Will A DUI Arrest Affect My Teaching Job?

Many teachers who call us assume that they are going to lose their job because of a DUI arrest.  This is not true.  A DUI arrest will affect your teaching job, but that does not mean you will be unemployed.  

The confusion comes from the fact that most teachers believe they will lose their teaching certificate if arrested for a DUI.  This is not true.  Like all professionals, a DUI arrest must be reported to the licensing board.  However, when a person reports their arrest and the outcome, it is unlikely that a first DUI arrest will cause a teacher to lose their teaching certificate.  

As for a teacher's job, honesty is the best policy.  In the age of online mugshots and search engines, it is likely that an employer will learn about a DUI arrest.  

Since your principal will eventually learn of the arrest, we suggest telling him or her first.  When telling the school principal, we also suggest alleviating their biggest concerns.

Those concerns include, but are not limited to, whether you will be missing work, whether you will lose your driver's license, and the concerns over whether you are abusing alcohol or drugs. 

• We can work the court schedule around your school calendar.  Teachers have sufficient time off to handle their case outside of the school year.
• On a first DUI arrest, we can make sure you will not lose your privilege to drive to work, school, and for medical purposes.
• We have all our clients get a clinical evaluation for alcohol and drug dependency.  If treatment is needed, we have out clients begin it before attending court.  

Once you alleviate those concerns, we advise our clients to say the following exact words to any employer:

I am sorry for this mistake I have made.  I have retained a Georgia DUI Lawyer who has assured me that that DUI will not affect my responsibilities at work.  Please know that this mistake does not reflect my overall character.  I will keep you informed of any developments. 

No case is hopeless, and no person should fear that a one-time mistake would cause them to lose their job.  We can help.  Call to speak to one my of my Georgia DUI Attorneys today.