Educational consultants, utilizing their extensive knowledge and experiences, reduce the stress and confusion of students and their parents and become silent partners in their educational progresses.
In general, experienced and professional educational consultants:
- Identify students' education needs and their families' specific needs
- Collect and review all of the data related to students' performances, potential, health, and behaviors in order to help them choose appropriate educational programs and select schools or colleges
- Provide clients with information, guidance, and objective evaluations of potentially suitable educational programs
- Recommend between one and three programs that parents may like to explore
- Gather in-depth feedback about select educational programs
- Develop a strategy to address all concerns about students' educational needs in the chosen educational program
- Be with the family to help them with all future program adjustments
The dynamic world of educational consulting has been gaining prominence and is opening up new career opportunities. Degrees are not essential to be an educational consultant, though many people who want to pursue consulting careers do take courses on educational foundations or educational inquiry. These provide future educational consultants with good doses of theory but not many insights into the practical aspects of education. Therefore, it is not unusual for people with doctoral degrees in education to perform poorly in comparison to those who have only a few years of experience in the classroom.
What, then, is necessary to succeed as a consultant? As consulting is a specialized field, it is essential to assess one's abilities and aptitude critically before one plunges into this career. From an employer's perspective, the following skills, abilities, and experiences can be beneficial:
- Ability to handle multiple agendas and personalities
- Organizational skills
- Understanding of the functioning of schools and universities
- Ability to handle and interpret vast quantities of information
- Writing and verbal skills
- Teamwork
- Ability to present complex matters to a variety of audiences
- Ability to guide others
- Business and computer skills
Unfortunately, no federal or state licensing is required, making it difficult for parents and students to select credible consultants. However, a large number of consultants are finding it advantageous to associate themselves with reputable professional organizations. Some of these organizations do insist on giving membership only to educated and experienced consultants.
Fees and Salaries of Educational Consultants
Like other professions, educational consultants' earnings vary widely depending on the reputation of the individual and company, location, and needs of the client. There are consultants who make their livings by charging processing fees, while some work purely on an hourly basis and charge accordingly. Considering the uncertainties of the profession, many consultants prefer to work on salary basis. Some consultants are able to negotiate annual contracts with clients. An associate with a company may earn an annual salary in the range of $40,000 to $75,000, while senior professionals may earn between $65,000 and $110,000.
