Guidance counselor sought for strengthened educational guidance for Copenhagen's prisons

Do you want to help create trust and safety in Copenhagen's prisons

The Danish Prisons carry out the sentences imposed by the courts. We do this on behalf of society, and we are the only ones who solve this task. Therefore The Danish Prisons never sleep. Every day, every evening and every night we go to work in The Danish Prisons. We do this to achieve a society with less crime and fewer victims.

The Danish Prisons are facing the implementation of a comprehensive sentencing reform, where crime prevention, including strengthened opportunities for education and employment, must play a central role in reducing recidivism. This should, among other things, be achieved through better and earlier guidance in detention.

We are therefore seeking an education guidance counsellor who can contribute to a more systematic, coherent and motivating guidance effort for the inmates.

Do you have experience with guidance and a desire to work with this meaningful task in a complex field, then you might be our new education guidance counsellor in Copenhagen's prisons.

About you

• You have completed a diploma programme in educational, vocational and career guidance (DUEK) or another relevant qualification within guidance, teaching or similar
• Other relevant education within guidance, teaching or similar must be documented by a validation of prior learning, which can be conducted by the educational institutions that offer the diploma in educational-, vocational- and career guidance
• You have in-depth knowledge of the Danish adult education system and a good knowledge of the labour market
• You also have experience with education, vocational or career guidance—preferably for adults with different prerequisites. You are able to motivate and support inmates to start education and maintain employment
• You collaborate naturally with colleagues across professions based on common goals and actively contribute to a constructive cross-disciplinary work environment
• You have good written and oral communication skills
• You have experience in planning, conducting and hosting group guidance.

Experience from The Danish Prisons or experience with vulnerable target groups is an advantage, but not a prerequisite.

Who we are

We have several addresses around the city where we hold individual guidance conversations, guidance in groups and group programmes. Most working days will take place in Vest Prison, a busy house with about 600 inmates.

You will join a guidance team with three experienced guidance counsellors, each with different guidance tasks. The tasks range from individual guidance conversations to longer group guidance programmes. We guide inmates with different backgrounds, experiences and needs. This means that you meet people who are at different stages in life, and the guidance must be tailored to the individual.

The work is largely autonomous, and you will be responsible for your own guidance programmes and tasks. At the same time you will have the opportunity to influence both the content of your tasks and the methods you use in your work. You are expected to take initiative, make professional decisions and plan your own working day within the given framework.

Although the work is characterized by a high degree of independence and influence, you are not alone with the tasks. You will become part of a professional community where there is close collaboration, sparring and coordination with your colleagues on the tasks and the individual guidance programmes.

The daily routine is varied, and you must enjoy both the planned guidance conversations and the situations that arise during a busy day in a prison. You will thus have a job with both responsibility, professional freedom and the opportunity to put your skills to use – while having colleagues nearby for sparring and collaboration.

About the job

Your primary tasks will be to

• Conduct individual guidance conversations with inmates and clarify the inmates’ educational needs, competences and motivation
• Conduct individual guidance conversations about personal and social prerequisites
• Provide general guidance on educational opportunities, including AVU, FVU, HF, vocational education etc., and inform about the educational, teaching and employment offers in The Danish Prisons
• Collaborate with teachers, social workers, warders, officers and other staff based on a common plan for the inmate
• Engage in collaboration with external actors where relevant
• Obtain educational documentation as part of the competence clarification
• Document and follow up the guidance effort in relevant IT systems
• Develop the guidance area in collaboration with colleagues and the District Office in the Prison Circle East.

We offer

As an employee of The Danish Prisons you will be part of a versatile and diverse work environment with colleagues who have different professional backgrounds and competencies. Upon hiring we can offer you:

• A meaningful and socially important job where you can make a concrete difference
• Opportunity to help develop and qualify the guidance efforts in The Danish Prisons
• A cross-disciplinary work environment with engaged colleagues, with a focus on high professionalism, collaboration and social responsibility
• Exciting tasks
• Introductory training and induction within the Copenhagen prisons framework.

Salary and terms of employment

The position is a permanent position with an average weekly working time of 37 hours.

The position is to be filled on 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible.

Employment and remuneration are in accordance with the applicable General Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Association of Teachers and CO10 - Central Organization of 2010, as well as the Organizational Agreement for guidance counsellors at Studievalg Denmark and the Danish Prison Service institutions. Link to organizational agreement .

Employment area is The Danish Prisons.

Workplace is Copenhagen's prisons, Vest Prison, Vigerslev Allé 1, 2450 Copenhagen.

Copenhagen's prisons consist of Vest Prison, Blegdamsvejens Arrest, Polititorvet Arrest and Nytorv Prison. Most days the guidance task will take place in Vest Prison.

Application

Your application, CV, documentation of education and other relevant material must be received in the recruitment system no later than Thursday 12 November 2026.

We will invite to interviews on an ongoing basis and expect to hold interviews in weeks 46 and 47.

If you are invited to an interview, please bring a photo ID, such as a passport or driver's license.

It is a condition of employment that, in connection with the interview, you consent to The Danish Prisons obtaining and assessing information about you in the Central Criminal Register.

The Danish Prisons see diversity as a strength, and encourage all interested candidates regardless of personal background to apply.

If you have questions about the position , you are welcome to contact unit manager Mette Krog at tel. 7255 5237.

About The Danish Prisons, Prison Circle East

Prison Circle East consists of a district office, open and closed prisons, detention houses and supervision, as well as ankle-cuff units, transport and guarding, an exit center and an immigration center distributed across Zealand, Bornholm and the Faroe Islands.

In total about 2300 employees.

For further information about The Danish Prisons please refer to the website www.danmarksfængsler.dk