Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

So, much like the rest of you I've got an overpriced BA which I managed to put to work for me teaching English abroad. Now I'm home on vacation in the US and I hooked up with this girl who wants me to stick around. It's a little tempting so I'm considering a Paralegal Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. The thing is they seem overpriced. She says I can stay with her for free while I study, just chip in $200 a month or so for food.

What I don't understand is why the local technical college is charging what they are, or why they are requiring such a big part of the coursework be done in "real-time". They want 24 credits at roughly $150 per credit. They insist that 12 of these be live/real-time instruction but the other 12 can be on-line for which they tack on an additional fee... because it's on-line... this just smells rotten. Isn't on-line instruction supposed to be cheaper?

It seems like they are angling to squeeze as much as they can. Does anyone on here know of an accredited and reputable way to go about getting this licensure/certificate?

I'm also considering an online MA in Applied Linguistics but thought I might research this Paralegal stuff as well. I originally intended this as my exit from the EFL market strategy. I figure the US will never be short on fat people or ambulance chasers so the medical or legal field is always a safe bet.

[reactionary]

I enrolled in and dropped out of a paralegal course before I had to pay the full dues - only lost my $200 deposit. I'd say research a different exit strategy. Most of the positions involve a lot of secretarial work, and even those positions find a lot of candidates with law degrees. Try checking out craigslist in your home city - a lot of the ads will demand2-3 years experience in whatever field they specialize in. The economic outlook handbook basically screwed up when for years it claimed that job would grow faster than average.

But yeah, the two "accredited" courses available at major universities in my town were each around $5000.

[slynne23]

I've been working as a paralegal for close to eight years now. I'm bored and want to teach so I'm leaving the field for TEFL. I landed my first paralegal job without any training after working as a legal secretary for three years. I had a BA and completed my MA while working as a paralegal. The firm I work for now only bothered to pay for me to get an online paralegal certificate because some of their insurance company clients required it for the firm to bill for my time. Not sure how that certificate would hold up if I didn't already have considerable experience.

You will probably need some sort of certificate to enter the field without any connections or experience. Additionally, I will tell you the paralegal job market is a little flooded right now, especially with recent law school graduates who are having trouble finding starter associate positions. Check out NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations) for information on the types of certificates you can get and the realities of the current job market.

[Rteacher]

I got my bachelor's in paralegal studies, but I was aiming to become an independent paralegal. However, the American Bar Association has increasingly done all it can to preserve lawyers unfair monopoly of all types of legal services - many of which could be provided just as well by trained paralegals, who charge much smaller fees.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv20n1/reg20n1c.html
http://www.legalreform-now.org/menu1_4.htm
http://www.halt.org/about_halt/press_room/pdf/Full_Media_Kit.pdf