An educational consultant provides individuals with education-related advice and assists organizations with creating learning plans for groups of people. Someone wishing to become an educational consultant must have completed an undergraduate college degree and in many instances these professionals have also completed postgraduate programs. Due to the nature of the work, anyone wishing to become an educational consultant typically has a good deal of prior experience working as a teacher or trainer.
Many working in this role have completed degree courses in teaching or in psychology related topics such as behavioral analysis. They are often self-employed; for these consultants there are no specific academic requirements for the role, although clients typically prefer to work with those who have been to college. Schools and other institutions often require these individuals to have not just an undergraduate degree, but also a master's degree while others may require you to complete a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program. Psychological issues can often cause people to struggle academically in which case someone wishing to become an educational consultant may benefit from taking a postgraduate psychology degree.
To have a better understanding of the challenges that students face, someone planning to become an educational consultant should gain some teaching experience. The teaching job should relate directly to the consultant role; for example, someone who plans to work as a high school consultant should first spend some time working in a high school rather than an elementary school or college. Many employers require applicants to have spent a certain number of years working as teachers while those who are self-employed often gain several years of experience to attract clients from other less well-qualified consultants.
Within schools and colleges, those who become an educational consultant can help students and teachers to work around obstacles including medical conditions, psychological disorders and physical handicaps. Therefore, anyone wishing to work in this field should ideally have good interpersonal skills. Additionally, these individuals often work with numerous different clients over the course of a week, so good organizational and administrative skills can be quite helpful.
Within the corporate world, some companies employ educational consultants who are tasked with helping in-house employees complete further educational study courses. Often, they help engineers and scientists create study plans so that these individuals can complete the necessary studies while also completing their day-to-day work. People who have trouble passing licensing and regulatory examinations often work alongside consultants who help them to improve their study habits and to find ways to overcome learning disabilities.