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It’s mid-October, you are right in the thick of university application season, you’ve got Oxbridge kids anxiously asking you to review their personal statement for the 13th time, you have prospective medics freaking out about their Ucat score and you have an impatient line of early-round US applicants nervously pacing outside your office insisting that you review their Common App, their activities list and their supplemental essays with just days to spare before the final deadline… 

HELP!

At peak stress times like this, you might find your mind wandering to the more enjoyable aspects of being a school counsellor, one of which is the opportunity to hop on a plane and visit university campuses through counsellor fly-ins.

A whole world of campus exploration is now more accessible than ever. But how do we make sure these trips are more than just a nice perk of the job? How can we turn a free flight and a few days on campus into meaningful professional development and make sure our school gets back something valuable for the privilege?

Finding a fly-in

Discovering these programmes can happen organically: when university representatives visit your school, ask them about ways to visit their campus in return. Most institutions will have one (or several) open days throughout the year. 

But counsellor fly-ins are a different proposition: small-group, invitation-only events, which typically offer deep-dive briefings on admissions policies, explorations of campus culture and networking sessions with other counsellors. Having thoughtful conversations with university reps when they visit your school can help develop your understanding of what makes their institution distinctive, and showing genuine interest is more likely to open up invitations.

A conference sightseeing trip

Timing is important: many fly-ins are organised as wraparound activities for major conferences. For example, following the , counsellors can often find opportunities to visit several higher education institutions in a single week, such as the Chicagoland tour, Golden Gate tour or Boston’s BAICT. These offer hectic but valuable itineraries, allowing you to visit multiple institutions in one fell swoop. Registration is often free, with accommodation, food and transfers provided, meaning you might only need to cover your travel to the nearest major airport.

These tours are often advertised on forums and social media as the event approaches but regional and specialist WhatsApp groups can be equally useful sources of information.

If you are already travelling to a conference, look at what’s happening around it. A single long-haul flight can potentially give you access to several days of professional development rather than one solo event. Similarly, if you are going to visit a city or region for a specific event, look up which other institutions are in the area and reach out to them to schedule your own private visit. They might not be able to roll out the red carpet as they would on a scheduled fly-in but you will still receive that most valuable gift of all – knowledge – to bring back to your school.

Memorable counsellor events

Some universities run their own international counsellor programmes. , for example, offers a three-day counsellor fly-in, while brings counsellors from around the world to campus, covering flights, visas, accommodation and most meals. The Swiss hospitality schools are also renowned for memorable counsellor events – unsurprisingly, given that they teach students how to curate exceptional in-person experiences.

The point, however, is not to build a bucket list of places to visit but to get into the habit of looking for opportunities wherever your professional travels take you. There is a difference between professional tourism and professional development – your head of school might be more receptive to the latter.

Making a business case for packing your suitcase

If your school is covering your airfare, accommodation fees and other expenses, you have a responsibility to manage that institutional resource carefully. At a time where costs are rising and school budgets are being squeezed, your school’s leaders will appreciate any efforts you can make to cut costs and save money.

But counsellor professional development doesn’t have to be expensive – surprisingly, there are many ways to learn, travel and build professional networks at little or no cost to your school. And university fly-ins are among the best.

Once you've planned efficiently, stacked your opportunities and built ancillary visits around your main itinerary, think about how to multiply the value of that professional development when you get home. Don’t just bring home a branded tote bag or dump 47 photos in a shared drive and be done with it. Come back with things your school community can actually use:

For students: you now have the insight to make better recommendations for students, as well as a named contact they can use if they have deeper questions.

For your colleagues (if you work in a team): share your experience, observations and admissions updates at the next team meeting.

For parents: you can provide an update at the next counsellor coffee morning or university guidance evening.

For school leadership: the visit can feed into the annual report, highlighting the value of the school’s investment.

This multiplier effect is what makes free professional development valuable: you went on one trip but dozens of people in your school ecosystem can benefit from the knowledge you gained.

The real value of a fly-in

In my experience, the real value of attending a fly-in with 30 counsellors from around the world is not the university’s presentation slides; it’s the WhatsApp group. Six months later, when those hard-to-answer questions eventually pop up – “Has anyone dealt with this admissions situation?”, “What are you hearing about this change?” or “Does anyone have a good resource for this?” – you’ll find you have a network of dedicated professionals at your fingertips, ready to jump in and share their perspectives.

So, when you find yourself surrounded by Oxbridge personal statements, Ucat panic and Common App emergencies, you might find yourself daydreaming about a university fly-in. And you should.

If you’re thoughtful about where you go, what you learn, who you meet and what you bring home, a free university visit can become one of the most valuable pieces of professional development in your year. The best professional development doesn’t stop when you land back at school.