Occupation 3224 · Associate professional occupations
Counsellors provide counselling services to clients with a wide variety of problems by means of assisting them to reach their own resolutions to the difficulties they face. Counsellors may specialise in a particular area or client group or address a wide range of issues.
There are no formal qualifications requirements for entry but relevant experience is necessary. Many employers will expect entrants to have achieved or be working towards accreditation with a professional body via certification or a diploma in counselling. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required for counsellors working with vulnerable adults and/or families.
Counsellor (welfare services) · Debt adviser · Drugs and alcohol worker · Life coach · Stop smoking counsellor
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 53,000.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 55,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 57,500.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 1,100.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 2,300.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 58,600.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3224 : Counsellors | None | None | 2026-03 | 2,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 1,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 1,900.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 8,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| North East | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 2,500.00 | 2026-03 |
| North West | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 6,300.00 | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 1,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 2,300.00 | 2026-03 |
| South East | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 14,000.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 5,800.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 2,200.00 | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 6,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3224 : Counsellors | None | 7,000.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
Child and early years officers · Housing officers · Welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c. · Youth and community workers