TITLE: College Counselor

SCALE:  Professional Scale, plus stipend    

CONTRACT: Professional Staff Contract  

SUPERVISOR:  Director of College Counseling / US Principal    

DIVISION: Upper School

Position Summary:  

Taipei American School seeks a dynamic, experienced, collaborative and student-centered individual to join our College Counseling team. The College Counselor plays an important role in supporting students throughout all four years of the Upper School, helping them develop the self-knowledge, academic foundation, skills, and understanding necessary to make thoughtful decisions about their educational pathways and post-secondary opportunities. 

This College Counselor position is a new position that will contribute to an expanding college counseling and readiness program to be more inclusive of Grades 9 and 10 while continuing the well-developed individualized application-focused program in Grades 11 and 12. Working collaboratively with students, families, faculty, counseling teams, and administration, the College Counselor will support students in aligning their academic program, interests, strengths, goals, and well-being with future aspirations.

Essential Functions of the Position: 

1. College Readiness Guidance for Grades 9 and 10. Partner with the Personal Academic Counselors to develop and deliver a purposeful college readiness program beginning in Grade 9 that helps students gradually build the knowledge, habits, self-awareness, and skills needed to make informed decisions about their Upper School experience and future pathways. 

2.  Academic Planning and Course Selection: Partner with students, families, faculty, counselors, and administration to support thoughtful academic programming throughout the Upper School. Collaborate with counselors and school leaders to identify patterns or emerging student needs related to course selection, academic pathways, graduation requirements, and university preparation. 

3. College Counseling and Application Support: Guide students and families through an individualized college exploration, selection, and application process. Write comprehensive counselor recommendations and provide appropriate advocacy for TAS students throughout the university admissions process. 

4. Whole-Student Counseling and Collaboration: Participate actively in multidisciplinary conversations regarding student progress and support when appropriate. 

5. Constituency Education: Educate students, families, faculty, counselors, and administrators about college readiness and university admissions through presentations, workshops, written communication, small-group meetings, and individual conversations. Provide families with timely, clear, and balanced information that supports informed decision-making and helps reduce unnecessary anxiety around the college process. 

6. Relationship Building and University Engagement: Develop and maintain strong professional relationships with college and university admissions representatives. International travel and participation in university visitation programs will be expected as part of the position. 

7. Program Development and Continuous Improvement: Support the development of resources, curriculum, workshops, and systems that create greater coherence between academic planning, personal development, college readiness, and the application process. 

8. Professional Development: Remain current with evolving university admissions practices, international admissions systems, adolescent development, and best practices in college counseling. Pursue professional growth and school representation through participation in relevant professional organizations and conferences. 

9. Community Partnership: Work collaboratively with faculty, staff, counselors, and administrators to support college counseling and broader Upper School programming. Participate meaningfully in the life of the school community and contribute to initiatives that strengthen the overall student experience. Serve as a resource to faculty and administrators regarding university admissions, academic pathways, course planning, and emerging trends affecting students’ post-secondary opportunities. 

Hours of Work: 

This is a full-time position on a school-year contract; however, there is an additional responsibility stipend that compensates for additional and expected work over the summer months. Other duties and responsibilities may be negotiated on top of this workload.  

Professional Dispositions:

Candidates should contribute to the development of a community by modeling the behaviors and mindsets reflected in the TAS Schoolwide Learning Outcomes. 

Critical and Creative Thinker: Reflects on practice, analyzes evidence of learning, and explores new ideas to continuously improve engagement and learning. 

Collaborative Communicator: Collaborates with colleagues, students, and families to support shared goals and strengthen our community. 

Self-Directed Learner: Seeks feedback and engages in professional learning to improve practice. 

Well-Balanced Individual: Maintains a positive professional presence, demonstrates flexibility, and creates a sense of belonging for self and others. 

Globally Minded Contributor: Demonstrates respect for the diverse cultures and customs present in our community and advocates for inclusive practices that support belonging. 

Qualifications & Skills: 

• Master’s degree preferred in counseling, education, school leadership, or a related field;
• Significant experience in high school college counseling, university admissions and/or academic counseling;
• Demonstrated understanding of college readiness and the developmental needs of students across Grades 9–12;
• Experience supporting students with academic planning and course selection in relation to graduation requirements and post-secondary pathways; 
• Knowledge of U.S. and international university admissions systems and requirements, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Europe, and other destinations relevant to TAS students; 
• Expertise with college counseling and educational technology platforms such as MaiaLearning, PowerSchool, or similar systems, as well as national application platforms such as Common Application, University of California, UCAS, OUAC, StudieLink, and others; 
• Experience working with diverse, multicultural, and multilingual student and parent populations; 
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary counseling model; 
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively, present confidently, and work successfully with diverse constituencies; 
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with outstanding writing skills, strong work ethic, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and responsibilities effectively;
• Collaborative, service-oriented, and supportive, with an outgoing and ambitious approach to building relationships, contributing to a team, and advancing the goals of the school community. 

Safeguarding Commitment:

Taipei American School is committed to safeguarding all children. All employees are expected to support this commitment and adhere to school safeguarding policies.  

How to Apply: 

• Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references.
• Applicants are also asked to submit a sample letter of recommendation written for a fictional student applying to university (or a redacted letter of recommendation previously written for a student).  

Closing date for applications: October 21, 2026

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible and by the closing date. 

Taipei American School reserves the right to close the selection process at any time.