H-1B Visa School Counselor Jobs
School Counselor roles qualify for H-1B sponsorship as specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field. Most positions are at K-12 districts or universities, many of which are cap-exempt employers, meaning you can skip the annual lottery entirely.
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Role Mission: Students and families are the most important stakeholders at IDEA Public Schools. The role of School Counselor leads the campus family engagement vision, social emotional learning program, and coordination of mental health and counseling supports for all scholars on the campus.
Our key tenets of family engagement, social emotional learning, and student social emotional supports are implemented through the role of the School Counselor to ensure all staff are building authentic relationships with students and families. Data maintenance and analysis is an integral component of effective school-based intervention implementation. SCs own the validity and accuracy of their goals to drive campus strategies and tactics. Family engagement and student success is the job of all campus team members. The School Counselor will direct and hold all campus team members accountable to fulfill their role.
When the work is lead effectively, the entire school staff is clear on their roles in supporting students and families, has the data needed to drive action, inspired, and supported to engage with students and parents in a meaningful way which would result in meeting the goal for all students to have the academic and social skills they need to achieve their goal of going to and through college. Through this work, School Counselors ensure our schools are a place where students feel safe physically and emotionally safe and therefore can learn, grow, and succeed in and outside of the classroom.
What We Offer
Compensation:
Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $64,987 and $75,385, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on team performance and goal attainment.
Other Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include:
- Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation.
- Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability.
- Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost.
Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.
What You Bring - Competencies
Qualifications:
- Education: Master's degree in School Counseling, Counseling, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or related field required
- Experience (preferred): Previous experience in a school or school setting
- License or Certification: Valid TX School Counselor certification or counseling/social work licensure (LMSW, LCSW, LCSW-S, LPC-A, LPC, LMFT-A, LMFT) required
Knowledge and Skills:
- Proven track record of success
- Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage student behavior
- Belief in and alignment with IDEA’s mission and values is non-negotiable
- Ability to adjust and adapt to a multitude of situations in the school environment
What You’ll Do - Accountabilities
Achieves/Owns Campus Goal of Overall Student Persistence
- Leads the execution of the school vision for retaining all students at the school by directing and managing all stakeholders at the campus in their roles and responsibilities in family engagement and student persistence.
- Leads the planning of and execution of student and family engagement events that are aligned to the school’s culture, community and family needs and promotes the authentic relationship building between the school and the family.
- Leads Professional Development for the entire campus to clarify the roles every staff member plays in family engagement.
- Manages the campus overall student persistence data to ensure 100% of data accuracy and reporting through close partnership with the PEIMS team on campus. Notify all stakeholders who own the persistence goal of the data and rationale as to why students are leaving to identify and analyze trends. Data management includes At-Risk Coding, Potential Leavers and Dropouts and Leaver Coding for withdrawals.
- Partners with grade level teams to help identify and coordinate intervention for at-risk students with responsibility and accountability structures for Grade Level Admin, API’s, GTLs and Teachers.
- Leads parent conversations and problem solves to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students and families in collaboration with campus lead team.
- Leads family communications platforms: Remind, Smore (Weekly Parent Newsletter), and Facebook
- Administer 2 parent surveys: 1 in the Spring and 1 in the Fall to get feedback from parents on communication and events. SC is responsible to analyze and create a strategic plan to respond to the parent input.
- Administer 2 student surveys: 1 in the Spring and 1 in the Fall to get feedback from our scholars with the IDEA experience.
90% New Student Persistence
- Partners with Enrollment Specialist and APO on the campus to ensure 100% of new students and families receive high quality on-boarding starting on day 1 of school.
- Directs and manages through influence all campus team members to their role in family engagement to retain new students from year to year.
- Lead the planning and execution of specific new parent events to welcome the new parents to the campus and helps them integrate and get acclimated to the campus culture and expectations with campus lead team.
- Owns the campus new student persistence to ensure 100% of data accuracy and reporting through close partnership with the SIS/Registrar and additional stakeholders on campus team. Notify all stakeholders who own the persistence goal of the data and rationale as to why students are leaving to identify and analyze trends.
- Through new family onboarding structures, ensures new families and students build community and develop a sense of belonging within the first 10 days of their first day of school.
90% Documentation Compliance: School Counselors Document at least ten hours of direct student services weekly
- Documents all interventions and crises/critical incidents in district-wide documentation system.
- Collaborates with community agencies to coordinate services within the school system.
- Utilize Student & Family Survey data twice a year to assess campus climate and culture.
- Member of crisis response team on the campus to provide and ensure student or family social/emotional needs are being met.
- Connects student and families to community resources to get the support needed. Is the liaison between community support person and campus to share information to wrap services around the student.
90% of assigned teachers use Move this World, social emotional learning curriculum with fidelity (as defined by students interact with video program 3 days a week)
- Lead teacher and campus training on Move This World curriculum and implementation expectations.
- Identify and utilize best practice strategies to invest and create a culture of excitement around the integration of a Mental Health curriculum in the daily schedule.
- Conduct regular rotating observations of Move This World blocks using observation rubric. Provide teachers feedback on observation rubric at least 1x/month.
- Track curriculum progress and send campus weekly PTG MTW update with glows and grows.
- Conduct BOY and EOY assessment on Mental Health competencies, school climate, safety, and sense of belonging. Review data and create action steps to address campus needs.
80% of Risk & Threat Assessments conducted have Safety Plan and/or a Re-entry Meetings documented in Case Management System following a crisis or critical incident.
- Ensures all responses to crises are documented in all required platforms within an appropriate amount of time (24-28 hours).
- Manages accurate data tracking of crises that arise on the campus across all systems (i.e., PurpleSense, Sentinnel, & campus filing system) by conducting audits of data periodically throughout the school year.
- Presents data to the monthly CCT meeting with updates and suggested revisions to safety & re-entry meetings (if applicable) for risk & threat assessments conducted in the past 30 days.
- Collaborates with the CCT Members to ensure Risk & Threat Assessment Checklist have been followed for each crisis with fidelity, even in the absence of the School Counselor.
- Ensures 100% of CCT Members are trained in Risk & Threat Assessment Protocols as evidenced by the CCT PowerApp and Training PowerBi.
- Creates Campus Crisis Binders with all necessary assessments, documents and supplemental material needed to carry out both risk & threat assessments completely and conduct a walkthrough with CCT members to ensure a thorough understanding of each document and how to use it appropriately.
We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:
- Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college
- Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them
- Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly
- Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes
- Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change
- Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization
- Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes
- We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students
About IDEA Public Schools
At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.
IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.
When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.
Staff Experience
At IDEA, the Staff Experience Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members. Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here!
To Apply
Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.
Description
Role Mission: Students and families are the most important stakeholders at IDEA Public Schools. The role of School Counselor leads the campus family engagement vision, social emotional learning program, and coordination of mental health and counseling supports for all scholars on the campus.
Our key tenets of family engagement, social emotional learning, and student social emotional supports are implemented through the role of the School Counselor to ensure all staff are building authentic relationships with students and families. Data maintenance and analysis is an integral component of effective school-based intervention implementation. SCs own the validity and accuracy of their goals to drive campus strategies and tactics. Family engagement and student success is the job of all campus team members. The School Counselor will direct and hold all campus team members accountable to fulfill their role.
When the work is lead effectively, the entire school staff is clear on their roles in supporting students and families, has the data needed to drive action, inspired, and supported to engage with students and parents in a meaningful way which would result in meeting the goal for all students to have the academic and social skills they need to achieve their goal of going to and through college. Through this work, School Counselors ensure our schools are a place where students feel safe physically and emotionally safe and therefore can learn, grow, and succeed in and outside of the classroom.
What We Offer
Compensation:
Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $64,987 and $75,385, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on team performance and goal attainment.
Other Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering the majority of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Some of the special benefits we offer at IDEA include:
- Paid Family Leave: Eligible staff may receive up to 8 weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, based on their tenure with the organization and caregiver designation.
- Tuition Reimbursement: Staff members may apply for up to 50% of tuition paid toward a qualifying degree program, up to $5,250 maximum per year subject to manager discretion and budget availability.
- Employer-Paid Mental/Behavioral Health: 5 face-to-face counseling sessions within a year, unlimited 24/7 telephonic counseling, and other work-life services available at no cost.
Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. IDEA may offer a relocation allowance to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.
What You Bring - Competencies
Qualifications:
- Education: Master's degree in School Counseling, Counseling, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or related field required
- Experience (preferred): Previous experience in a school or school setting
- License or Certification: Valid TX School Counselor certification or counseling/social work licensure (LMSW, LCSW, LCSW-S, LPC-A, LPC, LMFT-A, LMFT) required
Knowledge and Skills:
- Proven track record of success
- Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to manage student behavior
- Belief in and alignment with IDEA’s mission and values is non-negotiable
- Ability to adjust and adapt to a multitude of situations in the school environment
What You’ll Do - Accountabilities
Achieves/Owns Campus Goal of Overall Student Persistence
- Leads the execution of the school vision for retaining all students at the school by directing and managing all stakeholders at the campus in their roles and responsibilities in family engagement and student persistence.
- Leads the planning of and execution of student and family engagement events that are aligned to the school’s culture, community and family needs and promotes the authentic relationship building between the school and the family.
- Leads Professional Development for the entire campus to clarify the roles every staff member plays in family engagement.
- Manages the campus overall student persistence data to ensure 100% of data accuracy and reporting through close partnership with the PEIMS team on campus. Notify all stakeholders who own the persistence goal of the data and rationale as to why students are leaving to identify and analyze trends. Data management includes At-Risk Coding, Potential Leavers and Dropouts and Leaver Coding for withdrawals.
- Partners with grade level teams to help identify and coordinate intervention for at-risk students with responsibility and accountability structures for Grade Level Admin, API’s, GTLs and Teachers.
- Leads parent conversations and problem solves to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students and families in collaboration with campus lead team.
- Leads family communications platforms: Remind, Smore (Weekly Parent Newsletter), and Facebook
- Administer 2 parent surveys: 1 in the Spring and 1 in the Fall to get feedback from parents on communication and events. SC is responsible to analyze and create a strategic plan to respond to the parent input.
- Administer 2 student surveys: 1 in the Spring and 1 in the Fall to get feedback from our scholars with the IDEA experience.
90% New Student Persistence
- Partners with Enrollment Specialist and APO on the campus to ensure 100% of new students and families receive high quality on-boarding starting on day 1 of school.
- Directs and manages through influence all campus team members to their role in family engagement to retain new students from year to year.
- Lead the planning and execution of specific new parent events to welcome the new parents to the campus and helps them integrate and get acclimated to the campus culture and expectations with campus lead team.
- Owns the campus new student persistence to ensure 100% of data accuracy and reporting through close partnership with the SIS/Registrar and additional stakeholders on campus team. Notify all stakeholders who own the persistence goal of the data and rationale as to why students are leaving to identify and analyze trends.
- Through new family onboarding structures, ensures new families and students build community and develop a sense of belonging within the first 10 days of their first day of school.
90% Documentation Compliance: School Counselors Document at least ten hours of direct student services weekly
- Documents all interventions and crises/critical incidents in district-wide documentation system.
- Collaborates with community agencies to coordinate services within the school system.
- Utilize Student & Family Survey data twice a year to assess campus climate and culture.
- Member of crisis response team on the campus to provide and ensure student or family social/emotional needs are being met.
- Connects student and families to community resources to get the support needed. Is the liaison between community support person and campus to share information to wrap services around the student.
90% of assigned teachers use Move this World, social emotional learning curriculum with fidelity (as defined by students interact with video program 3 days a week)
- Lead teacher and campus training on Move This World curriculum and implementation expectations.
- Identify and utilize best practice strategies to invest and create a culture of excitement around the integration of a Mental Health curriculum in the daily schedule.
- Conduct regular rotating observations of Move This World blocks using observation rubric. Provide teachers feedback on observation rubric at least 1x/month.
- Track curriculum progress and send campus weekly PTG MTW update with glows and grows.
- Conduct BOY and EOY assessment on Mental Health competencies, school climate, safety, and sense of belonging. Review data and create action steps to address campus needs.
80% of Risk & Threat Assessments conducted have Safety Plan and/or a Re-entry Meetings documented in Case Management System following a crisis or critical incident.
- Ensures all responses to crises are documented in all required platforms within an appropriate amount of time (24-28 hours).
- Manages accurate data tracking of crises that arise on the campus across all systems (i.e., PurpleSense, Sentinnel, & campus filing system) by conducting audits of data periodically throughout the school year.
- Presents data to the monthly CCT meeting with updates and suggested revisions to safety & re-entry meetings (if applicable) for risk & threat assessments conducted in the past 30 days.
- Collaborates with the CCT Members to ensure Risk & Threat Assessment Checklist have been followed for each crisis with fidelity, even in the absence of the School Counselor.
- Ensures 100% of CCT Members are trained in Risk & Threat Assessment Protocols as evidenced by the CCT PowerApp and Training PowerBi.
- Creates Campus Crisis Binders with all necessary assessments, documents and supplemental material needed to carry out both risk & threat assessments completely and conduct a walkthrough with CCT members to ensure a thorough understanding of each document and how to use it appropriately.
We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics:
- Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college
- Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them
- Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing in order to learn and improve quickly
- Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes
- Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change
- Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization
- Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships in order to achieve outcomes
- We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students
About IDEA Public Schools
At IDEA Public Schools, we believe each and every child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a multi-state network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools.
IDEA Public Schools boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists. IDEA serves over 80,000 college-bound students in 143 schools across Texas, Florida, Ohio, and is on-track to maintain its legacy of sending 100% of its graduates to college.
When you choose to work at IDEA, you are part of our IDEA Team and Family. You will work alongside team members who set and reach ambitious goals every day, are excited to continue to grow with IDEA, and work relentlessly to make college for all a reality.
Staff Experience
At IDEA, the Staff Experience Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members. Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here!
To Apply
Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.
See all 528+ School Counselor jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new School Counselor roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a School Counselor
Target cap-exempt employers first
Public school districts, nonprofit universities, and government-affiliated educational institutions are cap-exempt under H-1B rules. Filing through these employers bypasses the lottery, so your petition can be submitted any time of year.
Verify your degree meets specialty occupation requirements
USCIS requires your degree to be directly related to school counseling. A general psychology or social work degree may trigger an RFE. Check your credential against the O*NET occupation profile for SOC code 21-1012 before applying.
Check prevailing wage before negotiating your offer
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your location and job zone. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level I through Level IV wage tiers for school counselors in your metro area.
Find sponsoring school districts on Migrate Mate
Search Migrate Mate to identify school districts and educational institutions with verified H-1B LCA filing history for counseling roles. Filtering by employer type saves time and surfaces districts already familiar with the sponsorship process.
Get your foreign credentials evaluated early
If your counseling degree is from outside the U.S., have it evaluated by a NACES-member credential evaluation service before your employer files the I-129. USCIS scrutinizes foreign degree equivalency closely for licensed counseling positions.
Confirm state licensure timing with your employer
Most states require school counselors to hold an active state license or certification. Discuss with your employer whether the H-1B petition will be filed before or after you obtain state licensure, since USCIS may request proof of eligibility to practice.
School Counselor jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find School Counselor JobsSchool Counselor H-1B Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a School Counselor role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes. USCIS recognizes school counseling as a specialty occupation because the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, education, or a closely related field. Employers must document the degree requirement in the Labor Condition Application and petition. Positions that list the degree as preferred rather than required can face additional scrutiny.
Are school districts and universities cap-exempt for H-1B purposes?
Public and nonprofit educational institutions are generally cap-exempt, meaning they can file H-1B petitions outside the annual 65,000 cap and the 20,000 master's cap exemption. This also means petitions can be filed at any point in the year rather than only during the April registration window. Confirm cap-exempt status with your employer before the offer stage.
How do I find school districts that have sponsored H-1B visas before?
Migrate Mate lets you filter employers by verified H-1B LCA filing history, so you can identify school districts and educational institutions that have actively sponsored counseling roles. Starting with employers who already have a sponsorship track record reduces delays caused by HR teams unfamiliar with the I-129 process.
Does my state counseling license affect my H-1B petition?
It can. Several states require school counselors to hold active state certification or licensure to practice. USCIS may request evidence that you meet state licensure requirements as part of establishing specialty occupation status. Work with your employer to clarify whether licensure needs to be in place before or concurrent with the H-1B filing.
What happens to my H-1B status if my school district ends my contract mid-year?
If your employer terminates your H-1B employment, you have a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsoring employer, change to a different visa status, or prepare to depart the U.S. The new employer must file an H-1B transfer petition before your grace period expires. For cap-exempt educational employers, transfers can be filed at any time.
See which School Counselor employers are hiring and sponsoring visas right now.
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