The Hidden Frictions in Educational Consulting: 5 Pain Points That Deserve Our Attention

A roadmap for recognizing—and overcoming—the most common challenges in independent educational consulting.

For 30 years, leading IECA, I regularly asked myself the same question: What are our members’ most critical pain points, and how can we help them overcome these? Now, even as the field of independent educational consulting continues to grow, I can’t help but notice that so too do the challenges that come with the work.

While IECs enjoy the rewards of personalized guidance and student success, they also face a distinct set of pain points—from the business side of running a practice to the ever-more complex nature of adolescents, to the ever-shifting and increasingly opaque admissions landscape. Understanding these obstacles validates the professional experience of IECs and offers a roadmap for community support, better tools, and policy advocacy.

Over the next several weeks, I hope to illuminate several of the specific topics I note below. Luckily, I’m one of several voices tackling the pain points that IECs encounter as they go from beginner (like IECA’s Summer Training Institute) to advanced practitioner (like the Business Growth Institute).

Pain Point #1: Business Challenges

Client acquisition and marketing
Finding a steady stream of clients can be daunting, especially in new markets where IECs must not only explain why they should be hired, but also why they DO. After 3–5 years in practice, most IECs tell me that the vast majority of clients come via referrals. But early on, IECs must juggle being great advisors and effective marketers—two very different skill sets.

Pricing and value perception
Many consultants struggle to communicate the value of their services, especially when competing against free school counseling, online platforms, books, or lower-cost 'mass' providers. This can lead to fee pressure and undervaluing their time. In my experience, IECs are much more likely to be too slow to raise fees than too quick.

Time management and burnout
With peaks around application season, many IECs find it difficult to maintain a sustainable work-life balance, especially in the fall for those focused on college advising. The emotional investment in each student—and their parents—adds another layer of fatigue. I remind new IECs how much worse it was before the introduction of client management systems.

Scalability vs. personalization
Growing a practice without losing the personalized attention that defines quality consulting remains a key tension. Increasingly, IECs tell me they grapple with introducing new technologies (like a library of recorded webinars or summer application camps) for fear that these may hurt their biggest selling point—highly individualized services. We’ll address this in detail in another blog, as I believe that knowing which services to keep personalized and which to scale is key to success.

Pain Point #2: Admissions Landscape

Constantly changing admissions policies
From test-optional trends (and reversals) to Supreme Court rulings and financial aid changes, staying up-to-date is a full-time job. IECs must continually educate themselves to provide sound advice. Information curation will become increasingly important.

Pressure from misinformed families
Parents often arrive with unrealistic expectations shaped by outdated experiences, rankings, social media, or anecdotes. Managing those expectations takes time, diplomacy, and tact.

Demystifying “fit” in a prestige-driven market
IECs must help clients shift focus from "brand name" to genuine fit, critical to student success. At the same time, it’s often the desire for that name-brand decal on the back window that brings families to IECs in the first place. This, too, is about balance.

Pain Point #3: Professional Isolation

Working alone or in small practices
While writing this blog, my copy of IECA’s Insights arrived in the mail. I was struck by Joe Slater’s “Why I Belong” piece. Like Joe, many IECs operate solo, leading to a lack of peer interaction and feedback. Those transitioning from institutional roles often feel this loneliness most acutely. IECs must “find their people” through associations, online forums, regional groups, affinity networks, and more. As Joe says of his first national conference: “I found myself surrounded by people who truly understood my world… this collaboration has become one of the most rewarding aspects of my career.”

Access to mentorship
New consultants often struggle to find mentoring opportunities with experienced colleagues, especially in a structured, affordable format. Both HECA and IECA offer mentoring programs, but demand consistently outpaces supply.

Navigating ethical gray areas
Without institutional oversight, IECs must make solo decisions on sensitive topics like essay coaching, parental involvement, and personal boundaries. Ethical guidelines from IECA, NACAC, and HECA offer critical frameworks, but day-to-day decision-making still rests squarely on the consultant.

Pain Point #4: Technology and Tools

Tool overload and integration
I remember when IECs debated the best way to organize paper files. Today, from CRMs to scheduling software to essay review platforms and research databases, the tech landscape is vast. Choosing and integrating the right tools can be overwhelming, especially for new consultants wondering: What’s necessary? What’s helpful?

Data and outcomes tracking
One frustration I heard often as IECA CEO: IECs want to better track student outcomes, compare data with peers, and refine their practices accordingly—but they lack the time or systems to do it efficiently.

Pain Point #5: Policy and Advocacy

Lack of recognition by policymakers
Despite their growing importance, IECs are often left out of conversations about school and college access, therapeutic support, and broader student needs. Though recent efforts are beginning to raise awareness among policymakers, real progress will require significant resources and coordinated advocacy.

Navigating school counselor relationships
In some communities, tension exists between IECs and school counselors; in others, there’s strong collaboration. Often, IECs ask me why we don’t do more to improve these relationships. My answer? Progress doesn’t come through fiat or policy. It comes one IEC, one counselor, and one school at a time.

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Conclusion: Strength in Community and Innovation

Acknowledging these challenges isn't about lamenting the state of the profession—it’s about naming them so we can address them. Whether through associations, mentorship programs, tech innovation, or collective advocacy, there are solutions. Independent doesn’t have to mean isolated. The more we share, the stronger we become.

Have you experienced other pain points? Let’s keep the conversation going. And please, subscribe to my blog via Substack so you won’t miss future posts where I dig deeper into each of these issues.