Notary Training Courses 101: do we need them?
Are notary training courses worth the time and money? Well, it depends on the state you live in. In some cases, training courses are required to receive your commission. I will list them later in the article. However, if a notary doesn’t live in one of those cursed states, should they take the course? I would not sit on either side of the fence on this one because the training course can be invaluable if you have never signed on or are just starting out in the industry. But, for my part, I have never taken a course and no one I have worked with has set foot in the notary’s classroom. We pride ourselves on industry knowledge and attribute it to experience, not classes.
Another big problem with notary training programs and classes is that there are a million out there. I can’t believe some of them make people sign up and go to their training sessions, probably in their barn. “Now sit on your Haystack Mr. Jones, and shut up!” Notarios actually pay these people to give them a certificate they printed at Kinko’s after they completed their training. I am not being completely fair to all notaries or companies regarding the courses. There are some big sites that offer training as a NNA, although I hate to say that name, where you can take the training that is required for training statuses or for non-training statuses, just to learn, get certified, and tell your grandmother who graduated from more than just cubicles.
Prices vary, but here are a few examples we found while doing our research. Side note: remember that these examples are the larger sites and not a single notary having flares on their site by offering training courses. Notaryclasses.com is a pretty good site where you can take your state required courses and exams, and also train to become a signing agent and mobile notary. It is a site that I claim to be credible and the owner is a nice guy as I talked to him several times about the site. Classes or “seminars” as they like to call it cost between $125 and $199 depending on which package you want. Getting back to NNA, this is a resource you’ll want to keep as you develop your notary skills. Although it is hated by many notaries (including me), it is a site that has all the resources available to the notary. They also offer training. Required training for required states is $99. They beat out NotaryClasses with their $169 signing agent training. These are the two largest sites that offer alternative training to what is required by the state, which some (me) would say is all you need.
I’m going to stop harassing the sites and say some good things about taking a training course. This may be difficult for me, but I will do the best I can. There is a lot a notary gets for his money when he attends training seminars and takes alternative courses. You can take a course called “How to Escape Costly Mistakes” – a great course to take if you’re not sure what being a notary entails. If you take the NNA Signing Agent Training course, you also get a Live Training Seminar (select a location, date and time convenient for you), Q&A opportunities, and loan document signing demonstrations. A notary also gets a free 1-year Membership in the National Association of Notaries (a $52 value). This could be a good place to start advertising your new business.
Although I still don’t think it’s worth it. Most of it is a scam to get more money out of you. States requiring tests are smart and I would have no problem if all 50 states did. These are the states that require education courses before taking the state exam to become a notary.
CA, CT, DofC., FL HI, LA, ME, MO, NEB, NEV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, UT
There are many of them. If your state is there I wouldn’t worry about the required exam, it’s a lot simpler than people think. It’s not like the SAT, where you have to go through 10 cups of coffee and a red bull just to pass it. Look at it notaries! And don’t let me be the judge of how well you want to know your stuff and how seriously you want to take your job.
