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Careers Advisers and Vocational Guidance Specialists

Careers advisers and vocational guidance specialists give advice on careers or occupations, training courses and related matters, direct school leavers and other job seekers into employment and assess their progress.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£13,969
£23,363
£47,617

New workers start around £13,969. Normal pay is £23,363 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £47,617.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 28,847 vacancies for this type of job

4.63%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Monitors progress and welfare of young people in employment and advises them on any difficulties.

  • Organises careers forums and exhibitions and establishes and maintains contact with local employers, colleges and training providers.

  • Liaises with employers to determine employment opportunities and advises schools, colleges or individuals accordingly.

  • Visits educational and other establishments to give talks and distribute information regarding careers.

  • Advises on appropriate courses of study or avenues into employment.

  • Uses an interview, questionnaire and/or psychological or other test to determine the aptitude, preferences and temperament of the client.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Labor Economics

  • Information Advice And Guidance

  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

  • Mental Health

  • Employability Development

  • Marketing

  • Balancing (Ledger/Billing)

  • Project Management

  • Continuous Improvement Process

  • Sociology

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Communication

  • Customer Service

  • Coaching

  • Planning

  • English Language

  • Mentorship

  • Management

  • Interpersonal Communications

  • Influencing Skills

  • Sales

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

Education

University of Southampton

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Southampton · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Education

University of Warwick

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Coventry · 29/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Guidance and Counselling

Northumbria University, Newcastle

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Newcastle upon Tyne · 09/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

Childhood Practice

University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

HNC · 1 Year · Full-time · Thurso · 09/2025

Tariff points: 24/42

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