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Whats a related degree?

 
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08mansoor



Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 22
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:49 am    Post subject: Whats a related degree? Reply with quote
Hello,
I have been following Dave's ESL Cafe for over a year, and it might be the first time posting something on the thread. I will be graduating from UCSD as a Communication major at the end of the summer. Is that related to English? My school states that a Communication degree is equivalent to a degree in Journalism, but I am not sure if it is regarded as equivalent to English. What do you guys think?
Thanks,
Mansoor
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
No, a degree in communications (or journalism) is not considered relevant to English language teaching. You might want to take a look at this long-winded, related thread: "Best Master's Degrees?" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=102569). Also, many current job ads for the Kingdom specify which majors are acceptable.
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08mansoor



Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 22
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I heard that Education Expert was able to convince the Saudi Embassy to change its policy on giving out visas for English related degrees only. Now unrelated degrees are also accepted. Is that true?
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have no clue about EdEx's wheelings and dealings, but if a job ad states unrelated degrees are okay (plus whatever else is required), then your degree should be fine if you meet all the requirements. On the other hand, if you apply for a position that explicitly indicates a TEFL-related degree is necessary, then you're likely out of luck. The other component to getting a TEFL job in the Kingdom is whether an unrelated degree also fulfills the visa requirements for the profession specified. That seems to be a gray area at this point.

You didn't state if your soon-to-be-completed comm degree is an MA or a BA, but if the latter, your qualifications are a bit low on the TEFL radar for this region. Employers expect applicants to have teaching experience gained post-degree/TEFL qualification.
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08mansoor



Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 22
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Its actually a BA. I know its not great and my qualifications are pretty low. But I am not sweating too much, because I know some people in Saudi Arabia that has a few connections. Granted the pay is not great (3K), and supposedly the place where I am completing the TESL has connections with certain schools in Saudi. Thanks for all the help Nomad. You seem to know a lot about Saudi. You probably traveled a lot in your life based on your name Smile
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Usually, a related degree will include fields such as Linguistics, TEFL and Education.
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Beaker



Joined: 13 Jan 2013
Posts: 26
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nomad soul wrote:
Employers expect applicants to have teaching experience gained post-degree/TEFL qualification.


I actually recently heard that this is not true, that that sort of advice goes against KSA recruitment and needs to stop being given out. Pre-MA experience (in KSA) is taken into account when being offered a job, although the wage offered I'm guessing is on the lower end of the scale.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Dear Beaker,

"I actually recently heard that this is not true, that that sort of advice goes against KSA recruitment and needs to stop being given out. Pre-MA experience (in KSA) is taken into account when being offered a job, although the wage offered I'm guessing is on the lower end of the scale."

Since this goes against ALL previous experience in Saudi, it would be nice to know who you "heard that this is not true" from.
Very Happy

Regards,
John
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Beaker wrote:
I actually recently heard that this is not true, that that sort of advice goes against KSA recruitment and needs to stop being given out. Pre-MA experience (i