How Do I Become an Educational Consultant?
Research what it takes to become an educational consultant. Learn about job duties, education requirements, employment outlook and wages to find out if this is the career for you.
What Does an Educational Consultant Do?
Educational consultants serve as advisors for teachers, school administrators, school boards and government officials. They assess educational standards and classroom policies, as well as student grades and test scores, so that they can report on the effectiveness of the current system. From there, they devise strategies to improve educational quality and help with the implementation of the new policies. In order to do so, they may offer teacher training workshops, recommend different educational materials and bring in new technologies. .
The following chart gives you an overview of what you need to know about entering this field.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Degree Required</b></td><td> Master's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Education Field of Study</b></td><td>Education, curriculum and instruction</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Key Responsibilities</b></td><td>Counseling, assessing, interpersonal skills, cultural competence, knowledge of best practices, ethical</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Licensure/Certification</b></td><td> Licensure required in some states</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b></td><td>5-10% for all instructional coordinators*</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Median Salary (2021)</b></td><td>$103,634**</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **Salary.com</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatIsAnEducationalConsultant">What Is an Educational Consultant?</h3><p>As an educational consultant, you would provide guidance services to students, parents, teachers, school boards and other educational organizations regarding academic matters. You could work with teachers and school boards to assess areas for improvement in curricula, classrooms, technology usage or student activities. You might also integrate some skill-building or social learning into the classroom to help with academic development. In addition to improving school functions, you might work directly with students that require extra learning assistance outside the classroom.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatKindOfServicesCouldIOffer">What Kind of Services Could I Offer?</h3><p>You could offer general consulting services or focus on a particular specialty as an independent consultant or as an employee of an educational consulting firm. In this profession, you could assess educational policies for a subject area or a grade level to recommend improvements to a school district. You could also help develop curricula for special education teachers or academic departments. As a consultant, you'd propose and set educational goals for students and teachers and implement plans to achieve them. Some examples of services you might offer include:
</p><ul><li>Improving student drop-out rates
</li><li>Academic intervention
</li><li>Social learning plans
</li><li>School recovery
</li><li>Online education operation
</li><li>Blended learning programs
</li><li>Charter school management
</li><li>Secondary and middle school design
</li><li>College selection and application
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatExperienceAndTrainingDoINeed">What Experience and Training Do I Need?</h3><p>Academic requirements vary by employer and state. While earning a bachelor's degree might get you started in an academic career, employers might look more favorably on graduate-level education. However, experience in academia as a teacher, administrator, curricula developer or educational coordinator could be required to become a consultant in the field. A bachelor's or master's degree program in education develops your teaching skills through classroom learning and practical teaching exercises. Course topics often cover:
</p><ul><li>Instructional analysis
</li><li>Curriculum theory
</li><li>Psychology of learning
</li><li>Problems in education
</li><li>Educational research
</li><li>Program evaluation
</li></ul><h3 id="section---DoINeedToBeLicensed">Do I Need to Be Licensed?</h3><p>Your licensure requirements are determined by the state you work in and the services you perform. If you offer teaching assistance in a public institution, you'll likely need to obtain a state teaching license. Your job duties could also fall under the category of counseling, and some states mandate separate licensure for school counselors. You'll need to check with your state's board of education or licensing agency to determine if your occupation requires you to meet specific academic and licensure criteria.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>If you want to play a leadership role in a school, you could also consider becoming a school principal. Your duties in this job would include teacher oversight, student discipline, budget management and goal development. To get this job, you need to have a master's degree, a license and several years of teaching experience. Alternatively, if you want to work directly with students, you might think about becoming a teacher yourself. At the high school level, you might be responsible for teaching a specific subject, such as math or history, and you would have the chance to prepare lesson plans and develop classroom standards that support student success. The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor's degree, but you would also need to get a teaching license in order to get a job at a public school.</p>