Becoming A Probation Officer

Probation Officers

Probation Officers watch over and work with people who have been convicted of crimes, but were not sentenced to jail time. Instead of going to jail, the criminals/offenders are given a probationary time where they must obey everything set forth by the judge. If you wish to become a Probation Officer there are many things you must do to achieve your goal. To become a Probation Officer you must have a college degree. It is also required that you have at least 4 years of college education. You could have either a bachelor 's degree or a master 's degree. Criminal justice, social work and psychology majors are all good for someone who wishes to be a Probation Officer. If you wish to obtain these degrees you must find

One of the many skills needed is Organization Skills. Probation officers see many people in short period of time. You must be able to manage many files at once in an organized place. You are also responsible for keeping detailed records of your clients. Another skill that you must possess is Communication. The ability to communicate with your clients is probably the one of the most important skills. Probation officers must be able to productively communicate with many different people, like the probationers and their family members, lawyers, judges, and other law enforcement. Patience is crucial for future Probation Officers. One officer said, “Most of my clients do not take their offenses seriously and they keep making the same mistakes over and over.” You would need patience to deal with the probationers that continue to disrespect and ignore you. Writing skills are another very important aspect for Probation Officers. They have to fill out an extensive amount of paperwork. Probation officers have to keep records of their “clients” and report back to the head supervisor. They have to be encouraging and have to have a strong moral character. Encouragement from Probation Officers can help turn someone 's life around. One story about how Probation officers changed someone 's life , was about an 18 year old girl who was involved in gangs and got into many fights. She got encouragement from

The average or median pay is $52,110 a year or $25.05 an hour. With a better education, like a masters degree, and more experience your annual salary may increase.

On average, Probation Officers work 40 hours a week. You can get a job as a Probation Officer in most cities, but this job may not be available in small towns. Probation Officers almost always work indoors and rarely work outdoors.

There are many benefits to being a Probation Officer. You get government benefits which include paid vacations, sick leave, health, dental, and life insurance. There are also downsides to being a Probation Officer. Sometimes you may put with a hostile “client” that could try to hurt you at anytime. Being a Probation Officer can be difficult, challenging, and possibly dangerous at times, but it has advantages. It’s over average pay, health, dental, and life insurance, paid vacations, and being able to change people for the better, will give you something to work