Being a Teacher vs. a Paralegal

Hi!

I just moved to CT and I'm torn between choosing two career paths: teacher vs. paralegal. I have a BA in English Literature. I want to choose a career where it's easier to get jobs if my boyfriend and I get relocated again (he's an engineer). Both positions are not my dream careers. I need something with a decent and steady income ($35-$40K and up). Any thoughts?

Thanks!

You can probably earn more money as a paralegal than you can teaching. But given a choice, or choosing the lesser of the evils as the case may be, I think you should choose teaching.

Of course, disciplining unruly kids is tough, especially considering teachers have such little authority anymore, but you would have at least some authority. As a paralegal, you would deal with plenty of unruly juvenile attorneys who are probably less mature than your school kids. You would have no authority and all the responsibility. Both jobs are stressful and entail long hours and weekend work, but I suspect teaching has less stress and fewer hours than law.

Finally, as a teacher you can influence lives. You can make a difference. As a paralegal, your influence on lives is less clear because attorneys get all the glory. FWIW to you.

Good luck with the direction you take. Indeed has several paralegal and legal secretary fora available for your review.

"Finally, as a teacher you can influence lives. You can make a difference. As a paralegal, your influence on lives is less clear because attorneys get all the glory".
I agree 1000 percent with this quote, however, as one who fled law and took up teaching, I earn $17 an hour MORE so paralegal pay was good but now its BETTER.

I was a court reporter for ten years. Then a legal secretary. I have been a legal secretary/legal assistant/paralegal (I have a Bachelor's Degree and a paralegal degree) for many years.

Last year I completed a court for teacher certification in Florida. I am only certified for English 6-12 (but no job).

I am not 50. Being a teacher at 50, I don't have to worry about "aging out". There is a higher demand for teachers than there is for legal assistants. More respect. Better vacation time. Better insurance.

Definitely teaching.

Right now I am actually debating between the same two options- elementary teaching and becoming a paralegal; mainly for the same reasons, I want a stable job with stable pay. I have a bachelors degree in Communication- which has led me nowhere except from one dead-end job to another- this is why I've decided on a career change.

My concern is going for a Masters degree in teaching will add on an additional 36k to the 26k I already owe in school loans (on a teachers salary!)... although, I would rather teach, this worries me financially for my future. The paralegal program is 4 months and $9,000 for the certificate.

Help!

Confused in Oak Lawn, Illinois said: Right now I am actually debating between the same two options- elementary teaching and becoming a paralegal; mainly for the same reasons, I want a stable job with stable pay.

As I wrote, above, you're better off staying in teaching. I reiterate those comments by reference.

Also, at least around here, few paralegal jobs are open. Very little is available, even for experienced paralegals. Entry jobs have always been scarce.

Don't forget, with a M.Ed. you can teach at higher levels than el ed. I'm thinking college level. I appreciate your concern about debt, but don't let it influence your thought process. You could end up spending $9K for paralegal school and wind up with nothing. Or you could wind up with a job you'll learn to dislike.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Confused in Oak Lawn, Illinois said: The paralegal program is 4 months and $9,000 for the certificate.

Those 4 month certificate programs aren't worth the paper they're printed on. If you're going to pursue a paralegal program, find one that is an institutional member of AAfPE - (www.aafpe.org), at the very least, or an ABA approved program (www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals/directory/. This will ensure your program meets the education requirements for NALA certification or even State certification/registration programs in the future. For $9K, you could get an actual paralegal degree at a Jr. College or a post-baccalaureate certificate at a University.

The paralegal program I looked into is a post-baccalaureate ABA approved certificate program at Roosevelt University (downtown Chicago)... so that wasn't the main issue = /

Jane Do Girl in Cantonment, Florida said: Those 4 month certificate programs aren't worth the paper they're printed on..../QUOTE]I think it depends on the program, Jane. My paralegal school offered a five month program and a seven and a half month program. Both were post-baccalaureate, though I think two-year school grads could also be admitted. Both were intensive programs and college level or better in every way. ABA certificates issued from both programs. The school also offered a longer night program.

I opted for the longer program because I couldn't have handled the five month program's academic load. I studied at least four or five hours a day seven days a week and during school vacation to keep pace with my program, and even longer during exam time - far more than I ever studied during college. (I also did better in paralegal school than I did in college!)

At that time my ABA school was about the only paralegal school in town. Most of the paralegals in town had graduated from my school.

Jane Do Girl in Cantonment, Florida said: Those 4 month certificate programs aren't worth the paper they're printed on....

]I think it depends on the program, Jane. My paralegal school offered a five month program and a seven and a half month program. Both were post-baccalaureate, though I think two-year school grads could also be admitted. Both were intensive programs and college level or better in every way. ABA certificates issued from both programs. The school also offered a longer night program.

I opted for the longer program because I couldn't have handled the five month program's academic load. I studied no less than four or five hours a day seven days a week and during school vacation to keep pace with my program, and even longer during exam time - far more than I ever studied during college. (I also did better in paralegal school than I did in college!)

At that time my ABA school was about the only paralegal school in town. Most of the paralegals in town had graduated from my school.

Confused in Oak Lawn, Illinois said: Right now I am actually debating between the same two options- elementary teaching and becoming a paralegal; mainly for the same reasons, I want a stable job with stable pay. I have a bachelors degree in Communication- which has led me nowhere except from one dead-end job to another- this is why I've decided on a career change.

My concern is going for a Masters degree in teaching will add on an additional 36k to the 26k I already owe in school loans (on a teachers salary!)... although, I would rather teach, this worries me financially for my future. The paralegal program is 4 months and $9,000 for the certificate.

Help!

University of West Florida has an on-line Masters in Education degree. The whole thing is on line. It will not cost you maybe $5,000.00.

I opted for the longer (seven and a half month day )program because I couldn't have handled the five month program's academic load. I studied no less than four or five hours a day seven days a week and during school vacation to keep pace with my program, and even longer during exam time - far more than I ever studied during college. (I also did better in paralegal school than I did in college!)

(amended)

My ABA approved post-bac paralegal program was only 5 months long.

Teaching or paralegal. Well, I looked into both as well. Getting a teaching certificate would have cost more and taken longer. We don't have a teacher shortage here and there were more legal jobs at that time also.

Starting salary at the time was the exact same ($30,000) for either job, but everything else as far as pay and benefits was better on the paralegal side - percent of yearly raise, bonus, profit sharing, 401(k) match, cost of dependent care health insurance - all that was better on the paralegal side. Course, teachers get a lot more days off.

Work environment is better in an office, to me, and teachers always have to be "on stage" so to speak. Paralegals can find something to do that matches the mood they are in since there aren't 22 pairs of eyes looking at you waiting for you to do something.

My computer skills are developed a lot more as a paralegal, than as a teacher. In fact, there was a former teacher in my paralegal cert class and she had ZERO computer skills. None.

Flexibilty was also better as a paralegal. As a single mom I needed to be able to jump up and leave if I ever got The Call, and it's much harder to do that in a school enviroment. There is so little flexibility as far as coming and going. Heck you can't even see your own kid off on the first day of school, because it's your first day of school with your new class.

I did take one class towards a teaching certificate while I was working as a paralegal and it confirmed the choice I made. The teaching class was quite eye-opening. I still wish I had summers off, though.

Paralegal in Dallas, Texas said: [T]eachers always have to be "on stage" so to speak. Paralegals can find something to do that matches the mood they are in since there aren't 22 pairs of eyes looking at you waiting for you to do something.

....as opposed to one or more pair of beady, uptight attorney eyes staring you down and/or looking over your shoulder waiting to do something?

I was a flight instructor for several years before I joined the legal industry. Many of my students went on to big things, such as flying for the airlines. To this day I am proud of my students. To this day I'm pleased that I impacted their lives positively, if in only a small way and only for a short time.

Although one can influence lives positively in law as a paralegal, believe me, one gets neither the credit nor the same satisfaction as teaching a person and seeing the person flourish as a result of that teaching.

Paralegal in Dallas, Texas said: [T]eachers always have to be "on stage" so to speak. Paralegals can find something to do that matches the mood they are in since there aren't 22 pairs of eyes looking at you waiting for you to do something.....

....as opposed to one or more pair of beady, uptight attorney eyes staring you down and/or looking over your shoulder waiting for you to finish a rush project?

I was a flight instructor for several years before I joined the legal industry. Many of my students went on to big things, such as flying for the airlines. To this day I am proud of my students. To this day I'm pleased that I impacted their lives positively, if in only a small way and only for a short time.

Although one can influence lives positively in law as a paralegal, believe me, one gets neither the credit nor the same satisfaction as teaching a person and seeing the person flourish as a result of that teaching.

Mary inTampa in Tampa, Florida said: I was a court reporter for ten years. Then a legal secretary. I have been a legal secretary/legal assistant/paralegal (I have a Bachelor's Degree and a paralegal degree) for many years.

Last year I completed a court for teacher certification in Florida. I am only certified for English 6-12 (but no job).

I am not 50. Being a teacher at 50, I don't have to worry about "aging out". There is a higher demand for teachers than there is for legal assistants. More respect. Better vacation time. Better insurance.

Mary, why did you go from court reporting to legal secretary?

NewToCT in Groton, Connecticut said: Hi!

I just moved to CT and I'm torn between choosing two career paths: teacher vs. paralegal. I have a BA in English Literature. I want to choose a career where it's easier to get jobs if my boyfriend and I get relocated again (he's an engineer). Both positions are not my dream careers. I need something with a decent and steady income ($35-$40K and up). Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I know a lot of teachers, and they all love their jobs. Many have told me, however, "I don't do this for the money." As a former legal secretary, I rarely met a legal sec/paralegal who liked her job. Most of them were miserable and utterly burnt out.

Going into the legal industry was the worst decision I ever made.

I know a lot of teachers too, public and private. Many of the public school teachers I know and/or related to hate their jobs (course this is Texas where they only get to teach the TAKS test). The private school teachers (my child attends private school) seem much much happier.

I have personanlly known only 1 paralegal who hated her job, but she's very negative, doesn't know how to get along with others, and butts heads with female attorneys (I get along with her fine, however).

I don't know anyone else that is unhappy as a paralegal (including one other member of my family who works as a paralegal at State Farm-related law firm).

Nowadays though, the starting pay for teachers ($43,000) is higher than the starting pay for paralegals. Raises will catch the parelegal up though if they stay away from plaintiff's work.

I think the big hayday of being a paralegal is over however. It's a career on the way out.

dh in Northern CA, California said: Mary, why did you go from court reporting to legal secretary?

I graduated from court reporting school in 1981, and came to Tampa. There were no requirements for court reporters - so the market was flooded. It ended up, there were 13 (yes, 13) court reporting school in the Tampa area. There were tooooooo many court reporters.

Legal assistant looked pretty good - steady work, medical insurance and vacation, and going to the same place every day.

I think the big hayday of being a paralegal is over however. It's a career on the way out.

This is very true.

NewToCT in Groton, Connecticut said: Hi!

I just moved to CT and I'm torn between choosing two career paths: teacher vs. paralegal. I have a BA in English Literature. I want to choose a career where it's easier to get jobs if my boyfriend and I get relocated again (he's an engineer). Both positions are not my dream careers. I need something with a decent and steady income ($35-$40K and up). Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Hello.... I am having the same dilema. My outcome was teach Paralegal courses either at a vocational school, community college or adult school.

Shaye in Los Angeles, California said: My outcome was teach Paralegal courses either at a vocational school, community college or adult school.

Which is fine, but degrees and a certificate aren't enough. You also need real-world paralegal experience to establish your quals.

I second Dallas that paralegal as a stand-alone career is on the way out. More and more attorneys, and especially younger attorneys, have become self supporting. Even older attorneys have learned computers and are more self supporting. Attorneys don't need as much support as they may have back in the day.

What about the time and money that is saved by utilizing the skills of a paralegal as opposed to the hourly cost of an attorney and his or her time?

Saving money is far from obsolete and so are paralegals.

Natalie in Peoria, Illinois said: What about the time and money that is saved by utilizing the skills of a paralegal as opposed to the hourly cost of an attorney and his or her time?

Saving money is far from obsolete and so are paralegals.

Of course the intention behind paralegals is to save money and and provide cost-effective legal services. But see my comment, above, about more attorneys becoming self-supporting. Also, many attorneys keep for themselves the work that had been delegated to paralegals. They don't want to give up billable hours.

No one said paralegals are obsolete per se, but I agree it is a career on the outs. There's a difference between the two. In the meantime, there will always be a need for teachers.

Natalie in Peoria, Illinois said: What about the time and money that is saved by utilizing the skills of a paralegal as opposed to the hourly cost of an attorney and his or her time?

Saving money is far from obsolete and so are paralegals.

Of course the intention behind paralegals is to save money and provide cost-effective legal services. But see my comment, above, about more attorneys becoming self-supporting. Also, many attorneys keep for themselves the work that had been delegated to paralegals. They don't want to give up billable hours.

No one said paralegals are obsolete per se, but I agree it is a career on the outs. There's a difference between the two. In the meantime, there will always be a need for teachers.

Attorneys are not interested in saving money - they are interested in BILLING OUT. There will always be a paralegal - but he/she will do mundane routine stuff, like preparing discovery, organizing and indexing large files, making phone calls or sending e-mails on behalf of attorneys, preparing files for trial.

Mary inTampa in Tampa, Florida said: There will always be a paralegal - but he/she will do mundane routine stuff, like preparing discovery, organizing and indexing large files, making phone calls or sending e-mails on behalf of attorneys, preparing files for trial.

....soliciting, indexing and copying medical records, reports and billing statements, receiving new client intakes, scheduling new client appointments, scheduling IMEs, setting trials, hearings, settlement conferences and depos, completing mail projects........

Shaye in Los Angeles, California said: Hello.... I am having the same dilema. My outcome was teach Paralegal courses either at a vocational school, community college or adult school.

If you want to teach paralegal courses, I believe you need to be an attorney. I'm in the paralegal program at Kaplan University and every single professor I had in my paralegal courses is an attorney. Generally to teach on the university level as an adjunct professor, you need at least a master's or a JD.

Don's comments are very true. I've never heard of anyone who was a paralegal teaching paralegal courses. To teach at the university level you either have to have a Masters or JD.

I attended an ABA-approved free standing paralegal school. Every one of my instructors except for one was an attorney. My Investigations instructor was a professional PI.

Donald_ in New Jersey said: If you want to teach paralegal courses, I believe you need to be an attorney. I'm in the paralegal program at Kaplan University and every single professor I had in my paralegal courses is an attorney. Generally to teach on the university level as an adjunct professor, you need at least a master's or a JD.

I am looking for an online school in paralegal studies. How long have you been attending Kaplan? Any good comments? Any negative comments?

I attend Kaplan University also. It is ok if you can work on your own with minimal assistance from the professor and excellent problem solving skills. I have attended Kaplan for 3 years and am now in my last three classes and it has not failed that everytime, even with some excellent teachers, every problem I encountered, I had to solve with the Professor assiting after the fact. When turning in my written assignments, 90% of the time, I get my grade back and the other 10% I get my grade back with corrections and/or comments. If you are looking for a paralegal school where you will have more interactions with your Professors, online schooling is not for you.

Shaye in Los Angeles, California said: If you are looking for a paralegal school where you will have more interactions with your Professors, online schooling is not for you.

It also is not for you if you want to earn an ABA-approved paralegal certificate. Some ABA schools offer online classes, but some on-campus, in-person attendance is required.

Thanks for the input. I am looking to get my Associates in Paralegal studies and want an online school that is in Florida and that has a bricks and mortor school also. I am not in a location where I can attend an ABA approved program nor in a position to attend classes in person so online is my only choice. I am thinking maybe Keiser University. Any one have experience with them?

Keiser has several brick and mortor schools in Florida along with their online program so I see this is a plus. They rank 12th by OEDB oedb.org/rankings but I don't know if their rankings are realy worth anything but I cannot find anything on the net that ranks online schools.

I am actually attending Florida Tech University online now but unfortunately will have to transfer as they do not have a paralegal studies degree. If anyone is curious I think their online program has been great so far. I have been attending since June 08.

Melody in Belleview, Florida said: I am looking to get my Associates in Paralegal studies and want an online school that is in Florida and that has a bricks and mortor school also.

To avail yourself of every paralegal job that requires a certificate, and a significant number of them require it, you should do whatever you can to attend an ABA paralegal school. An ABA certificate is never in doubt, whereas online certificates can be in doubt.

Valencia Community College in Orlando has an ABA paralegal program. It may behoove you to check it out. www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals/directory/fl.html#val