University Guidance Counsellor

Founded in 1924, the Foundation of the International School of Geneva, commonly known as Ecolint educates 4500 students aged from 3-18 representing over 130 nationalities. Each of our eight schools is dedicated to the development of seven life-worthy, future-ready global competencies: we develop lifelong learning, self-agency, and the ability to interact with the world, with others, and with resources to develop transdisciplinary, multiliterate thinking. Through this, we drive our mission, which is to educate students to be global citizens with the courage and capacity to create a just and joyful tomorrow together. Ecolint is built on strong humanitarian values and prides itself on its long history of pedagogical innovation, including the creation of the Model United Nations system and the International Baccalaureate. We have around 1250 employees representing more than 60 nationalities, united as one core of dynamic professionals, committed to our mission.

La Grande Boissière (LGB) campus is centrally located in Geneva and blends a mix of 18th-century buildings with cutting-edge STEM and Arts facilities. The bilingual (French and English) campus is home to close to 1,900 students across the Primary, Middle, and Secondary Schools. Our unique Universal Learning Programme, co-designed with UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education, seeks to anchor learning in deep conceptual understanding and the assessment of Ecolint’s global competencies, to ensure that the outcome of learning makes some positive social impact.

To complete our team, we are looking for a:

University Guidance Counsellor (including responsibility for UK University Applications)

Full-time – 40 Hour(s)

Responsibilities:

• Manage the university applications and post-school pathways of all allocated Year 12 and 13 students, assisting them with university and apprenticeship applications as well as gap year plans, as required;
• Run small and large group workshops on university and career-specific topics (such as writing personal statements, applying to the Netherlands, and Medicine in the UK and Europe);
• Proactively work with Year 10 to 13 students through confidential one-to-one meetings as well as through small and large group workshops and information sessions;
• Support Year 11 students and families during the IB Diploma subject selection process through workshops and individual meetings;
• Hold online and in-person information sessions and coffee mornings for Year 11 to 13 parents throughout the year;
• Hold private online or in-person meetings with students and parents when required;
• Provide data and statistics for management and governing board when requested;
• Facilitate and host visits from universities to give workshops and information sessions throughout the school year;
• Regularly keep up-to-date with an ever-changing university application landscape through personal research and departmental meetings, as well as visiting universities and attending conferences both online and in-person (such as CIS and International ACAC). Some of these events can occur during the school holidays;
• Ensure that all public-facing Guidance Department information and documentation (such as the school profile, and counseling site) is kept up-to-date;
• Write references and letters of recommendation for your allocated students, when required;
• Ensure that all necessary supporting documents (transcripts, predicted grades, references, etc) for the applications of your allocated student cohort have been sent and received by universities promptly;
• Actively support Year 13 students over the summer holidays, as needed, when IB Diploma results are released;
• Be student-centered in a way that promotes student agency so that students feel empowered to identify appropriate universities that are the right fit for them;
• Run careers education and skills training workshops for Years 10 & 11 students via small and large group sessions;
• Provide individual feedback on multiple drafts of students’ personal statements/application essays;
• Cultivate and maintain dynamic working relationships with the other Guidance Counsellors, as well as the members of the Senior Leadership Team, in addition to the faculty and staff at large;
• Proactively work with teachers and mentors to support reference writing for students and ensure accurate information is shared about university requirements and the application process.

The International School of Geneva values and encourages diversity among its staff. As such, we welcome applications from candidates with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. The School is seriously committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All successful candidates will be subject to rigorous conduct and child protection checks appropriate to their position, including prior checks with their previous employers and the authorities.