Standards and Qualifications in the Lifelong Guidance Landscape

Within Ireland’s evolving lifelong guidance landscape, the development of clear professional standards and role expectations is central to ensuring high-quality, coherent provision across education and training sectors. Find below two of the most recent publications in support of this:

The Standards and Qualifications in Guidance Counsellor Education and Training (SQGCET) framework establishes nationally agreed competencies and qualification requirements for guidance counsellors, strengthening professional identity and consistency of practice across services. Complementing this, Working as a Post-Primary Guidance Counsellor (2025–2026) outlines the practical application of these standards within school settings, situating guidance within a whole-school approach that supports students’ personal, educational and career development as an entitlement.

Together, these documents reflect a broader policy emphasis within the National Strategic Framework for Lifelong Guidance (2024–2030), particularly its focus on enhancing standards and quality across the system, ensuring that individuals are supported to make informed life choices throughout their lifespan.

It remains the case, as set out in appendix 3 of the most-recent staffing arrangement circulars that a person being assigned as a post-primary guidance counsellor must be a post-primary qualified and registered teacher with The Teaching Council and, in addition, hold the relevant recognised qualification for school-guidance work. Full details on the requirements to act as a guidance counsellor at the qualified rate of pay are outlined in the document below.