Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to be a reader you need to apply now. UVA is currently hiring. Please beware you need to be ready to make yourself appear like a higher ed professional. They’ll be spooked if you come off like a parent. Most readers are retired guidance counselors or people that have some prior full-time job in education. You could apply to be a college are career coach in a public school or even volunteer. Anything inside a school building is more legitimate than what you have now.

I applied to dozens of these reader positions and didn’t get a single interview. Not sure if it was the lawyer or parent vibe or something else but it’s not easy getting this low paid work.

Do you have professional experience inside a school building? If no, you’re unqualified. Volunteer to help the college and career counselor at a local public high school. You’ll need a background check and will have to be approved for it to be an internship or something. UVLA has a college counseling certificate online that you should do in order to justify your internship.

Anonymous wrote:I think you get gain credibility doing a couple of cycles as an application reader/essay reader. You can do that from home.

This is how my SIL started. She basically poached away families from her former employer then set up her own LLC. If you get results, word of mouth can get you business but it’s not an easy job bc unless you’re “famous” enough to turn away clients you may be working with a hodgepodge of students (ones that don’t really want to apply, ones that don’t have great stats, etc) and my SIL says the parents are the worst part of her job!

But she does like the flexibility and the students.

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:The issue with this industry is it like real estate: everyone thinks they can do it as the bar for entry is low. However, to really make it, you need to be excellent.

If you really want to do this, then get a job in admissions and read files. Or work at a large company that does this type of consulting and learn the ropes.

You could also consider a college counseling certification and join groups like IECA for networking.

+1. The clients in this space are highly sophisticated and aware of thebvalue you’re adding added. Many have listened to the same podcasts and seen the same Reddit the ads you have OP. You’ll need to work for cheap long enough to develop a following and build a track record. If you deliver value, families might pay more for siblings.

sounds great!

I would chart out a three year plan:
year one - get a job as a reader, any college
year one - volunteer as a college counselor for under resourced kids. there are several national orgs, maybe some local two

year two - get a job as a reader, but try for prestige this time
year two - continue working with kids as a volunteer

year three - same and same and post on Facebook. try to get 3-4 private clients at low-ish rates.

then it's off to the races. I'd try to add 5 kids a year, increasing rates til you get to market rate

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s odd that OP wants to do this.

Why? I’ve thought about it too.

I think it’s odd that OP wants to do this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to be a reader you need to apply now. UVA is currently hiring. Please beware you need to be ready to make yourself appear like a higher ed professional. They’ll be spooked if you come off like a parent. Most readers are retired guidance counselors or people that have some prior full-time job in education. You could apply to be a college are career coach in a public school or even volunteer. Anything inside a school building is more legitimate than what you have now.

I applied to dozens of these reader positions and didn’t get a single interview. Not sure if it was the lawyer or parent vibe or something else but it’s not easy getting this low paid work.

Did you apply to be a law school reader?

Anonymous wrote:If you want to be a reader you need to apply now. UVA is currently hiring. Please beware you need to be ready to make yourself appear like a higher ed professional. They’ll be spooked if you come off like a parent. Most readers are retired guidance counselors or people that have some prior full-time job in education. You could apply to be a college are career coach in a public school or even volunteer. Anything inside a school building is more legitimate than what you have now.

I applied to dozens of these reader positions and didn’t get a single interview. Not sure if it was the lawyer or parent vibe or something else but it’s not easy getting this low paid work.

The issue with this industry is it like real estate: everyone thinks they can do it as the bar for entry is low. However, to really make it, you need to be excellent.

If you really want to do this, then get a job in admissions and read files. Or work at a large company that does this type of consulting and learn the ropes.

You could also consider a college counseling certification and join groups like IECA for networking.

St. Joe’s hiring readers: https://www.higheredjobs.com/admin/details.cfm?JobCode=179152543&Title=Application%20Reader%2C%20Enrollment%20Operations

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

What a pathetic post. “I got my two kids into different Ivies.”

No, dear, they got themselves in.

The real test should be if they are happy and fulfilled where they are, rather than where they got in. If they were levered into an ivy but suicidal then there is nothing to brag about.

Poster you're replying too. One of the two chose not to attend the Ivy but chose fit over prestige. Just finished a really good freshman year.

If you want to be a reader you need to apply now. UVA is currently hiring. Please beware you need to be ready to make yourself appear like a higher ed professional. They’ll be spooked if you come off like a parent. Most readers are retired guidance counselors or people that have some prior full-time job in education. You could apply to be a college are career coach in a public school or even volunteer. Anything inside a school building is more legitimate than what you have now.

Love this. You have a lot to give back, a lot of value to others. I hope you find your way into a path

So many moms think just because they assisted their kids and family members they are qualified to be a college counselor. But it’s highly unlikely you can replicate your results next year because you’ve never worked in an admission office so do not actually know why your students were admitted. OP start volunteering with college match or similar group before trying to become the next Nina Marks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

What a pathetic post. “I got my two kids into different Ivies.”

No, dear, they got themselves in.

The real test should be if they are happy and fulfilled where they are, rather than where they got in. If they were levered into an ivy but suicidal then there is nothing to brag about.

+1 the marketing should be how many clients were happy with the result, whose kids loved and stayed at the college for four years and did well there.