Counselor Family
Career series with 5 positions across 2 levels
In New Jersey civil service, Counselor names a 2-level progression covering 5 distinct titles.
Entry is typically through Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service, advancing through the ladder toward Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service and, from there, into supervisory roles. Pay across the family spans $63,663 to $148,187, around the 78th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 5 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Civil Service Commission.
Counselor is closely related to Substance Abuse Counselor and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Specializations
Positions in This Family
- SUPERVISING COUNSELOR, PENAL INSTITUTION (07821)
- COUNSELOR 2 VOCATIONAL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (60673) $63,663 - $92,953/year
- COUNSELOR 1 VOCATIONAL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (60674) $69,668 - $101,951/year
- COUNSELOR 2, EMPLOYEE ADVISORY SERVICE (63635) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- COUNSELOR 1, EMPLOYEE ADVISORY SERVICE (65504) $79,844 - $117,228/year
What the Counselor family covers
Counselor is a graded series in the New Jersey civil service classification plan, running 5 title codes across 2 levels. The family straddles jurisdictions: 4 state and 1 local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
Case-carrying titles are the largest civilian block in New Jersey government outside clerical work. They run through the Department of Children and Families, Human Services, county welfare and social services boards, and the guardianship and child support programs. The families are usually built as clean numbered ladders because caseload complexity is what separates one rung from the next, not a change of profession. A social work degree is common at the professional levels, though many of the specialist and technician titles admit experience instead.
The ladder, ordered by pay
Ordered by what they actually pay rather than by the number in the title, the Counselor rungs look like this. Note that the numbers in these titles do not run in pay order. In this family a lower number sits higher on the ladder, which is a New Jersey convention that catches people out when they read a title list top to bottom.
- Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service — $100,498 to $148,187 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Counselor 1 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities — $69,668 to $101,951 (a master's degree and 1 year of experience)
- Counselor 2 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities — $63,663 to $92,953 (a master's degree and 1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Counselor 2 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities to the top of Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service is $84,524, an increase of about 133% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
Each title in the family carries its own published definition. These are the opening lines of each one, which is usually where the difference between two neighboring rungs is actually stated.
- Supervising Counselor, Penal Institution: SUPERVISING COUNSELOR, PENAL INSTITUTION JOB CATEGORY SUMMARY A position in this job category plans, organizes and supervises the activities of a unit responsible for providing counseling and…
- Counselor 2 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities: Under the direction of the Supervisor, Vocational Program, Developmental Disabilities or other supervisor in an institution for…
- Counselor 1 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities: Under direction of the Supervisor, Vocational Program, Developmental Disabilities or other supervisor in an institution for the…
- Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service: Under the direction of a supervisory official in the Office of Employee Advisory Service of the Civil Service Commission, functions as a supervisor…
- Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service: Under the direction of a supervisory official in the Office of Employee Advisory Service of the Civil Service Commission, interviews, assesses, and…
What it takes to qualify
Across the 5 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a master's degree on 5 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 4 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 5 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
5 people appear on the state payroll under 2 of these titles, at 1 agency. Civil Service Commission alone accounts for about 100% of them.
- Civil Service Commission — 5 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $91,592 for Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service up to $133,961 for Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
The family is split across 2 salary schedules (A-P-R-S and V-W-Y), so two titles that look adjacent can be paid from different tables with different step structures. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
These titles sit elsewhere in the classification plan but share vocabulary with Counselor, which usually means overlapping duties or a related eligible list.
- Family Counselor (local jurisdiction)
- Family Counselor (local jurisdiction)
- Wic Peer Counselor (local jurisdiction)
- Attendance Counselor (local jurisdiction)
- Employment Counselor (local jurisdiction)
- Instructor Counselor ($58,222 to $84,763, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Counselor jobs
How many separate Counselor classifications does New Jersey have?
The Counselor family holds 5 title codes arranged across 2 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Counselor paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $63,663 at the bottom of Counselor 2 Vocational Program Developmental Disabilities to $148,187 at the top of Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Is there a civil service test for Counselor?
Yes for most of the family. 5 of the 5 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become a Counselor?
The most common education requirement in this family is a master's degree, named on 5 of the 5 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 4 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Counselor staff?
State payroll records show 5 people in this family across 1 agency, with Civil Service Commission the largest at 5. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.
Is Counselor 1 higher or lower than Counselor 3?
In this family the lower number is the more senior title. New Jersey's level numbering does not run in pay order, and reading the titles by number alone will give you the ladder upside down. The list above is sorted by what each title actually pays.