SSIS Guidance & Counselling Department Overview

The richness of culture is one distinct difference between an international school and a local school. In Shanghai Singapore International School, we have students from a variety of countries from a wide range of age groups interacting under one roof.

Every individual has different social emotional needs from time to time, and the type of support they require varies between individuals. Factors such as age, gender, developmental stage, predominant culture, and personal experiences, influence the type of support they require.

SSIS recognizes the importance of guidance & counseling. The school provides comprehensive guidance and counselling support for all our students.

Headed by the School Counsellor, the Guidance & Counselling Department in Minhang campus, comprising of the School Counsellor and Teacher Counsellors from various countries, strive to meet the diverse needs of the school community. The department oversees all aspects of university guidance and counselling in SSIS.

The mission of the Guidance & Counselling Department is to provide adequate support for students in their learning, career, and social attributes to help them develop holistically

We believe that learning, a good career, desirable social skills and the knowledge students need for success are attainable when guidance and counselling are provided in a consistent and developmental way.

University Guidance

Career planning starts as early as in Year 10 while students develop their interests as well as make choices and decisions that will affect their course of studies in higher education which will eventually determine their career choice. It is crucial for students to make informed decisions that will significantly affect their future.

SSIS has a series of programs and activities in place for Middle School and High School students to expose them to the range of higher education courses available around the world and the careers that they lead to. At the same time, we have a well-stocked University Resource Room that contains updated materials from universities around the world and books on necessary areas relevant to career and higher education.

University guidance lessons are included in the curriculum to impart skills necessary for applying to universities, colleges, as well as jobs in the future. Different types of standardized tests required by different universities and countries are also addressed in these lessons.

The School Counsellor and Teacher Counsellor will progressively guide students both individually as well as in groups through the process and support them in their pursuit of higher education.

Such activities and programs include:
- Career and education fairs
- Talks by college and career representatives
- Individual counselling
- Assessments and inventories
- Job shadows
- University guidance lessons
- Summer programs
- Global conferences

Counselling

Counselling is a term that carries different meanings for different people and thus, the variation in expectations of counselling. Whatever that meaning or expectation may be, every student’s need in SSIS is being taken into consideration the moment they join the school.

In SSIS, our diverse team of counsellors from different countries provides non-biased multicultural counselling and/or guidance in English, Mandarin, or Korean. There are a total of 7 counsellors supporting the three divisions in SSIS.

We have an effective and well-structured referral system to advise and assist students with issues associated with their studies, health issues and personal matters. Students can also choose to speak to a counsellor regarding their concerns or issues.

At the same time, besides the traditional face-to-face counselling, a well-established network of people and a range of both proactive and reactive programs / activities are also in place to reach out to every student.

The programs / activities include:
- Cyber counselling
- Discussion boards
- Question & Answer
- Campaigns
- Displays / Exhibitions
- Talks
- Workshops
- Parents Support Group

Our students are also involved in a pastoral care program where their form teachers are available to assist them when they encounter issues, both academic and personal.

SSIS believes that the well-being of a student in school is positively correlated to that at home. The department interacts and collaborates with parents to provide support for our students. Programs and activities are designed to provide parents with the opportunity
to discuss and share information concerning their children.

If you have any queries on the counselling services in SSIS, please direct them to the School Counsellor, Mr Leonard Moong at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it