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lucifer911
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 58
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 Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 4:49 pm Post subject: Why does Saudi Arabia refuse to respect online degrees? |
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is it because in their own universities there are no online courses? or do they think learning can only be achieved through person to person contact?
If your parchment and academic transcripts do not state the method of delivery does this mean you can still potentially land a job in Saudi Arabia? providing you have the relevant BA, relevant masters, CELTA, and a few years of teaching at university level?
I realise similar threads have been created before and I have seen a lot of responses disqualifying potential candidates to work in Saudi. I have not seen many people on this board who approve of someones qualifications to secure a job in Saudi Arabia. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| They make the rules ! That is how it works. It is like when you want to play soccer you have to accept the rules. You cannot convene a meeting and say "I want to rewrite the rules !" |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| lucifer911 wrote: |
| is it because in their own universities there are no online courses? or do they think learning can only be achieved through person to person contact? |
No, there are distance learning programs in the Kingdom; it's not uncommon. The issue with online degrees mainly stems from Saudis (and expats) who got bogus degrees from suspect overseas universities or from online-only universities or other institutions that weren't approved by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Ed. So the Ministry tigtened the degree requirements for everyone.
| and wrote: |
| If your parchment and academic transcripts do not state the method of delivery does this mean you can still potentially land a job in Saudi Arabia? providing you have the relevant BA, relevant masters, CELTA, and a few years of teaching at university level? |
In some situations, it's obvious the degree was completed online. Regardless, the degree holder is required to have his/her university registrar indicate the number of course credits that were completed online. Neighboring Qatar adopted the same requirement a couple of years ago. Anyway, this topic has been recently discussed within this forum.
By the way, you were clear in a couple of your other threads that you have no interest in teaching in this region---particularly, Saudi Arabia. If you've changed your mind, be aware a BA in Literature isn't usually considered a relevant degree. |
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wood112
Joined: 31 Mar 2014
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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deleted
Last edited by wood112 on Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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lucifer911
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 8:31 am Post subject: |
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its not that my lifelong dream is to work in Saudi Arabia but its nice to know it could be a potential option as long as I pursue the right degree and postgraduate degree. Given I will have over a 20k student debt I have thought Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries I will have a chance in paying the debt off. Are there any other countries besides Saudi where I can genuinely save and payoff a debt?
I do not intend to own a house or anything. I have thought to myself my life is best lived travelling from country to country without being tied down anywhere for too long. How about other middle eastern countries like Israel, Egypt, Bahrain? will online degrees be acceptable there?
It would be nice to experience at least one middle eastern country.
| nomad soul wrote: |
| lucifer911 wrote: |
| is it because in their own universities there are no online courses? or do they think learning can only be achieved through person to person contact? |
No, there are distance learning programs in the Kingdom; it's not uncommon. The issue with online degrees mainly stems from Saudis (and expats) who got bogus degrees from suspect overseas universities or from online-only universities or other institutions that weren't approved by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Ed. So the Ministry tigtened the degree requirements for everyone.
| and wrote: |
| If your parchment and academic transcripts do not state the method of delivery does this mean you can still potentially land a job in Saudi Arabia? providing you have the relevant BA, relevant masters, CELTA, and a few years of teaching at university level? |
In some situations, it's obvious the degree was completed online. Regardless, the degree holder is required to have his/her university registrar indicate the number of course credits that were completed online. Neighboring Qatar adopted the same requirement a couple of years ago. Anyway, this topic has been recently discussed within this forum.
By the way, you were clear in a couple of your other threads that you have no interest in teaching in this region---particularly, Saudi Arabia. If you've changed your mind, be aware a BA in Literature isn't usually considered a relevant degree. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 10:17 am Post subject: |
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| lucifer911 wrote: |
| How about other middle eastern countries like Israel, Egypt, Bahrain? will online degrees be acceptable there? |
I responded to your other thread (general Mid East forum) about the possibility of teaching in other ME countries.
The issue you'll run into is that degree requirements can change. That may work in your favor or not. But for now, it's way too early for you to be deciding where you will be able to teach with two online degrees. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| It's because they're not able to understand and distinguish the difference between a real degree from an accredited university which has been delivered wholly or partly online and a piece of paper from a degree mill. |
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mashkif
Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 178
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| It's because they're not able to understand and distinguish the difference between a real degree from an accredited university which has been delivered wholly or partly online and a piece of paper from a degree mill. |
That and their totally cockamamie understanding of higher education in general, another symptom of which is their insistence that someone with a master's degree is *only* capable of teaching P.Y.P. courses and that everything else naturally requires a doctorate. That despite the fact that many - if not most - courses in majors programs teach material to the standard most of us studied in middle school. For instance, the sophomores and juniors doing macroeconomics at a college in Kuwait are learning things that I studied in junior high  ...if even that.
As someone who did one of my graduate degrees "online," I will also say this: I worked a damn sight harder to earn it than I ever did in my undergraduate studies (and I went to a global Top-20 university) OR in my other, "brick-and-mortar" master's.
But, yeah, that would all be way beyond the 5aleeji grasp. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Given I will have over a 20k student debt I have thought Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries I will have a chance in paying the debt off. Are there any other countries besides Saudi where I can genuinely save and payoff a debt? |
Korea, probably China. BA needed to start, but MA is icing there.
| Quote: |
| I do not intend to own a house or anything. I have thought to myself my life is best lived travelling from country to country without being tied down anywhere for too long. How about other middle eastern countries like Israel, Egypt, Bahrain? will online degrees be acceptable there? |
Being a nomad means that you will also be a newcomer every time you move - losing the major benefits of a local rep, local contacts, and local language skills. The best gigs always go to people with all three of the above. Not that it isn't do-able - it is - but highly unlikely you'll walk into the better schools, better schedule, and better than entry level pay.
Also, keep in mind that experience earned in one part of the world may not be valued in others (students, their motivations and expectations, and effective classroom approaches vary massively depending on culture). |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| lucifer911 wrote: |
| I do not intend to own a house or anything. I have thought to myself my life is best lived travelling from country to country without being tied down anywhere for too long. How about other middle eastern countries like Israel, Egypt, Bahrain? will online degrees be acceptable there? |
Be careful with Israel, you may find it hard to get work in the Islamic ME if they know you've even been there let alone lived and worked there. You would have to make sure you have a passport with no Israeli stamps/visas and you would have to modify your cv to remove any reference to time spent there. |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 2:41 pm Post subject: Re: Why does Saudi Arabia refuse to respect online degrees? |
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| lucifer911 wrote: |
If your parchment and academic transcripts do not state the method of delivery does this mean you can still potentially land a job in Saudi Arabia? |
The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission has decided that the Registrar at the university being attested must provide a list of classes that were online or on campus. Before you spend money on medical costs, etc. make sure your university can provide the right information for you to get the job. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe you could get a job in Korea ? Or China ? |
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