentiate, Speech and Language Therapy, UK, Diploma in Advanced Counselling Skills.

Iona has been a clinician and manager of health services for fifteen years, and a trainer for UK-based medical charities, focusing on psychosocial issues, mental health disorders, and also the promotion of communication skills for people in helping roles. She tutors and facilitates groups via workshops and teleconferences, and now specialises in Sight Loss. As a freelance writer, she contributes regular feature articles for magazines, has written five published books, as well as published courses relating to personal development and counselling skills.

Iona has aslo written published books, courses and articles across a wide range of subjects, mostly in the areas of health, counselling, psychology, crafts and wildlife.

She has drawn experience from clinical and managerial experience within the NHS as well as medical and humanitarian subjects. She has been a regular feature writer and expert panel member of a national magazine for six years.

Her books include: A Guide to Living with Alzheimer’s Disease (and associated dementias), The Psychology of Facial Disfigurement; a Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, When a Medical Skin Condition Affects the Way you Look; A Guide to Managing Your Future, Facing Disfigurement with Confidence, Cross Stitch: A Guide to Creativity and Success for Beginners.

Courses written include: Mental Health and Social Work, Counselling Skills, Understanding and Responding to Substance Misuse, Journalling for Personal Development, Guided Imagery, Stress Management.

Current work includes: Tutor: Courses associated with Creative Writing, Counselling Skills, Psychology, Holistic Therapy, Certified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotension Practitioner.

Facilitator of Teleconference Groups: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Trainer (Skills for Seeing): Macular Society

Reviewer of Books/Information: Macmillan Cancer Support

Fundraiser: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Embroidery/Art Groups Facilitator, Board Member

Website Manager: The Strathcarron Project, Coordinator (Delaware & Tennessee) Human Writes

Excerpt from the Course

Careers Counselling – This is a mainly verbal process, where the counsellor and client are in a collaborative and dynamic relationship, focussing on identifying and acting on the goals of the client.  The counsellor uses their repertoire of techniques and processes, to help the client come to an understanding of the options available.

Career – This is the interaction of work roles and the other life roles the person has over their life span. This includes paid and unpaid work. People create career patterns as they make decisions about education, work, family and other life roles.

Careers Counselling involves more than just finding work for people.

Among other things, Careers Counselling may involve helping people:
•    identify the best job for their skills and interests
•    find any job to meet their personal and financial needs
•    find a better or more appropriate job for their situation
•    achieve job satisfaction through appropriate choices
•    plan and cope with career changes
•    better adapt to the workplace
•    improve their potential for advancement in the workplace
•    identify new career possibilities when circumstances change.

To be able to assist a client in each or any of these processes, a Careers Counsellor must be aware of:
•    the diverse nature of employment opportunities
•    the requirements for success in different types of jobs
•    reasons that people hire and fire employees
•    workplace conditions including contract law, industrial relations systems, health and safety issues, ethics  – useful contacts among employers, government departments, funding bodies, professional associations, industry experts, etc
•    factors that hinder or promote a person’s job-seeking effectiveness
•    trends in the local job market.

A good Careers Counsellor must be impartial and objective.

BROAD EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS
Employment generally falls into three broad categories:
1.    Self Employment (e.g. Running your own business)
2.    Contract Employment (e.g. Working for someone else as a contractor)
3.    Employee (Working for one or more others as an employee).

The differences between contractor, businessperson and employee may vary from country to country, and even within a country. Differences can even vary over time (e.g. A contractor today has different rights and obligations than they did in the past, under some legal systems).

The nature and conditions of employment can also vary from one industry or discipline, to another. A Careers Counsellor needs to stay up to date with changes, and needs to be well aware of the current situation in any jurisdiction where they operate.

If you are not aware of these definitions and rules within your location, it would be useful to find out about them as soon as possible.

Services Offered in the Employment Industry
General Employment Agencies – These agencies collate information on individuals and match those individuals up with appropriate jobs.

Specialist Agents (e.g. Theatrical Agent, Writers Agent, I.T. Agent) – These individuals are well connected and very knowledgeable about a particular industry. Therefore, they can provide specialised guidance to job seekers in that industry.

Resume Writers – These individuals prepare professional-looking resumes for job-seekers either as part of a career support program or for a fee. It is important to note that different resume writers prepare different styles of resume.

School Careers Counsellor – Ideally, these are counsellors trained to provide job-seeking assistance and career counselling to young people before they leave school. In reality, many are simply teachers who have agreed to take on this role.

Job Advertisers – Professional or government job advertisers promote existing positions, sometimes for a fee to the employer. Some advertisers will also charge job-seekers a fee, to be paid after employment commences.

Private Careers Counsellors – These trained counsellors provide individualised counselling and career guidance to clients who pay fees as agreed upon. Workers in this area may be counsellors who specialise in career counselling, or may counsel exclusively in the employment area.

Business Consultant – Any person with business experience and skills may offer a consulting service that is particularly aimed at people wishing to begin small businesses, or to improve or expand existing businesses.

Assumptions Underlying the Practice of Careers Counselling
Careers counselling has a number of underlying assumptions, which should be considered when supporting clients –

•    People have the ability and opportunity to make careers choices within their lives. The amount of freedom of choice will depend on their economic, social and cultural context.
•    Individuals are presented with careers choices throughout their lives.
•    Opportunities should be available to people regardless of their disability, sexual orientation, age, cultural background, gender or religion.
•    People will have a wide range of work roles during their lives. These include paid and unpaid work.
•    Careers counsellors support people to explore, pursue and attain their career goals.
•    Careers counselling has four main elements –
o    Helping individuals gain a greater self-awareness in areas of interests, values, personality style and abilities.
o    Connecting students to resources so they can become knowledgeable about jobs and occupations.
o    Engaging students in the decision making process, so they choose a career path well-suited to their individual needs, abilities, values and personality.
o    Assisting individuals to be active managers of their career path – such as career transitions, balancing life roles, as well as becoming life long learners to develop over their career.
•    Individuals will enter particular occupations according to personal preferences, interests, external influences etc.
•    Career decision making happens throughout a person’s life. It is an ongoing process. It doesn’t happen only once.
•    All forms of work are valuable and all contribute to the well-being of society.

Activity
In number 7 above, it states that individuals will enter their occupation depending on certain factors.  Write down a list of things that you consider will affect a person’s career choice.

You may have considered any of the following –

Financial Factors
Can I afford to go to college to train?
Can I afford to go to university to train?
Can my parents afford to send me to private school?
Did I have a good education?
Do I need to start work as soon as I finish full-time education?
Can I do a part-time course while working?
Can I afford to do a part-time course while working?

Family Factors
Are my parents encouraging me to choose a certain career?
Were my parents in a certain career and I’m expected to follow the family “tradition”?
Do my parents disapprove of certain careers?
Do I have a family of my own?
Do I have young children so need to consider working or staying at home with them?
If I work, what about childcare?
Can I afford childcare to enable me to work?
Can I take a career gap?
Will this affect my ability to return to my career?
Do I want to return to the same career?
Do I need to earn more money to support my growing family?

Do I need promotion to support my family?
Can I spend more time at work to get the promotion?
Work/home life balance?

Training
Do I have the qualifications to get onto the training course?
Do I have the skills, personality and ability to do the training required?
Is the training a long-term consideration or a short course?

This is only a very brief list of questions a person might consider when thinking about their career choice.  All of these should be considered.  A careers counsellor will need to ensure that they are aware of all the factors affecting a person’s career choice.  You have probably thought of many more.

Activity
In number 8, it states that career decision making happens throughout a person’s life. It is an ongoing process.  Think of yourself someone you know and develop a flow chart of their career.

EBOOK TO COMPLIMENT THIS COURSE:

Getting Work In A Modern World

by the Staff of ACS Distance Learning

Getting Work In a Modern World eBook course online. A realistic guide to getting a job or starting out in business.This is a must read; for students, parents, the unemployed, careers advisors or anyone interested in changing or forging a sustainable career.

This is a must read; for students, parents, the unemployed, careers advisors or anyone interested in changing or forging a sustainable career.

In the past, careers were simple. If you went to school and did the right training, you could be pretty certain of finding secure work, and earning a decent living.

Careers are no longer simple!

The world is in transition, and the changes occurring today are no less significant than those of the industrial revolution or reformation.
There are two ways to react to change; either to become unsettled, or to see the opportunities it offers.

Studying remains an important piece of the puzzle if you seek a successful career; but without the other pieces of the puzzle, it may simply leave you stranded in unemployment queues.
168 pages
Full colour
Lots of job profiles
An emphasis on hor to adapt to change

Chapters

Part 1   Choosing a Job: Planning a Career

1. Career Myths
2. Finding Your Path
3. Understanding Employers
4. Preparing for a Job
5. Jobs to Consider: Looking to the Future

Part 2  Career Profiles

6. Information Technology
7. Business, Management and Sales
8. Health and Wellbeing
9. Horticulture
10. Wildlife and Environmental
11. Animal Care
12. Agriculture
13. Hospitality and Tourism
14. Media
15. Education

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Due to our years of experience and wide range of online courses, here are a list of our FAQs and Answers asked by Students.

General

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, you are not required to purchase expensive text books for any of our courses, since each module has been written by highly qualified tutors and writers, and our courses are updated on a regular basis, adding new information, methods and knowledge. You are supplied with all “essential” references. Extra books are always useful though, especially for special projects. Tutors will advise you what to buy if you decide you would like to have extra reading material, but it is not essential. Check out our eBookstore if you’re looking for a starting point.

Q. What sets the Academy apart from other institutions?
A.  A unique feature of our courses is that we combine knowledge of the subject matter with practical tasks (set tasks, found at the end of each lesson).  So you get to do practical components in each lesson. The benefits of this approach are immense: – your skills and knowledge are developed to a much higher level not normally found at other distance learning institutions.

Q. How do the practical exercises (set tasks) work?
A. The practical component of each lesson can be in the form of : Field Research, Networking and Analysis, Conducting Surveys, Growing, Collecting, Photographing and Processes.

Q. If I do a shorter course first, can I get credits towards a certificate or diploma later?
A. Yes. We will assess previous studies to give you appropriate credits.

Q. Can I pay by instalments?
A. Yes, you can view all available payment options here.

Q. Do I get a discount if two of us enrol together?
A. Yes. You may claim a 5% discount on fees if you both enrol in courses at the same time.

Q. Do I get a discount if I enrol in a second course?
A. Yes. You will be offered a 10% discount on subsequent courses you enrol for.

Q. Can I use more than one discount code when enrolling for my course?
A. No. You can only use one discount code chosen by yourself per course, when more than one is available.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however; have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are there any hidden costs?
A. There are no hidden extras – the tuition fee covers all course material, unlimited tutor support, assignment marking/feedback and any text books where specified and exams. The only extras are for the public examinations fees for the ICB Bookkeeping course and the RHS (Royal Horticulture Society) exams.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are continually updated. The course content is rapidly updated and improved without the red tape and bureaucracy experienced at other educational institutions.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. What Recognition do you have?
A. The Academy for Distance Learning has various forms of recognition:
These include TQUK (Training Qualifications UK) – an Ofqual Awarding Organisation – ADL is an approved TQUK Centre.
IARC – International Approval Registration Centre, approved member.  Accredited Training Provider for ICB (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) and Approved Distance Learning Provider for the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) and many more. Our graduates come from many parts of the world and have used our qualifications for successful employment and progression onto higher education. To view our full list  of recognition and memberships please click here,

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at the Academy our students are our priority – we treat every student as a unique individual. This philosophy allows us to nurture those who are “slow and steady” learners rather than letting them fall through the cracks, while catering for those who are in a hurry to complete.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you. You’re under no pressure to finish by a certain deadline.

Q. Completing the course- how long will it take?
A. Completion of  modules varies from student to student.  Many factors come into play  such as work commitments and family life- there are always distractions.  Some students work quicker than others.  For a 100 hour module many students will take up to 3- 6 months,  others take less time and some are even longer. It’s all up to you.  There is no pressure to complete or deadline to finish. Naturally, longer courses will take more time.

Q. What learning formats are there?
A.  Your enrollment comes with the Online Classroom study option by default. For a small additional cost you also have the options of USB or Correspondence.
USB: Your course is sent to you on a USB stick, so that you can carry it in your pocket. Ideal for those with unreliable internet connections. This option is an additional £5/module

Correspondence:  You download the course content and then print your own copy to your requirements. You can then bind the lessons to suit your needs.

Assessments

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a project instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location, or you can visit us in Canterbury, England to sit the exam if want to.  Exam fees are included in the tuition fee you paid. You can read more about the examination process here. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment. You submit it to the academy who then submits it to the tutor for marking, comments and feedback. Our policy is to have a grade for you within 5 to 7 days.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes – If you’re not happy with your work submitted you may re-submit the assignment again.

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons there would be 10 assignments. The number of lessons per module varies from module to module. See the course content from our website for further details.

Q. When do I have to hand in my first assignment?
A. There is no deadline for handing in the first assignment. Submit when you are ready. There are some students who hand in assignments within the first couple of weeks of enrolment – while there are others who submit their work 6 months later. It’s all at your own convenience to suit you. Everyone has different work and home commitments and we cater to these needs.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country; however, there may be an additional expense. We can appoint an appropriately qualified person anywhere to work through curriculum documentation supplied by us, to satisfy the requirements set down in a course.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would receive a Certificate (providing you complete all assignments and the exam). If you just want to complete the assignments only, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications awarded please click here.

Q. Is there a next level to progress to?
A. Yes – you can progress from one module to a combination of many modules and to higher qualifications i.e. Advanced Certificates, Diplomas and Higher Advanced Diplomas. Read more about course levels here.

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to design your own diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. It’s a very popular option and widely used by many students. You quite simply choose the appropriate number of related modules needed to complete the qualification and submit them to us for approval as a custom diploma.

Q.  What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of a 100-hour Certificate course and providing all assignments and exam have been completed, you will receive a Certificate and Transcript.  The Transcript will list your GPA.  Each 100-hour module is worth 3 credit hours.

Exams

Q. Do I have to sit for an exam?
A. Exams are optional but need to be undertaken in order to receive the Certificate or higher qualification.  Exams are one and a half hours long. You appoint an adjudicator (subject to our approval) to supervise the exam. You sit for the exam in your own location. Its that simple.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. If you feel you don’t cope well with exams you may elect to undertake a Project (set by the tutor) instead of sitting the exam.  Many students prefer this option as they find researching the material for the project sharpens their research skills.

Q. If I don’t sit for the Exam do I still get a qualification?
A. If you don’t sit for the exam but complete the project alternative, you will still receive your endorsed qualification. If you don’t sit for an exam or complete a final project, providing you have completed all the assignments you will be awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

Q. Do I have to sit for the exam at the Academy? 
A. No – whilst you are more than welcome to come to our location in Canterbury, U.K. and sit the exam in our classroom; the more popular option is to sit for the exam in your own location. You appoint an adjudicator to supervise the exam. Click here for more information on that process.

Q. Are there any exam fees?
A. There are no exam fees.  However, for some public examinations such as the ICB (Bookkeeping) and RHS courses exam fees do apply.  See course content for details.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A.  We only employ tutors who have are currently active in their industry with at least 5 years of real-world experience.  Not only are they highly qualified but also experienced, knowledgeable, and professional- experts in their chosen fields from all parts of the world.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes- you have unlimited access to tutors. We strongly encourage students to develop a dialogue with their Tutor. This is why we encourage students to submit their first assignment fairly quickly at the beginning of the course.
Every Academy student is assigned a tutor who supports you throughout your course and beyond. Your tutor is there to guide and facilitate your learning and provides as much or as little individual contact as you would like. When you submit your coursework the tutor will give you feedback that helps you develop your ideas and provides motivation. For those who do like to have interaction with other students, the ADL discussion forum connects you to students from all over the world.

Q. How do I contact my tutor?
A. You have direct contact with your tutor by email through the Online Classroom. Alternatively, you can write, fax, email, or phone the academy. Leave a message if your tutor isn’t available and they will phone, write or fax back; whatever suits you.

Q. If I don’t agree with / like my tutor can I request a change?
A. Yes – we try to accommodate and meet student’s needs and a change of tutor may be arranged.

Q. If I don’t understand a question or a lesson may I contact the tutor?
A. You may contact a tutor as often as you like. There is no additional charge or restriction on this service.  Contact can be made via the Student Zone, email, or by phone.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.