High school counsellors toured around Czech universities. What do they do and why the schools need them?

Last week, study counsellors from abroad visited three universities in Brno and Olomouc in search for new opportunities.

The event was organised by the Study in Czechia initiative and marked the very first time we welcomed international counsellors for such an initiative. The main goal was to strengthen cooperation with international partners and to offer them deeper insight into Czech higher education - not only through presentations but also through direct experience with the academic environments. 

The first day included visits to Brno University of Technology, where the counsellors had guided tours of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, followed by a visit to Masaryk University. There, they explored the Faculty of Economics and Administration as well as the Faculty of Social Studies. In the evening, the counsellors attended a University Fair, where representatives from twelve Czech universities introduced their study programmes, application processes, and student life. The fair provided valuable networking opportunities and allowed counsellors to gather a wide range of materials and contacts. 

On the second day, the group enjoyed a guided tour of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University before heading to the historical city of Olomouc. There, they attended presentations at the Faculty of Science and joined a guided tour of the Faculty of Medicine at Palacký University.  

The programme was designed to showcase the diversity and quality of Czech higher education institutions and to give our guests a first-hand experience of what studying in Czechia can offer. 

We are proud to have launched this new activity and truly believe it represents an important step in building long-term partnerships. We hope that events like this will continue to grow in the future, bringing more opportunities for collaboration and mutual exchange with education professionals around the world. 

Who is a school counsellor? 

The job of a school counsellor is to provide academic, career and personal development support to students. They help them navigate their educational journey and explore their potential. They assist with course selection, including college preparation, and help with academic challenges. The counsellor also works with parents and teachers. If you are a high school student, we recommend you to talk to the cousellor at your school who will be able to help you with your academic journey.

"I help the children understand what they want to do in their life, what they want to be in 10 years after graduating from college. I can back engineer it and say ok, if this is what you want to be, this is the training that you need. If these are your academics and this is your financial income status right now, these are the amazing opportunities that you can look at.“ - Patricia O'Keefe, Global Elite Scholars 

Why is it important for universities to be in touch with counsellors? 

For universities, it is a good idea to get in touch with high school counsellors for one main reason – to promote their university and study programmes so that the counsellors may suggest applying to the university to their students. In Czechia, for example, we have many great universities, but they may not be very well known in certain countries. That is why a tour is an amazing opportunity for the universities to connect with counsellors. 

On the other hand, part of the job of a counsellor is to have a wide knowledge of possibilities for their students so that they can guide them to the perfect programme for them. 

"It’s been a great opportunity to really learn more about specific academic programmes that students are looking for and that are not always the most accessible on other markets. Whether financially or just the selectivity. I think there are a lot of opportunities that are presented by the universities here. Many of the institutions that we’ve learned about I was not familiar with. It is a great opportunity to be exposed to them and then to present the options to the students I work with." - Danielle Kanclerz, Danielle Kanclerz Consulting