The NEST School Chennai
Website:
thenest.school
Job details:
At The NEST School, we believe university guidance should begin long before a student begins filling out an application.
We are looking for a University Guidance & Career Counselling Lead who will walk alongside our learners through their high school years — helping them understand themselves, explore possibilities, make informed career choices, build the right profile and ultimately identify universities where they can thrive.
Our students will pursue diverse pathways across India and universities around the world. We are therefore looking for someone who understands both the aspirations and realities of international-school students and can guide families through the complexity of Indian and global university admissions.
This is not a Grade 12 application-support role. It is a long-term student guidance and relationship-building role, combining career exploration, student mentoring, parent engagement, university knowledge and meticulous application management.
What You Will Own
1. Know the Learner
- Build a deep understanding of each student's interests, passions, strengths, aspirations, personality and emerging areas of curiosity.
- Use conversations, observations, academic information and appropriate assessments to help students develop greater self-awareness.
- Help students discover possibilities beyond the conventional career choices they may already know.
2. Guide Career & Academic Pathways
- Work with students to explore career options and identify pathways that align with their interests, strengths and aspirations.
- Help students understand the implications of subject choices, academic performance and profile-building on future university options.
- Develop individualised guidance plans that evolve as the student's interests and aspirations develop.
3. Work with the Student Ecosystem
- Partner closely with teachers to understand each learner's academic and developmental profile.
- Engage parents constructively and keep them informed at key stages of the student's journey.
- Facilitate informed conversations between students, parents and teachers when aspirations, capabilities or expectations differ.
- Build trust with students while maintaining professional objectivity and sound judgement.
4. Build University Readiness
- Help students progressively build their university profile through academics, projects, internships, competitions, leadership, extracurricular activities and other meaningful experiences.
- Maintain a strong understanding of university requirements and changing admissions trends in India and internationally.
- Guide students towards appropriate university pathways across India and major international destinations.
5. Own the University Application Process
- Guide students through university research, shortlisting and application strategy.
- Manage application calendars, requirements, documentation and deadlines meticulously.
- Support students with essays/personal statements, recommendations, portfolios, transcripts, predicted grades and other application requirements.
- Track applications from initiation through submission and follow-up.
- Maintain accurate student-wise application records and ensure that no deadline or documentation requirement is missed.
- Communicate clearly and proactively with students, parents, teachers and universities throughout the process.
6. Build the UGCC Ecosystem at School
- Develop a structured university and career guidance framework across Grades 9–12.
- Build relationships with universities in India and overseas.
- Facilitate university visits, information sessions, student interactions, webinars and other opportunities for exposure.
- Develop resources and systems that make university and career information accessible to students and parents.
- Track university destinations and outcomes and use this data to continuously strengthen the school's guidance programme.
Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for someone who is deeply student-oriented, exceptionally organised and genuinely curious about the world of higher education and careers.
You should be:
- An excellent listener who can build meaningful, long-term relationships with teenagers.
- Analytical enough to connect a student's interests, academic profile, strengths and aspirations to realistic pathways.
- Mature and confident enough to challenge students and parents when necessary.
- An exceptionally strong communicator, both verbally and in writing.
- Highly meticulous with documentation, timelines and follow-through.
- Comfortable managing multiple students and applications simultaneously without losing attention to detail.
- Curious about emerging careers, disciplines and changing university landscapes.
- Proactive rather than reactive — someone who anticipates what a student will need several months ahead.
- Comfortable working collaboratively with teachers, school leadership and parents.
- Someone who takes ownership rather than waiting to be told what needs to be done.
Experience & Qualifications
Strong preference for candidates with:
- Experience working in an IB, Cambridge or other international-school environment.
- Experience guiding students from international schools towards both Indian and overseas universities.
- Understanding of international-school academic profiles, subject pathways and university admissions.
- Experience working with students across multiple high-school years rather than exclusively supporting Grade 12 applications.
We will also consider candidates who have worked extensively with students from international schools in university admissions, higher education, career counselling or related roles.
Experience with university admissions across India and destinations such as the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe will be an advantage.
What Will Make You Exceptional in This Role?
You understand that the best university outcomes are not created in the final year of school.
You start much earlier.
You can sit with a 14-year-old and help them discover what excites them. You can work with a 16-year-old to turn that curiosity into a direction. You can challenge a parent's assumptions with evidence and empathy. And, two years later, you can manage every detail of that student's application with the precision required to get them across the finish line.
If you are passionate about helping young people discover what they are capable of — and meticulous enough to make sure no opportunity is lost because of a missed detail — we would like to hear from you.
Location: Chennai
Employment: Full-time
Function: University Guidance & Career Counselling (UGCC)
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