Ask a Suicide Hotline Manager anything

57 Questions

Last Answer on June 20, 2013

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Asked by Omar Mercado over 12 years ago

In cases where the operators are not volunteers, I would imagine it's typically around minimum wage.

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

Asked by Thinker over 12 years ago

Some record will likely exist for training or research purposes. Depending on whether the hotline is anonymous or not, that record might be de-identified.

988 Votes

Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Asked by Josh almost 13 years ago

No, that would definitely not be allowed and would probably be offensive to non-Christian callers.

984 Votes

Hi. This is going to sound like a dumb question but generally how much does one who works for the suicide hotline make? I would like to work for one but I do need a paying job to support myself.

Asked by Dumbquestionasker almost 13 years ago

Knowing if you can live off what you want to do is definitely not a dumb question.

It really will depend on the hotline and the position. A lot of time the operators taking calls are volunteers. From the basic administrative positions and up, salaries will likely start at minimum wage. Remember these tend to be very poorly funded organizations that have to stretch every dollar to stay open.

980 Votes

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This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

Asked by Bridget almost 13 years ago

I can't recall that happening off the top of my head. I think a non-anonymous hotline would be required to report a specific, credible threat to the police. An anonymous hotline wouldn't be able to do so, but if the caller specified his (or hers!) or the victim's full name or address, then yeah, there probably would be a legal and moral obligation to do so.

980 Votes

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

Asked by jwrites over 12 years ago

You'd be better off contacting a hotline directly and asking about training. I'm a little iffy about what I should share because I think it could potentially impact readers of this website who might need to call a hotline one day.

977 Votes

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

Asked by jwrites almost 13 years ago

Each hotline has its own specific training, so you should directly contact a hotline near you. My experience would likely be dramatically different from that of another trainee.

976 Votes

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Suicide Hotline Manager

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Hi. This is going to sound like a dumb question but generally how much does one who works for the suicide hotline make? I would like to work for one but I do need a paying job to support myself.

Also on Jobstr...

This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

Suicide Hotline Manager

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Hello my name is Omar Mercado, and I am writing a proposal for my English class. I was wondering about the average pay for hotline operators, if that can be told?

Can a call to a suicide line leave a record of any kind?

Are hotline operators allowed to offer religious advice during a call? For example, a Christian operator may feel that extending the gospel to a caller might help. Are they allowed to do that?

Hi. This is going to sound like a dumb question but generally how much does one who works for the suicide hotline make? I would like to work for one but I do need a paying job to support myself.

Also on Jobstr...

This is really interesting, thanks for answering questions! Do callers ever threaten to kill OTHER people, and if they do that, do you have a duty to trace the call and report to police?

Can you just give me an idea of what your training was like? What things you were taught or subjects covered ...basic training concepts? I am currently writing a book with this job in it and just wanted to get an idea of what things are covered.

How much training does one have to go through to be a suicide hotline operator and how long does it take? What do you learn in your training sessions? Would love to know as many details as possible about getting into this as a volunteer.

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