Under the administrative direction of the School Principal, Elementary/Secondary School Counselors implement programs which emphasize developmental guidance, preventive and proactive counseling, and which focus on the academic, personal, social, and career development of all students. Counselors are integral parts of the educational process as implementors of broad based programs which deal with decision making skills, conflict resolution, self esteem, positive attitudes, goal setting techniques, and coping strategies. They also serve as school based resources for dealing with crisis prevention/intervention, and child abuse/neglect.

Position Requirements
Each applicant must:

1. Present a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Educational Specialist I or II Elementary/Secondary Counselor Certificate,
                                                                or
2. Present a current Elementary/Secondary Counselor Educational Specialist I or II Certificate from a state other than Pennsylvania, If you are not certified in Pennsylvania, you should immediately contact the Bureau of Teacher Preparation and Certification to begin the evaluation process at: 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, or
by phone at: 717-787-3356.

Candidates, please read the following guidelines to support you through the application process: 

Before you submit an application, please visit our Hiring Documents page to see what clearances and paperwork are required for hire.  

Candidates, as you prepare to start the application process with us, please note that the following components are required to submit your application:

• Cover Letter: your cover letter will be typed directly into the application, so we suggest writing it first in a Word document; the portal provides specific instructions on how to copy/paste the letter without formatting issues
• Resume: please ensure it is in PDF form
• References: We require a minimum of two.
• Transcript(s): note, these can be unofficial
• Lesson Plan: You must submit a sample Academic or Behavioral Intervention Plan that corresponds to the position for which you are applying (e.g. if you are applying for a Elementary School Counselor position, you must submit am intervention plan that is suited for K-8 student).
• Job-Specific Inventory Questions (JSI): you will answer these questions in the application portal; though there is no time limit on the JSI, you must complete these questions in one sitting; once you submit your responses, they are considered final and cannot be edited or updated; do not hit the “back” button on your web browser during the JSI – doing so will prevent you from being able to complete the JSI

• Video Link: you must submit a video link (either YouTube – tagged as “education” or Vimeo and be sure to make it public) of yourself leading a small group; the video should be no more than 10 minutes long.  The video should be of you, live, in front of students. Please ensure you have signed waivers from the students’ parents if they will be on camera at any point. If you are not currently a teacher or don’t have the capability of filming while you’re teaching live, you can videotape a mock counseling session.

As you are working on your application, you can work on, save, and go back to your cover letter and the application itself. Please note, however, that once you submit your JSI, you cannot go back to those responses. For your application to be considered complete, you must submit all of the above. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed or considered during the selection process. 

You are not required to take the EPI to apply. 

Condition of School District Employment

Please note that an employee's attendance, punctuality and performance are important factors to be considered in the selection procedure. Applicants who have been subjected to disciplinary action or who have documented records of unsatisfactory work performance may not be appointed from the eligible list established as a result of this examination.

The School District of Philadelphia  does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, veteran status, or disability.