Did you pass your Matric with a Bachelor’s Degree pass (BD)? You can further your studies through Matric College. You can use your Matric Certificate to study for our Legal Secretary NATED courses. These are the courses you will study:
- Legal Secretary NATED N4 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N5 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Diploma
If you did not pass Matric with a Bachelor’s Degree pass (BD) but passed Matric, you can also study the Legal Secretary NATED Courses.
What Is A Legal Secretary NATED Course?
The Legal Secretary NATED Courses were designed by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). These courses were created because the DHET noticed a gap in the employment statistics of South Africa.
There are several youths who are not employed. This is mostly because some youth have qualifications that are not valued by employers. The DHET then created the NATED courses to help more graduates find employment.
The Legal Secretary NATED Courses were made with two types of components that employers value. These are:
- Knowledge
- Work experience
Knowledge
The Legal Secretary NATED Courses are made up of theoretical knowledge as one of the components. This is where students gain knowledge that helps them in the work environment. To gain this knowledge, they must complete the assessments set in the following three Certificate courses:
- Legal Secretary NATED N4 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N5 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Certificate
For each Certificate course that you complete, you are awarded a Legal Secretary NATED Certificate Qualification. This can be used to find employment. When you have completed the theoretical component, you then move to the practical component.
Work Experience
The Legal Secretary NATED Courses are made up of a practical component. This is where you must work in a company for 18 months so that you gain the last qualification which is the Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Diploma.
To complete this work experience, you must do the following:
- Register your information on the iWIL website
- The iWIL website was designed by the Department of Higher Education and Training to help students find places where they can complete their work experience
- On this site, you will find volunteer opportunities for gaining work experience
- Following registration, you will be offered work experience at a company
- This could either be a paid or unpaid experience, depending on the company
- We will send you a logbook
- This is automatically sent to you, no application is required
- Upon completion of your work experience, the manager of the company must sign your logbook to confirm that you have completed the work experience
- You must return the logbook to us so that we can submit it to DHET for verification
- The DHET provides you with your Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Diploma once your logbook has been approved
Can I Study Legal Secretary Without Matric?
No, you can not study the Legal Secretary NATED Courses without Matric. You need a Matric Certificate to study. However, there is another way to study these courses if you do not have Matric.
You can register for our Adult Matric Course. This is a Matric course that will equip you with the knowledge that gets you ready to further your studies. You will be awarded a Matric Certificate when you finish studying this course. You can use your Matric Certificate to study the Legal Secretary NATED Courses.
These are the requirements for the Adult Matric Course:
- You passed Grade 9 and have proof of your report OR
- You completed a Grade 9 equivalent course (ie. an ABET Certificate) that included two official language subjects
- You are 21 or older when you write your exams
- You can apply as early as the age of 19 and start studying
- You can read, write and understand English or Afrikaans
- You are able to study via distance learning
Which Subjects Are Required For A Secretary?
There are no particular subjects required to study in the Legal Secretary NATED Courses. You are only required to have a Matric Certificate (National Senior Certificate or Amended Senior Certificate) to study.
How Long Is The Course For The Legal Secretary?
It takes 18 to 6 months to complete the Legal Secretary NATED Courses. This is because it takes about 6 to 12 months to complete the theoretical component. These are the courses you must study to complete the theoretical component:
- Legal Secretary NATED N4 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N5 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Certificate
It takes 18 months to complete the work experience component which is found in the last course that is the Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Diploma.
How Do NATED Courses Work?
NATED courses work this way:
The Legal Secretary NATED Courses are made up of theoretical and practical components. The theoretical component is completed through these courses:
- Legal Secretary NATED N4 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N5 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Certificate
There are three assignments and one final exam in each subject in a curse. To pass, you must obtain 50% or higher marks. You get awarded qualifications for each of the above courses you complete.
The practical component is completed through this course:
There are no assessments in this course. You are only required to complete 18 months of work experience. Here is a table to show you how the practical and theoretical components work:
Course Name | Assessment Type | Assessments To Be Completed |
Theory studies | Three open book assignments and a final examination | |
Theory studies | Three open book assignments and a final examination | |
Theory studies | Three open book assignments and a final examination | |
Practical studies/Work experience | Complete 18 months of work experience |
Do I Need A Degree To Be A Secretary?
No, you do not need a Degree Qualification to become a Legal Secretary. You can use a Legal Secretary NATED N6 National Diploma from Matric College to work as a Legal Secretary.
Is A Legal Secretary A Lawyer?
No, a Legal Secretary is not a Lawyer. A Legal Secretary is a professional who works in a legal company performing legal work such as
- Attending court proceedings
- Taking notes in court
- Scheduling meetings with witnesses and court officials for the lawyer
- Preparing court documents
A Legal Secretary’s day-to-day duties also include assisting lawyers.
Which Skill Ranks First That A Legal Secretary Must Possess?
A good Legal Secretary maintains confidentiality. The most important part of this career is keeping information safe. Clients open up to you because they trust that you will keep their information safe.
It is a violation of the Legal Secretary’s work ethics if they speak about their work to other people.
Where Can A Legal Secretary Work?
A Legal Secretary can work at the following places:
- Magistrate office
- Law firm
- Legal company
- Court
What Is A Legal Secretary's Salary?
A Legal Secretary earns a salary of about R17 002 per month. This is a high salary that can help you meet all your financial needs.
Author: Mulisa Nethononda
Editor: Razeen Dollie
Date: June 24, 2022