Why Become A Court Officer? 5 Benefits You Can’t Ignore

A court officer’s job isn’t simple—in many ways, it’s equally as complex as a police officer’s job even if it’s contained within the premise of a courthouse. Much like police officers, court officers are required to wear uniforms and carry firearms—they’re responsible for maintaining law and order in courts throughout New York (If they’re employed in State of New York) and have the authority to make arrests too.

It’s not easy to become a court officer in New York and in many ways the process is more difficult to clear compared to that for the police department. For one thing, these applications come out every five to six years and you have to go through a rigorous training process before you can qualify for recruitment. Anyone looking to become a court officer in New York has to meet these conditions:

• Must be at least 18 years of age before signing up for a court officer trainee program
• Should at least have a high school diploma or GED
• A valid New York state driver’s license
• Pass a written test, in addition to medical, psychological and physiological tests

Upon clearing each of these tests and meeting these requirements, you are admitted to the NYS Court Officer’s Academy to begin your formal training. It’s a rigorous process that requires hard work and commitment before you can even hope to succeed.

For all the rigor of the entire process, becoming an NYS court officer is a worthwhile career that offers you great benefits. A lot of people will tell you that being a court officer is a far better job than becoming a police officer—and there might be some merit to that statement. It’s a relatively high-paying job, with plenty of opportunities for growth and development. Let’s take a closer look at the perks of being an NYS court officer.

Great Paychecks

The wages are one of the major motivators for choosing any profession—and rightly so—because you should know what you’re worth and be paid as much for it. The NYS Courts are pretty generous with their paychecks and start off trainee court officers at a minimum of $51,113—the highest we’ve heard is $55,413.

If you compare these wages with the average entry-level salaries throughout the country—you’d be surprised to know that court officers on average get paid $10,000 more.

No Extra Hours

When you’re working in the government, punctuality is a virtue that few people look down upon. As an employee of the NYS Courts system, you’ll only work for as long as the courts are open and not a second longer. This is a huge advantage compared to many other occupations, where you’re expected to put in long hours which can really throw off your work-life balance.

The strict compliance with routine and schedules makes it easy for you to make productive use of your spare time and work on yourself. Whether you want to acquire more skills, study or spend more time with the family—you can do it all. Being an NYS Court Officer gives you greater control over your life.

39 Days of Paid Leave and Deferred Compensation

If you’re wondering whether you’ll have the freedom to take days off, then the NYS Courts also come through for you on that account. For the first year, court officers get 20 days of paid vacation days and 12 annual paid leaves. These are moved up to 27 paid vacation days and 12 annual paid leaves from the second year onward.

Most other jobs will give you about two weeks of paid leaves, and not a day over. This doesn’t even count the fact that you’ll probably have a manager who’ll probably give you a lot of drama if you ask them for leaves. None of this is an issue with the NYS courts.

Additionally, you can choose to defer your paycheck to a later date to get paid more money the next month. This allows you to save up money or plan out your expenses in a way to make sure you get more value out of your wages.

Health Insurance, Retirement and Disability Benefits

All officers of the NYS court system are offered health coverage for pretty much all of their medical concerns. Additionally, you will be given retirement benefits if you can show 30 years of service to the NYS courts. A lot of officers opt for retirement by the age of 55 or earlier if they start working before the age of 25.

These retirement benefits include 60% of your salary at the time of retirement and will be paid for in part by contributions made to the benefits fund through your salary.

Plenty of Career Growth Opportunities

All NYS court officers have ample opportunities to rise through the ranks, where the first two promotions are through written exams and you have to be nominated for the rest. Each of these promotions comes with its unique perks and advantages.

Considering a Career as an NYS Court Officer?

Civil Services Success works with experienced instructors to help prepare candidate for the NYS Court Officer Trainee Exam, Suffolk County Police test and NYC sanitation workers exams. Get in touch with us today for more information.