- Do you want your work to feel like a calling where you make a difference every day?
- Do you believe the college admissions process should be an exciting journey for families, not an anxiety-inducing rite of passage?
- Are you looking for the training, resources, and support to do the very best college admissions counseling of your career?
Collegewise believes that the right environment can inspire people to discover their potential. And we’re currently looking for a fellow believer to join us as an Online College Counselor (International students. EST hours) (students outside the U.S. seeking admission to U.S. colleges and universities). This is a remote position, but applicants must reside in the United States and be willing to work Eastern Time Zone hours.
In January 2025, we will be expanding our hiring to include additional Online College Counselors for both full and part-time roles, without the specific international student experience requirement of the current position.
Who We Are
Collegewise is a college counseling company that helps high school students confidently navigate their journey to college. We believe the college admissions process has spun out of control, with too much confusion, too much anxiety, and too many students losing agency for what should be their path to higher education. We’re out to change all that.
Since 1999, we’ve helped more than 30,000 “A” students, “C” students, and everyone in between apply and get accepted to schools—sometimes famous, often not—that they’re excited to attend. We do it all with just the right mix of advice, encouragement, and occasional cheerleading to ensure that each student’s college admissions process goes smoothly and thoughtfully. We also speak in public, write, and constantly look for ways to spread relevant college planning information to anyone who needs it, whether or not they join our program.
What’s the Job?
As a Collegewise counselor, you’ll work with 40-50 students—most of whom are juniors and seniors—to help them find and apply to the right colleges for them. Your caseload will be comprised of at least half with international students, likely from the UK or Saudi Arabia, many of whom might come to us via partnerships with corporations or with international non-profits. To help Collegewise grow our reputation as the most trusted source for accurate college admissions advice, you’ll also speak in our publicly available webinars and develop honest relationships with high schools and counselors who invite you to present to their audiences. You’ll be part of the team ensuring that the partnership goes smoothly and successfully.
You’ll work hard, sometimes in the evenings or on a Saturday during the busy fall season. But you’ll be helping kids and parents, working with smart, passionate coworkers, and doing it all at an organization that has absolutely no reverence for US News & World Report college rankings.
Every college counselor who joins us completes an initial 40-hour training led by our Learning & Development team, followed by mentoring, support, and ongoing professional development to help you elevate your counseling and grow in your career here (we’ve even created our own college counseling master class). And we think that drive shows in our work. Browse our counselors’ bios and you’ll see hundreds of glowing testimonials from families. Even our most veteran counselors don’t coast on experience. We all want to keep getting better all the time.
Doing the Right Thing, Making a Difference, Treating People Right
You definitely wouldn’t be crossing over to the for-profit “dark side” here. We have an excellent reputation with both high school counselors and admissions officers. We present at NACAC, local ACACs, and at high schools and community events. We’re partnered with Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher organization, and partner with community-based organizations to directly support their students and increase college access. We tell the truth, treat people right, we recycle, and we have at least five confirmed vegetarians here. We’re biased, but really, this is a pretty great place to come to work every day.
Who We’re Looking For (You)
- You’re someone who makes work a way of life without making it your actual life. Someone who’d rather be challenged by something important than phone it in for something mundane. You want to commit to a calling that matters to you, and you have high expectations of yourself, your job, and your employer.
- You have experience advising or evaluating high-achieving international students as a school counselor or admissions officer, ideally for students in the UK and/or Saudi Arabia. You’re knowledgeable or willing to learn about international school curriculums.
- Arabic fluency is a plus but not a prerequisite.
- You’re comfortable working with a range of families, whether they’re already well-versed in the admissions process or they’re learning about college admissions for the first time.
- You’ve demonstrated that you can serve multiple constituents in support of students; for example, the way a great school counselor navigates the needs of the students, parents, and school.
- You’re comfortable working primarily in the Eastern Time Zone hours.
- You understand parents and their high school-aged students. You speak their figurative language fluently. And you’ve run in the circles you’re seeking to serve, either as a parent, a high school counselor/director, or a professional who’s worked closely with those populations.
- You believe that truly great college counseling is a craft that deserves to be respected, nurtured, and put to the very best use to help kids.
- You’re excited not just about a platform to showcase your best skills, but also the opportunity to learn and get better every day.
- You win people over easily and earn trust quickly. Whether you’re working on a project with a coworker, meeting with a student about a college list, or talking to a concerned parent on the phone, people enjoy and benefit from their interactions with you.
- You’re a self-described achiever who enjoys a challenge. And you’re not intimidated by the prospect of being expected to achieve results in an online universe.
- Most importantly, you believe in the vision of Collegewise. You’ve seen or experienced the anxiety that the college admissions process can wreak on families. You want to be a supportive guide and an enthusiastic source of support for kids and parents. You’re passionate about what Collegewise stands for and our drive to help as many families as possible transform their journey to college.
Work Life at Collegewise
We’ve worked hard to create the company we’d want to work for, with a culture that draws smart, fascinating professionals united by a desire to do the best work of our careers. For more information about our benefits, our approach to work, and the amazing people we work with, check out the “Careers” section of our website.
Salary
Most of our counselors begin their careers here earning between $65,000 - $75,000 a year. There is always room for future growth in both salary and responsibility, and we take care to clearly explain the pathways to both for all our counselors here.
Start Date
We’re hoping our new counselor can start between January – March of 2025, but we’re flexible for the right person.
We want to hear from you
If you’re excited about this opportunity but unsure if you’re the right fit, we hope you’ll take a shot. There is no such thing as a perfect applicant (or a perfect job, for that matter). And we promise to give a fair and thorough read to every applicant who takes the time to submit a thoughtful application to us.
We also understand that the more we embrace diversity of age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective, the stronger the company we’ll be able to build together. Creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is the right thing to do. And we hope you’re excited to embrace and contribute to our efforts.
How to Apply
If your interest is piqued, please start by writing us a cover letter that tells your story. What role has admissions or counseling played in your professional life? What brought you to this place seeking this role? What excites you about this opportunity?
We really enjoy working with people who are clear thinkers and equally clear communicators. And you’re more interesting than a generic “insert-name-of-company-here” letter. So please be yourself and use your letter to help us get to know the real you. You might also consider checking out our five tips for job-seekers.
Then submit your application on our site. When you paste your cover letter into the text box, your formatting will hold up when we see it (but if it doesn’t, we’ll blame the text box, not you).
Questions?
Feel free to email us at jobs@collegewise.com (please no phone calls). We promise to respond to you quickly.
Thanks for reading our post. We’d love to hear from you, but if we don’t, we hope you find the perfect professional fit someplace else.
