A study of the job satisfaction of beginning school counselors and their transition into the field

Abstract

Guidance counselors are an important part of our school systems. Due to the extreme amount of information a new counselor needs to know, the transition into the field can be very difficult. It is beneficial to understand how the transition can be improved. It is known that if a person is not satisfied with their position, it is difficult to perform to potential. It is beneficial to determine whether the transition into the position as a school counselor becomes easier with each year on the job, and the specific factors, which may facilitate or hinder this transition. This study involved an examination of the relationship between job satisfaction and the beginning years in the school counseling profession, specifically whether job satisfaction is higher among counselors who have made their transition into the field during a four-year period. Job satisfaction reports obtained through personal interviews with beginning counselors were used to measure the counselors’ job satisfaction and related factors. It was found that school counselors do not become more satisfied with their job as the number of years of experience increase; in fact, there was a slight difference in the opposite direction. The results also showed that the level of stress a counselor perceives him/herself to be experiencing does not decrease as they adjust to the new career. It may be that 1-2 year counselors felt more satisfaction with their career due to recently finding a job. Counselors in the 3-4 year group may have begun to feel less idealistic as they realized they could not remedy all of their students’ problems.