Job Discussion Forums

trevor ingram · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

I was not thinking of the 'immigration officer' deciding the merits of equivilancy, rather the school making that assessment when they applied for your visa. I have nothing against working in China,, I just wanted to have a few more options rather than just one country to choose from.

If I must consider a few more countries (being a 'newbie', I chose the obvious ones), which ones would you suggest?

Apologies for one reply to two different suggestions, but could somebody tell me how do you 'highlight sentences of someones submission and show them in block in your reply'?

Thanks

Trevor

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

StillWaiting · Joined: 30 Aug 2004 Posts: 9 Location: United States

I am still finishing my degree (long story...it's the seven-year plan), and I was just hired to teach in a business-English environment in South America. What gave me leverage was my previous experience in Asia.

My advice would be to get TEFL certified at the very least, and start in China, Indonesia, Thailand, or another notoriously lax country, teaching general English. Get some experience under your belt, and branch out while you're there. It isn't difficult in China to get into business English, degreed or not. I knew several teachers from accounting and business backgrounds (though without a 4-year degree) who were teaching in-office classes at Chinese companies.

China's /not/ a bad place to work at all. Many people seem to treat it as a fallback, just there for when they can't get jobs in "real" places. It really is a good place to start out, though (and for many people it's a good place to stay long-term). The demand is so ravenous there's no way to /not/ find what you want there.

With that China experience under your belt, you'll open doors. Without that degree, as other posters have said, places like Japan are going to be off-limits no matter what. It's a requirement to get a visa, period. Most university jobs anywhere are still going to be off-limits as well. However, with a TEFL/CELTA certificate and at least a year of experience, you will be able to finagle your way into some other areas.

Other posters' mileage may vary, but that's my advice.

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

JDYoung · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Dongbei

Trevor, the immigration officer is the one who would have to decide on equivalency. When the school applies for your visa or work permit as required by their country they will have to show the appropriate documents. This is usually a government requirement, not a school one, so even if the school thinks you can walk on water and will be the greatest teacher since Confucius they will still have to prove to the immigration officer that you meet the legal requirements of the country - i.e. a degree.

Tough, but there it is.