Job Discussion Forums

[jammish]

[abusalam4]

[Leon Purvis]

Here's the sad part about presenting an original degree to anyone who wants to inspect it: no one can tell if it is bona fide or not.

For my first gig in China in 2004, the PRC Consulate in D.C.wanted authenticated degrees-- authenticated on every local level, then the state level (State Attorney General's Office); then it had to be sent to the U.S. Department of State (along with my medical examination). After that entity affixed its papers to my degrees and other papers (letters of recommendation), I had to have everything sent to the PRC Consulate whereupon photocopies were made of everything, and then more rice papers were attached to the documents. Chops were splattered all over them, and someone's signature was added to the whole mess. and they were returned to me with my visa. That whole process cost about $200.00.

I found out later that all anyone does to authenticate degrees is to compare them to known forgeries.

I'd say, yeah, bring your original with all of the authentication with you if you anticipate changing jobs. It may help to convince your new FAO that you are degreed. Once you get your job, I don't think anyone will ask to see your degree. Neither of my Chinese employers asked to see my degree except for the scan that I sent along with the copy of my passport and the letters of recommendation.

[samhouston]

I just made a similar post to this one on another thread that was discussing this issue...

If someone is already in China, with a CELTA cert, and a scan of a degree that was Photoshopped to his specs, how much danger would you be putting yourself in? If all you're looking for is a teaching position at a normal school, are they really going to authenticate it? What about in somewhere like Shanghai?

Or, if you don't have a degree, is it best to just tell the school up front, to find the ones willing to fill in the gaps for you? Seems a lot less risky than telling them that yes, you have a degree, but please don't go trying to authenticate it because it's a fraud.

[tw]

If you don't have a degree, then just admit it and say so in your initial e-mail to the employer/recruiter. Yes, many government officials are too lazy/busy/dumb to check whether your degree is real or not, but if you have to practically lie to get a teaching job in China, then ask yourself if you would make a good role model to your students?

This comes from someone without a degree, BTW. I have never lied and if an employer asks, I just tell them that I am a college graduate -- just not a university graduate.

[samhouston]

[tw]