School Counsellor / Guidance Teacher
Provides academic, career and personal counselling to students in schools. Supports mental health, career guidance, conflict resolution and social-emotional learning. A critical role for student wellbeing in Kenyan schools.
- AI exposure
- 23 of 100, low exposure
- Hiring trend
- Rising
- Hiring rate
- 40%
The role
What the work is, what it pays, and what it costs you.
At a glance
- Remote friendly
- No
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Time to senior
- 7 years
A day in the role
Counsels a student struggling with exam anxiety, conducts a career guidance session for Form 4 leavers, mediates a conflict between two students, and meets with parents about a student's behavioural issues.
What it pays
Kenyan market, per month- Entry
- KES 35,000-65,000
- Mid
- KES 70,000-140,000
- Senior
- KES 160,000-340,000
Exposure
How much of this a machine can already do, and how that was worked out.
Where this rating sits
1,516 rated careersRated above 16% of the 1,516 careers in the catalogue, which averages 43. Inside education the mean is 49, across 110 careers.
Named task by task
Already automated
- AI-powered career assessment tools
- Generating counselling session notes
- Automated appointment scheduling
- AI-assisted mental health screening
Still human
- Providing academic and career guidance to students
- Supporting students with mental health issues
- Mediating conflicts between students
- Conducting group guidance sessions
- Collaborating with parents and teachers
- Identifying and supporting at-risk students
Task counts
- Displacing
- Minimal — counselling requires human empathy
- Augmenting
- AI career assessment tools assist guidance
- Creating
- AI mental health screening creates triage roles
Sources
Behind the rating- TSC guidance policy
- CBC pastoral care
- WEF Future of Jobs 2023
Getting in
The routes into the role and what each one asks for.
What to study
8 courses- Certificate in Credit ManagementKsh 24,000a year
- Certificate in Early Childhood EducationKsh 30,000a year
- Certificate in Bridging MathematicsKsh 33,000a year
- Certificate in Teaching International CurriculaKsh 43,000a year
- Certificate in EducationKsh 51,050a year
- Certificate in Basic English LanguageKsh 59,250a year
- Diploma in Pedagogy and InstructionKsh 60,000a year
- Certificate in Baking TechnologyKsh 67,189a year
How people get in
BEd/BA + counselling training
4-5 yearsHigh cost
BEd or BA from KU, UoN plus counselling certification
MA Counselling Psychology
6 yearsVery high cost
MA in Counselling Psychology from KU, USIU or Daystar
Who hires
- TSC (Public Schools)
- Private Schools
- International Schools
- Boarding Schools
- NGOs
Common misconceptions
School counselling is just giving advice
Professional school counselling involves mental health support, crisis intervention, career development theory, conflict mediation and child psychology.
What happens next
How the role changes from here, and where it leads.
Growth outlook
- Net demand change
- +15%
- Over
- 2026-2028
- Drivers
- Student mental health awareness,CBC guidance requirements,Career guidance demand
- Headwinds
- Limited funding for counsellors in public schools
What to learn
- AI mental health screening tools
- Digital career assessment platforms
- Trauma-informed counselling
Related careers
Kenyan market notes
Growing awareness of student mental health in Kenya. TSC requires guidance teachers in secondary schools. CBC emphasises pastoral care and guidance. Growing demand in private and international schools. Limited trained counsellors — many teachers double as guidance counsellors. KU and Daystar offer counselling psychology programmes. Salary: entry KES 35,000-65,000, mid KES 70,000-140,000, senior KES 160,000-340,000+ (international schools pay more).
Further reading
This role is rated 23 out of 100 today. Save it and the app keeps that number, then tells you by how much it has moved when the record is next reviewed.