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The differences between legal receptionists and school secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a legal receptionist and a school secretary. Additionally, a school secretary has an average salary of $35,126, which is higher than the $32,592 average annual salary of a legal receptionist.
The top three skills for a legal receptionist include law firm, paralegals and litigation. The most important skills for a school secretary are word processing, payroll, and math.
| Legal Receptionist | School Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $32,592 | $35,126 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $16.89 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,699 | 75,656 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
In law firms, a legal receptionist serves the clients' first point of contact. They are primarily in charge of greeting and professionally interacting with clients, identifying their needs, answering questions, and escorting visitors to offices. They must also perform clerical tasks such as handling calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, confirming schedules, maintaining records, managing the flow and deliveries of mails and other forms of documentation, and assisting attorneys as needed. Furthermore, a legal receptionist must manage the law firm's facilities, such as the lobby and meeting offices.
A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release. They also serve as a liaison between the staff, students, and the management for any inquiries, concerns, and complaints.
Legal receptionists and school secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Legal Receptionist | School Secretary | |
| Average salary | $32,592 | $35,126 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Winget | Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a legal receptionist and a school secretary in terms of educational background:
| Legal Receptionist | School Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Legal Support Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between legal receptionists' and school secretaries' demographics:
| Legal Receptionist | School Secretary | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.0% Female, 94.0% | Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.9% Asian, 5.7% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |