If you apply for a position that only needs a bachelor's or less, should you still include graduate degrees if you have them? Would employers think you're overqualified or think you'll demand higher pay (or that they couldn't pay you as much as your education is supposedly worth) and not hire you solely on the grounds that you have more degrees than they expected?

Basically, I'm qualified (apparently) to teach post-secondary, but I think I would prefer to teach secondary. But since the state I'm in has ridiculous requirements for alternative certification (I have a doctorate with education classes yet I'm not qualified to even substitute teach!), I'm looking at applying to be a para in the mean time (I have years of experience with special needs). And if I wanted/needed to apply for temp work or another non-ed job, do I include my education?

If I see post-secondary positions that would fit me, I'll apply to those, but there's not a lot of those and they're highly competitive. Why would anyone want me?

[hvert]

I'd keep the education on the resume - if you don't have it, there's going to be a gap in your resume during the years you were in school (I'm guessing), so you might as well put it on and avoid having to explain it all.

I'm also in a state with absurd requirements for teaching BUT they actually make (or used to) a lot of 'emergency' hires due to staffing shortages... so a person could get a job teaching and then get tuition reimbursement while pursuing certification. It's another reason to include all your credentials, imo - if you apply for an entry level para position but they see you have those degrees, they may hire you for a more senior job.

I'm keeping it on the resume, but when filling out the application, there's only one slot for graduate education (so I can only put in one degree and one school), so since they're both at the same school, I just chose my higher degree and just used the time span that it took for both degrees.

Another problem with this state is there are no shortages of teachers in my field of study. Often people with actual education degrees have to wait a year or so just to get a job. I do have experience (but no education) in special ed, which is more likely to have shortages, but I don't know. I'm applying to be a full time para at my neighborhood middle school, so we'll see if I'm considered qualified enough. Of course that's if I can finish the application on time...I find them so difficult to fill out because there's a lot of questions that aren't black and white and I can't ever figure out how to answer questions like that.

That sounds like a good way to handle your degree on an application. Good luck!

I think I would never hide anything (education or experience) on a cv or application because of the potential unexplained gaps but there are ways not to emphasise it in the personal statement. I dumbed down my applications in order to get more basic work (they don't like it if they think you'll get bored and leave) and was just very undetailed about my more recent experience that may have made me look overqualified.