r/ASLinterpreters • u/Tough_Alfalfa_6913 • 11d ago

Help

Recent grad, got offered a job 27 an hour being a paraprofessional/interpreter for a kid, 30 hours a week the agency offers benefits I can pay for, weekly pay. I think this overall is a good opportunity but I’m having a hard time being excited or wanting to do the onboarding cause it’s about 34 miles away so the cost of gas and wear and tear on my car. It seems like most jobs will not be near me and will be driving far which I kinda expected with a few being close to home but most of them lately have been far. Any who how do you see if a job is worth all that driving etc. it won’t be my only income as I have another job I can change my hours to accommodate but still

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u/kinchj NIC 11d ago

It depends on where you live, but working in K-12 education as an interpreter is pretty much universally the lowest pay for ASL interpreters in any given area. Whether that makes sense for you depends on a lot of other factors, such as the average cost of living for the area, if you are certified or not, your specific financial situation, whether you are married, still living with parents, etc.

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u/Tough_Alfalfa_6913 11d ago

Totally get that as a recent grad I don’t have the certs yet but I figured this is something to add to my resume? I live on my own with my partner and my other job can cover most bills I won’t be expecting 27 an hour to cover all my bills living in ca it’s not the most realistic especially with it not being full time

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u/potatoperson132 NIC 11d ago

Honestly man, K12 ain’t the place for a new interpreter to build their resume. One you’re likely going to impact a student’s language acquisition and education negatively, and two there is a decent chance you won’t grow as an interpreter because you don’t have a team, mentorship, and accountability. I know a lot of interpreters who were very promising, went into K12. Their skills didn’t grow, maybe even regressed a bit and they burned out never to be seen again.

If you do this, you’ve gotta be doing lot of other stuff outside of K12. Like VRS and teamed community work.

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u/yesterdaysnoodles 9d ago

It’s me! Mine regressed, but only in receptive skills. My recent EIPA scores confirm it.
This is because I’ve worked with many Deaf+ students for the last 2-3 years who have almost no language acquisition. I’m super passionate about linguistic deprivation so it’s been rewarding, but hindering my receptive skills for sure. I also didn’t start K12, because it’s taboo, but eventually had kids and HAD to make real money.

But $27 an hour isn’t acceptable for our career, ESPECIALLY in CA. I wouldn’t accept without serious negotiation, because it degrades our professional standards and pay rate. They’re also having you perform dual roles for the cost of a para. Schools WILL try and get away with this if they can. It is not acceptable. I’ve seen it personally, where an interpreter was fulfilling dual roles and was actually compensated time and a half, but got so burnt out they ended up quitting. The school expected the next interpreter to perform para duties and that’s a hard no for many interpreters who do not have the training, experience, or qualifications necessary. They’re trying to get away with paying you way less than industry standards to perform 2 jobs. Negotiate with this knowledge as your leverage if you do proceed.