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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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 Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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| nwtefl wrote: |
I get the impression that this online issue is not country wide in Saudi, nor institution wide. I have just completed my MA via AMD - alternative methods of delivery - with Birmingham (I hate the word online as there was a hell of a lot of off-line reading and non of the assessments are online), and I've read emails from various students who are working in Saudi who graduated with an online MA; yet obviously there are those who have problems.
One of Birmingham's course directors emailed me this morning stating, " we have a number of teachers/lecturers with the MA working in Saudi and they have had no problems with it being recognised. The Saudi consulate has a lot of contacts with our University so I can not see this being a country-wide problem with Saudi" |
Sure, there are teachers with online TEFL-related MAs working in Saudi Arabia. However, either they 1) are "employed" with a contracting company via a business/work visit visa, which doesn't require degree authentication; or 2) used their on-campus, unrelated BA or MA degree to qualify for both the position and the employment/work visa. Unfortunately, using an unrelated degree means they're limited to working for contracting companies and not the better direct-hire employers.
The requirement of an on-campus degree is set by the Ministry of Education. Ditto for the governments of Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, which also reject degrees that entailed online coursework. By the way, the entity that reviews degrees and contacts the job candidate's university registrar is a division of the Ministry and not the Saudi consulate.
| and nwtefl wrote: |
| So I don't think anyone should be discouraged from applying if you they have studied via distance. |
The employment/work visa process includes degree authentication, lab tests and a medical exam, etc., so there are costs involved. Keep that in mind if you decide to submit your online MA. Plus, be prepared to be asked about your degree during interviews and on application forms.
| Gamajorba wrote: |
| I work with someone who proudly flaunts his online based PhD in an incredibly irrelevant field. So much so that he puts it down at every opportunity... |
Yet you admitted on another thread that this individual has a business visit visa and works for a contracting company. In other words, he doesn't qualify with his online, unrelated PhD. |
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Gamajorba
Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Not really sure what your point is, nomad_soul, but I'm just saying what I know to be true...who am I to question what Saudi does with hiring people etc! |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I know one or two people who studied that MA with Birmingham online. The point being -at least for me- that none of them had direct hire full-time jobs at any university. They were working for contractors and the job only required a BA plus TEFL cert with experience. The jobs requiring a MA that was studied on-campus are more stringent.
Maybe things will change in the future. There is nothing stopping anyone giving it a go and proving us wrong. |
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nwtefl
Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:13 am Post subject: Qatar |
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Just an update on this - I had an interview online yesterday and sure as hell they mentioned the nature of the degree. I wasn't surprised of course, but it was strange to hear them actually field their questions.
Firstly one guy asked me the nature of it, and then another guy (who either wasn't listening to my first answer or wanted to make a further point about it), asked further questions e.g. "Can you explain why it was over two years?". What an arse.
It was at this stage I just wanted to say, "Hey, if this is going to be a problem then we may as well stop here." I really wish I had said that, because then I could have had a discussion with these hoary old professors who seem to think just because the degree is by AMD, that it isn't authentic enough. It actually made me pretty angry - they ignore 15 years of relevant experience and concentrate on how a piece of paper was awarded. |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:33 am Post subject: |
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I don't know why you are upset or somewhat surprised. It is a well-known fact that Saudi/Middle Eastern institutes don't accept online degrees. We may disagree but that is how it is.. You can apply for jobs in China or Thailand and it wouldn't be a problem. These type of questions are very common and to be expected.
Last edited by currentaffairs on Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 8:41 am Post subject: Re: Qatar |
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| nwtefl wrote: |
Just an update on this - I had an interview online yesterday and sure as hell they mentioned the nature of the degree. I wasn't surprised of course, but it was strange to hear them actually field their questions.
....
It was at this stage I just wanted to say, "Hey, if this is going to be a problem then we may as well stop here." I really wish I had said that, because then I could have had a discussion with these hoary old professors who seem to think just because the degree is by AMD, that it isn't authentic enough. It actually made me pretty angry - they ignore 15 years of relevant experience and concentrate on how a piece of paper was awarded. |
As I previously stated, they'd either catch it during your interview or on your application form. Otherwise, it won't get past the visa application review process. However, it's unclear why you're angry with the interviewers, who are simply following the mandate of Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Ed. even if they don't agree with the requirement. From their perspective, they don't want to get the ball rolling with an offer and all the bureaucratic paperwork at their end (Kuwait is the worst) only to have the job candidate's visa get denied. Anyway, it is what it is. |
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nwtefl
Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:20 am Post subject: |
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| currentaffairs wrote: |
| I don't know why you are upset or somewhat surprised. It is a well-known fact that Saudi/Middle Eastern institutes don't accept online degrees. We may disagree but that is how it is.. You can apply for jobs in China or Thailand and it wouldn't be a problem. These type of questions are very common and to be expected. |
I'm not surprised at all, but I found myself getting angry due to there necessity to go on about it. I can imagine someone how ridiculous it would be for someone, for example, with 20 years experience of ESL/EAP who has an AMD degree being overlooked - and also it is not all Saudi/ME places |
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nwtefl
Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:22 am Post subject: Re: Qatar |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| nwtefl wrote: |
Just an update on this - I had an interview online yesterday and sure as hell they mentioned the nature of the degree. I wasn't surprised of course, but it was strange to hear them actually field their questions.
....
It was at this stage I just wanted to say, "Hey, if this is going to be a problem then we may as well stop here." I really wish I had said that, because then I could have had a discussion with these hoary old professors who seem to think just because the degree is by AMD, that it isn't authentic enough. It actually made me pretty angry - they ignore 15 years of relevant experience and concentrate on how a piece of paper was awarded. |
As I previously stated, they'd either catch it during your interview or on your application form. Otherwise, it won't get past the visa application review process. However, it's unclear why you're angry with the interviewers, who are simply following the mandate of Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Ed. even if they don't agree with the requirement. From their perspective, they don't want to get the ball rolling with an offer and all the bureaucratic paperwork at their end (Kuwait is the worst) only to have the job candidate's visa get denied. Anyway, it is what it is. |
It was Qatar. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:41 am Post subject: Re: Qatar |
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| nwtefl wrote: |
| It was Qatar. |
Substitute Qatar for Kuwait in my previous post. Anyway, the job ad for CCQ stated that online/distance academic qualifications aren't recognized. |
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