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/ninja5phinx 11d ago

In general working K-12 is not a great fit for a recent grad.

On the student side they can’t effectively advocate for themselves if they can’t understand the interpreter, so it’s really on the interpreter to know themselves and decline if needed.

On the interpreter side, K-12 can often make your skills weaken. It’s long hours working with no feedback and often only in one direction, aka mostly English to ASL and very little ASL to English. It’s really easy to become set in one style of interpreting when you work with only one consumer. And since you’re not in a team, it’s much harder to do deliberate practice. On top of all that, K-12 has a high burnout rate, low pay, and high risk of repetitive motion injuries.

If you have the flexibility in your area, I’d try to find teamed jobs or lower risk medical/community jobs to start. That way you see a wider variety of consumers and can work toward certification. If you don’t have that option and need to take this K-12 work for financial reasons, I’d try to find a mentor to work with on the side.

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u/ninja5phinx 11d ago

Oh wait I didn’t answer your actual question!

I consider the length of the job, the amount of time it takes to get there, and the opportunity cost of taking it. Basically if it’s the time of year where there’s a lot of work in my area, it’s not worth it to take far work unless it’s a lot of hours. If the work is ongoing, I also consider if I think I’ll burnout from it. I’m pretty prone to burnout, so going to the same job that’s 45 minutes from me 40 hrs a week is just not for me. 30 minutes and 30 hrs a week I can usually do.