How to become an academic advisor

Have you ever considered applying for an academic advisor position? Would you like to work with university students and support them throughout their course? Working as an academic advisor, you will have lots of opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. You would primarily work with students on an individual basis and help them to achieve their best academically. The words academic advisor and personal tutor may be used interchangeably.

What does an academic advisor do?

At the start of the university course, you would meet students personally as part of the induction activities. Then, you would regularly keep in touch with them. Your work would contribute to significantly enhancing the students’ university experience. You would ensure that students feel supported and help them settle down in their academic community.

Academic side: Students would regularly discuss their academic performance with you. They might bring a range of different challenges to the conversations. They may struggle with time management, organisational skills, essay writing, critical thinking, interpreting tutors’ feedback etc. Students may be disappointed with the marks they receive, and they would look for advice to improve academically. Advisors can signpost students to relevant resources within the university.

Students may also approach you to discuss their placements, course options or career aspirations. You could help students prepare for employment and help them find roles aligned with their skills, abilities and interests.

Personal side: Advisors may also ask students about their interests and see how the students may be able to develop these throughout their studies. For example, many universities run sports clubs e.g. rugby, gymnastics, football, dancing and yoga. Joining a club can open up lots of opportunities to make friends and become part of a small community. As an advisor, you would help students to develop a work-life balance.

The responsibilities of academic advisors include:

• Helping students to develop academically.
• Providing individual welfare support.
• Signposting students to resources and making referrals.
• Coaching students and helping them set objectives.

How much do academic advisors make?

Generally, academic advisors can expect to receive between £35,000 and £45,000 per year. Depending on your experience and the location of the university, the above range may change.

How to become an academic advisor:

To work successfully in this role, you would need to demonstrate the following:

• University degree: In general, universities expect academic advisors to have completed an undergraduate degree (at a minimum). Your university studies would help you to put yourself in the students’ shoes. You may complete your postgraduate degree at a later stage after you have gained a few years of experience working in the role.
• Experience of advising others: Ideally, you would have some experience of advising students in the UK Higher Education sector. You would need to show a good understanding of university policies, procedures and resources.
• Empathy and resilience: At times, students may bring difficult topics to the meetings, and they may share confidential issues. You must listen actively and provide non-judgmental support. Although you may not always be able to help the student, you can show empathy and possibly refer to somebody who can assist.
• Ability to set boundaries: Being able to set healthy professional boundaries is important when working with colleagues. However, when students open up and share complex challenges, advisors need to ensure that their role does not cross over to a counsellor. You need to recognise situations when a qualified and trained counsellor is needed and discuss with the student where and how they can access mental health support.
• Relationship management skills: You will be working as part of a team, and you will be interacting with colleagues from different university departments. You would need to be able to develop positive working relationships with stakeholders from students, academic colleagues, lecturers to senior management etc.
• Effective communications: You would support students from a variety of cultural, geographical and educational backgrounds. Some students may speak English as a second language. It is essential that you can explain complex concepts using simple words. Although you would generally work with students individually or in small groups, you may be asked to deliver presentations to larger audiences from time to time.
• Coaching skills: A skilled coach can help others to set goals and to take action towards achieving them. You may ask coaching questions as part of your meetings and help students set objectives.
• Organisational and technical skills: Advisors need to be confident with computers and with using MS Office packages. You would need to feel comfortable with diary management as you will be scheduling meetings with students regularly.
• Attention to detail: The advice you give must be accurate because there may be significant implications for the student if they follow the wrong piece of advice. Advisors need to check the regulations before agreeing to changes, for example, adding or deleting modules.
• Continuous development: You need to be aware of your strengths and limitations. Employers would expect you to continuously learn and develop yourself, and to keep up to date with new developments and changes within the university.

How to get a job as an academic advisor:

If you have applied for roles and not received much success, do take a look at the job description of the vacancy and try to identify where you may be lacking some skills or experiences. If you do not have experience coaching others, you may find it helpful to complete a coaching course. Do you lack presentation experience? Try to see if you may be able to deliver presentations as part of your current role. Alternatively, you could look up local Toastmasters groups in your area. Toastmasters is an organisation that runs groups all over the UK, helping people become more confident communicators and public speakers. Would you like more experience in advising others? Try to research some voluntary opportunities. You might find it helpful to regularly check the jobs.ac.uk website and sign up to receive alerts to new vacancies.

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