What do you count as a 'professional' job?

🤷‍♀️ I know recruiters on £60k

Still not a profession. No matter what the salary is

Sorry!

The National Careers Service say you only need 2 GCSEs to become a careers advisor

Entry requirements
There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A to C), or equivalent, including English and maths

Not a profession. It's a very unique expertise but not a profession x

I can't think of anyone who'd ever take that job title seriously.

And lots of people take it seriously. I know of careers consultants working at universities earning £50k+!
Not bad for a job nobody takes seriously 😂😂

None taken 🙄

What a dickish comment to make.

Sorry no, careers advisor is not a profession.

I can't think of anyone who'd ever take that job title seriously.

How do you quantity a 'careers advisor' as a profession?

Imo it's definitely not.

(Trying not to sound like that's a put down. I don't believe a profession is 'better' than a trade for eg)

It definitely is a profession.

I have a postgraduate qualification in Career Guidance which includes professional accreditation awarded by a registered professional body ( in addition to my MA I had to submit additional evidence of significant professional practice to my professional body to be awarded the professional accreditation)

My qualifications allow me to be listed on a professional register of careers advisers. Inclusion on this list requires a commitment to a certain number of hours CPD each year.

I'm a member of a professional body (The Career Development Institute) and part of my membership is an agreement to adhere to an approved Code of Ethics.

In order for schools and colleges to meet their statutory duties with regards careers guidance they must ensure that their students have access to a professionally qualified careers adviser who is qualified to a minimum level 6 (degree level) with level 7 ( postgraduate level) considered the 'gold standard'

So yes, it's a profession.

I think the traditional 7 were: lawyer, architect, doctor, vet, accountant, dentist and engineer. Teaching was a semi profession along with other regulated roles requiring a degree. I don’t think nursing was included as it didn’t always require a degree to enter it. It seems it’s all outmoded and many other jobs attract equal status or money. The term professional is used about just about every job there is now too!

So rosesandhellebores why are accountants up there in the ‘proper professions’ and not teachers? Both require a level 7 qualification.

And why does having recognised roles at a lower level within that profession detract from it? Finance & law, as well as nurses and social workers have unqualified roles. And indeed there are junior doctors.

I think maybe you are an acccountant….

Traditionally & historically, it only covers the army, the church and the law.
Most people would add being a doctor, surgeon or dentist. Also, anything "chartered", eg engineer, accountant, architect, surveyor, plus teacher, senior nurse, high-level police officer.

How do you quantity a 'careers advisor' as a profession?

Imo it's definitely not.

(Trying not to sound like that's a put down. I don't believe a profession is 'better' than a trade for eg)

I would think of a professional occupation as being one that you need some set qualifications or registration to practice. Lawyer, chartered engineer, surveyor etc.

That's not the same as having a professional attitude or being professional at what you do, which I would think of as anyone with high standards of their particular job. And it has a different meaning in sport obviously.

Something that you need to belong to a professional body to be able to carry out. Medicine, teaching, solicitors etc

Nurse really should be a protected title. Lots of other HCPs now have protected titles.
Either that or we need to change the language and start saying Registered Nurse which is a bit of a mouthful

Me too!

It’s not your fault! As a profession it’s totally undersold (see my response to Kumri)

Absolutely, it’s a shame.

Even nurses undersell themselves (particularly “old school” nurses that actually have so much skill and knowledge) I work in a specialist psychosis team and I am pretty much completely autonomous in my role - the work we do is complex and evidence based. We’re supported by consultant psychiatrists
, but they rarely see the patients and rely on us to provide all of the background stuff. Yes, I’m in this profession ultimately because I care about people, but also because it’s fascinating, stimulating work that requires me to use my critical thinking skills continuously. I hold a lot of responsibility with my caseload!

Yes to the previous post! I stand corrected with nursing. I had no idea it required so much registration. Sorry!!

I know Health Care Assistants and Care Workers who call themselves nurses and TAs who call themselves teachers. This is THE issue. They need protected titles to be taken seriously.

I think this is the reason for the confusion. Nursing has changed. Didn’t used to be a profession, used to be anyone could hire a ‘nurse’ to eg look after granny at home.

Now a ‘real nurse’ has a degree and professional quals = it’s a profession.

To make it more complicated, there are still randoms doing whatever who can call themselves nurses, as it isn’t a protected term. Bit different from eg solicitor: it’s a criminal offence to call yourself a solicitor if you aren’t on the roll of solicitors.

A job that requires both a specific qualification and registration with a professional body.

Yeah it's a profession but not teachers and nurses aren't professionals.

Professional roles require extremely high education, CPD and little supervision.

A lawyer and a doctor. Yes
Teacher and nurses. No

Most teachers have a postgraduate qualification. How is that not a high level of education? Teachers and nurses regularly engage in CPD too.

I need to understand how we define professional jobs as part of my job and we most definitely include teachers and nurses.

Yeah it's a profession but not teachers and nurses aren't professionals.

Professional roles require extremely high education, CPD and little supervision.

A lawyer and a doctor. Yes
Teacher and nurses. No

A job you need a specific qualification to do. Not just a generic degree. A job where you can be banned from practice if you cock up.

Lawyer, doctor, teacher, accountant, vet, etc.

I agree with this. Moreover some nursing and teaching degrees have lowish entry requirements (Plymouth is an example)

Doesn't stop it being a profession though 🤷🏼‍♀️

Nursing and teaching are professions. The length of study required to enter a profession is irrelevant as are academic entry requirements.

I teach a postgraduate university course that is professionally accredited and leads to a specific profession. Some students in the course don't have a first degree but have gained a place due to significant industry experience. They are no less a professional than those who come to us with a degree.

I agree with this. Moreover some nursing and teaching degrees have lowish entry requirements (Plymouth is an example)