Merit Badge Counselors

How to Become a Merit Badge Counselor 

If you are not yet officially a merit badge counselor (MBC), it is easy to become one. You will just need to register with the Boy Scouts of America through the Transatlantic Council. 

Registration 

Here are the steps that need to be completed to become a counselor: 

1. Submit an Adult Application online - available to those with a social security number - All others need to complete the paper form and upload it. Even if you are already a registered leader in a unit, merit badge counselors are not considered a unit position so a new form is required by the BSA. It does not need to be signed by anyone other than yourself.
List “42” as the Position Code.  Enter “Merit Badge Counselor” in Scouting Position Description. Unit Committee Chairman and Charter Organization Representative Signatures are not required.

2. Complete a Merit Badge Counselor form listing the badge(s) you will teach.
4. Complete the online Youth Protection Training Course 

3. Submit all the forms through this link. 

Training 

MBCs are expected to complete BSA Youth Protection and the MBC Position-Specific Training. This training can be done through The BSA’s Online Learning Center. Please use the links in this document to access and complete the training. 

Renewal 

Registered counselors will be contacted each fall for their registration renewal for the upcoming calendar year via email. IMPORTANT NOTE– to be an official merit badge counselor in Transatlantic Council, you must be registered as a counselor through the BSA and Transatlantic Council. If you are also registered as a counselor in another Council, you will not show up in TAC’s listing of counselors. 

For more information about being a Merit Badge Counselor, consult the Guide for Merit Badge Counseling or the Boy Scouts of America official page. To learn more about the merit badge program, see section 7 of the Guide to Advancement, “The Merit Badge Program.” 

Updating the List of Merit Badges You Teach 

If you wish to add to or update the list of badges you already teach, submit an additional Merit Badge Counselor form through this link.