J-1 Visa School Counselor Jobs
School Counselor roles in the United States are accessible to international professionals through J-1 visa sponsorship under the Exchange Visitor Program. Most working professionals qualify under the Specialist or Teacher category, depending on the school level and program structure. A U.S. Department of State-designated sponsor organization issues your DS-2019 and manages compliance throughout your placement.
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Category:
Secondary
Department: Canyons District
Shift:
Location: Draper Park Middle School
Job Type: Full-Time
Pay Rate: Salary Schedules
Transfer Window: 04/15/2026 - Open Until Filled.
How to apply:
Student Wellness Services hires Elementary Counselors, School Social Workers and School Psychologists and then works with school administrators to assign them to a school location. Click on the position link below to complete an application and video screening interview on Vidcruiter. When the application process is successfully completed, you will be entered into our candidate pool to be considered for current openings and the upcoming 2026-27 school year. Please note Interviews for the 2026-27 school year begin in March with the exception of School Psychologists whose interviews begin in January.
Please click the link below for the type of employment you are seeking, which will take you to our video application.
- School Counselor - Intern
If you applied prior to November 3, 2025 you will need to apply again as your previous application has expired.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Allie Teller - Elementary School Counselors - allie.teller@canyonsdistrict.org (Secondary counselors will be hired by the school)
Wayne Trice – School Social Work Specialist – wayne.trice@canyonsdistrict.org
Karen Brown – School Psychologist Specialist – karen.brown2@canyonsdistrict.org
Americans with Disability Act: If reasonable accommodations are needed to assist you with the application or hiring process please contact the Canyons School District office of Legal Services at 801-826-5061, Fax 801-826-5098 or mailing address 9361 S. 300 E., Sandy, UT 84070.
CANYONS SCHOOL DISTRICT is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered on the basis of employment qualifications without regard to race, color, political affiliation, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, medical condition or handicap. Inquiries regarding Canyons School District’s hiring practices may be addressed to: Director of Human Resources, Canyons School District, 9361 South 300 East, Sandy, UT 84070.
Current CSD Employee, Log in to request a transfer
Dates available for transfer request: 04/15/2026 - Open Until Filled.
If you are currently a Canyons School District Teacher and you would like to apply for this position, you must login to submit an application. Please login at the top right of this page to access this website.
Job Description:
Job Title: School Counselor
Department: Secondary School
Supervisor: Principal
Lane Placement: Licensed Salary Schedule 196
Schedule: 8 hrs / 196 days Eval Group: CTESS - Counselor
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Seeking a counselor intern - Will receive 1/2 pay
JOB DESCRIPTION
School counselors help students make decisions that affect their personal and academic development. Often they can be found working with classroom teachers, school psychologists, school nurses, parents, and community groups. They meet with students individually or in group sessions. Counselors help students choose courses that will affect their later careers. They also provide students with scholarship information, training manuals, and college catalogs.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Discusses the comprehensive school counseling program and action plans with the school administrator.
- Plan and maintain an effective Comprehensive School Counseling Program.
- Develop and maintain a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program based on USOE’s Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program model.
- Communicates the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to education stakeholders.
- Maintains current and appropriate program data for education stakeholders.
- Uses at least 80% of time providing direct services through the Guidance Curriculum, Individual Student Planning and Preventive and Responsive Services and most remaining time in program management, system support and accountability.
- Provides leadership and collaborates with other educators in the school-wide integration of USOE’s Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program model.
- Implements developmentally appropriate and prevention-oriented group activities to meet student needs and school goals.
- Assists all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career and personal/social skills/behavioral, goals and plans.
- Accurately and appropriately interprets and utilizes student data.
- Collaborates with parents/guardians and educators to assist students with educational and career planning.
- Provides individual and group counseling to students with identified concerns and needs.
- Consults and collaborates effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
- Implements an effective referral and follow-up process.
- Accurately and appropriately uses assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.
- Provides appropriate information to staff related to the comprehensive school counseling program.
- Assists in the facilitation of school tests, i.e. Advanced Placement, UBSCT, CRT, etc.
- Assists teachers, parents/guardians and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data.
- Participates in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
- Uses available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program such as websites, interest surveys, career explorations, and links to community resources.
- Work with the administration to create, coordinate and implement student orientation programs for incoming students.
- The counselor will act as a consultant as the administration creates, coordinates and implements student/teacher schedules. The counselor is active in presenting the registration materials to the students, adjusting changes with students’ registration as it relates to individual student planning.
- Supervises all aspects of student records including obtaining and forwarding records, academic, testing, etc., maintained by counseling personnel.
- Monitor students’ progress towards graduation, identifies credit deficiencies, and facilitates post secondary plans.
- Conduct parent education classes in cooperation with the Jordan Family Education Center.
- Promote and support students in attaining ASCA National Standards for School Counseling Programs.
- Join and participate in appropriate professional organizations, and continue to further their academic involvement.
- Is responsible for understanding and adhering to laws, district policies, and procedures.
- Predictable and reliable attendance.
NON-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Other duties as assigned.
This description should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an employee assigned to this position.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the education, knowledge and experience requirements; the machines, tools and equipment used; background; and any licenses or certifications required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
PREFERRED SKILLS:
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Incumbent must be fingerprinted and clear a criminal backgrounds check.
- Requires a Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university.
- Requires a valid Professional Educator License for the State of Utah within the relevant “License Area of Concentration”.
- Requires strong oral and written communication skills with students, parents, and staff.
- Requires strong computer and educational technological skills.
- Requires effective problem solving, organizational, multi-tasking, and time management skills.
- Requires the ability to implement effective counseling strategies.
- Requires the ability to create and engage students in guidance curriculum in small groups to large assemblies.
- Requires the ability to establish and maintain a positive learning environment.
- Requires the ability to calmly handle crisis issues.
- Requires the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with pupils, parents, school staff, district staff, and patrons.
- This description should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an employee assigned to this position.
- To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
- The requirements listed below are representative of the education, knowledge and experience requirements; the machines, tools and equipment used; background; and any licenses or certifications required.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
- Requires the ability to work as a member of a team as well as the ability to work independently with little direct supervision.
- Knowledge of State Core Curriculum and Board of Education adopted guidelines. Candidates must have a School Counselor license.
- Expired licenses, out of state licenses, or University students that will graduate in May or August 2024 are also eligible to apply.
- Candidates interested in an internship must also apply through Vidcruiter and state in video question 1 they are seeking an internship.
NOTE: The Administration reserves the right to require specific training for this position. However, depending upon the type and quality of prior work experience and availability of formal training programs, some exchanges can be made between training and experience.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS - Not limited to the following:
- While performing the duties of this job, the guidance counselor is regularly required to speak and/or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The counselor is occasionally required to use hands to handle or feel and must occasionally climb or balance.
- The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.
ADA
Physical ability to perform the essential functions listed above with or without reasonable accommodation. Requires the ability to lift a minimum of ten (10) pounds. Possess the physical, mental, and emotional stability to work under stressful conditions, including but not limited to: deadlines, contract requirements, inspection requirements, and interaction with critical personnel.
Note: This list of essential and marginal functions and of physical requirements is not exhaustive and may be supplemented.
All employees are required to participate in the District evaluation process.
It is the employee’s responsibility to review and adhere to all district policies and procedures.
This information may be reviewed at www.canyonsdistrict.org
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a School Counselor
Align your credentials with J-1 category requirements
The Teacher category applies to K-12 counseling roles, while the Specialist category fits higher education or district-level positions. Confirm which category your target role falls under before approaching a designated sponsor, since each carries different eligibility and duration rules.
Check whether your role triggers the two-year rule
Some School Counselor placements funded by a foreign government or located in shortage areas may trigger the J-1 two-year home residency requirement. Ask the designated sponsor to review your DS-2019 before you accept a host employer offer.
Search Migrate Mate to find J-1-aligned school employers
Use Migrate Mate to filter School Counselor openings at host organizations that have worked with exchange visitors before. Targeting employers already familiar with the DS-2019 process shortens the time between offer and sponsor enrollment.
Prepare a credentials equivalency letter before applying
U.S. school districts often require state licensure or certification. Get a formal equivalency evaluation of your counseling degree from your home country before interviewing, so the host employer can confirm you meet their state's minimum qualification standards.
Confirm the host employer will sign the training plan
The designated sponsor needs the host employer to co-sign a formal exchange agreement or training plan. Schools that have never hosted a J-1 exchange visitor may need time to complete internal approvals, so raise this in the offer negotiation, not after you accept.
Clarify who pays the DS-2019 program fee
Designated sponsors charge an administrative program fee to issue the DS-2019. Negotiate with the host school district whether this cost is covered as part of your compensation package before the sponsor enrollment process begins.
School Counselor jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find School Counselor JobsSchool Counselor J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits a School Counselor role?
Most School Counselor placements fall under the Teacher category for K-12 settings or the Specialist category for district-level, community college, or university counseling roles. The Teacher category requires at least three years of relevant experience. The Specialist category is used when the position requires specialized knowledge not tied to direct classroom instruction. Confirm the correct category with the designated sponsor before applying, since each has different maximum program lengths and eligibility criteria.
Who actually sponsors my J-1 visa as a School Counselor?
The J-1 visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not your host school or district. This sponsor issues your DS-2019 form, monitors your compliance with program regulations, and serves as the legal point of contact with the State Department. Organizations like Cultural Vistas or IIE can fill this role. Your host employer, the school, is where you work but is not your visa sponsor.
Does a School Counselor J-1 placement trigger the two-year home residency requirement?
It may. The two-year home residency requirement applies when your program is funded by your home-country government or when the skill you bring is on your home country's exchange visitor skills list. Some counseling specialties in shortage areas also trigger it. Your designated sponsor will note on the DS-2019 whether the requirement applies. If it does, you cannot change to H-1B or most immigrant visa categories until you fulfill or obtain a waiver of that requirement.
How do I find U.S. school districts open to hiring J-1 exchange visitors?
Search Migrate Mate to identify School Counselor openings at employers familiar with the J-1 exchange visitor process. Many districts have hosted exchange visitors before and understand the DS-2019 timeline, which reduces delays between your offer and sponsor enrollment. Targeting these employers from the start is more efficient than approaching districts with no prior J-1 experience.
Can I extend my J-1 stay if the school district wants to keep me longer?
Yes, J-1 extensions are possible as long as you remain within the maximum program duration for your category and continue to meet the original program objectives. The host school district must confirm continued need, and the designated sponsor must approve and reissue an updated DS-2019 before your current authorized stay expires. Extensions are not automatic and require lead time, so initiate the request at least 60 days before your program end date.
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