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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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 Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 12:17 pm Post subject: MA TESOL only (no BA). Visa issues? |
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I've brought this up in the past, but thought I'd resurrect it one more time - on the general discussion board.
Short story: I managed to get into a decent MA program based on my experience, have finished the degree, and am wondering where I might stand as far as visa difficulties are concerned.
From the research I've done, it seems like most countries are okay with this route - based on the dozen or so I've looked into - and the ones that might not be (Thailand and Korea) seem to be up to the discretion of customs. Korea seemed to be the one that was totally off limits, but a couple of PMs suggested otherwise. (Edit: apparently Saudi might be an issue as well)
I'm currently in Japan, and have just had to switch to an instructor visa. This required a degree, with the MA fulfilled easily.
It's tough to get much hands on knowledge regarding my unusual situation, but any input would be fantastic.
Cheers |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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English isn't your first language is it? Or perhaps raised in a bilingual environment?
That's not the be-all and end-all to demonstrate one's skills as an asset to any given program, but it's evident. Beyond very rare scenarios, such as prodigies, MBA programs first made such exceptions in the 90s when growth in that sector was at a fever pitch. More recently, on-line degrees are another.
Bureaucratic policy typically regards an aggregate, thus your use of the word discretion is apt. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Sudz wrote: |
I managed to get into a decent MA program based on my experience, have finished the degree, and am wondering where I might stand as far as visa difficulties are concerned.
(Edit: apparently Saudi might be an issue as well) |
FYI: An employment visa for Saudi Arabia requires you to submit one qualifying degree; however, the degree must not entail online coursework. Academic credentials get reviewed and authenticated/attested by the SACM or SACB, which is a division of the Saudi Ministry of Education that operates in the US, UK, Canada, etc.
Your lack of a BA might raise a prospective employer's eyebrow. But again, you wouldn't be required to produce more than your MA as well as your CELTA/equivalent TEFL cert (unless your degree included a practical component). |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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Leave it to Dave's to scrutinize the quality of a forum post : ) Granted, I probably should have double-checked that one.... I'm typing this via smartphone - my laptop is out of commission - and can't quite be bothered with eloquence at the moment.
Another exception to the MA rule is with certain programs in the UK - my experience with Nottingham being one. Couldn't tell ya if they thought I was the next Chomsky, or if they just wanted my dough.
Nomad soul: appreciate the feedback - you had mentioned this in an earlier post. I know of someone who was required to submit his ba in order to satisfy work visa regulations - despite the employer hiring him based off his MA. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Sudz wrote: |
| I know of someone who was required to submit his ba in order to satisfy work visa regulations - despite the employer hiring him based off his MA. |
Don't count on it being black-n-white. In Saudi Arabia, there are different qualification requirements; various types of employers (such as direct-hire, foreign contracting company, and Saudi for-profit contracting company); as well as levels of employment (e.g., university, college/vocational school, language institute, oil training facility, and military training facility). |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:07 am Post subject: |
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| That's good to know nomad soul. Cheers for that |
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Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| buravirgil wrote: |
English isn't your first language is it? Or perhaps raised in a bilingual environment?
That's not the be-all and end-all to demonstrate one's skills as an asset to any given program, but it's evident. Beyond very rare scenarios, such as prodigies, MBA programs first made such exceptions in the 90s when growth in that sector was at a fever pitch. More recently, on-line degrees are another.
Bureaucratic policy typically regards an aggregate, thus your use of the word discretion is apt. |
Quite possibly the least useful yet most pompous posting of 2015. |
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Knedliki
Joined: 08 May 2015
Posts: 160
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Hod wrote: |
| buravirgil wrote: |
English isn't your first language is it? Or perhaps raised in a bilingual environment?
That's not the be-all and end-all to demonstrate one's skills as an asset to any given program, but it's evident. Beyond very rare scenarios, such as prodigies, MBA programs first made such exceptions in the 90s when growth in that sector was at a fever pitch. More recently, on-line degrees are another.
Bureaucratic policy typically regards an aggregate, thus your use of the word discretion is apt. |
Quite possibly the least useful yet most pompous posting of 2015. |
It's still more interesting than any of the narrow minded drivel posts that you've ever posted. |
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grahamb
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
Posts: 1945
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:57 pm Post subject: He's at it again |
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Touché!
Hod - an acronym of Heart of Darkness.  |
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Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Enough about me. Sudz is a fairly regular poster on here, a decent sort. He was asking a while back about doing an MA TESOL in Malaysia, and I found it interesting to hear how he was getting on.
If I'd read his posts and thought about typos or "aggregates", I'd be, well, no better than grahamb.
Narrow-minded and full of drivel? Fine, but I help people on the Germany, Malaysia and UK forums when I can. In all my 1000 posts, I've never replied just to mock a typo or put down someone asking a genuine question. |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Hod wrote: |
| I've never replied just to mock a typo or put down someone asking a genuine question. |
It wasn't a typo that I noticed.
Is it putting someone down to ask if their English reflects being raised in a bilingual environment?
The OP presented a non-standard (outlier) circumstance to ask how their atypical situation would be received by government offices around the world. My point had been governments barely handle what's typical, let alone the exceptional.
Looking at my post again, I'd commend Nomad for relating some of the same ideas with an informal aplomb and question with what confidence I conclude the OP's English reflects a "bilingual" quality. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| I had a colleague who had a MA in TESOL from Heriot-Watt. He had no other degree. He got a visa. |
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Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 1613
Location: Home
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| buravirgil wrote: |
Looking at my post again, I'd commend Nomad for relating some of the same ideas with an informal aplomb and question with what confidence I conclude the OP's English reflects a "bilingual" quality. |
Do many of your letters to The Times get published? |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Is English your first language, Buravirgil? Diction? Pah! |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| Hod wrote: |
| Do many of your letters to The Times get published? |
| fluffyhamster wrote: |
| Is English your first language, Buravirgil? Diction? Pah! |
If either of you chaps have something of substance to ask, by all means...but I've answered what issues I can about this thread.
The OP dismissed my assertion their English reflected a bilingual environment and I didn't pursue it. I appreciate members defending other members, but corrected Hod's assumption that I'd addressed a typo.
The OP, as well, rightly asserted an MA TESOL degree from a handful of institutions in England/Scotland is among those rare examples of post-graduate degrees conferred without a first, or undergraduate, degree.
Outside of that? What about the OP are you addressing? |
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