Job Discussion Forums

[Jim Bigelow]

Greetings all.

I know the whole distance learning subject has been thrashed out a few times yet I wonder if anyone out there has any information or experience with the following.

When you're offered employment out in Saudi you have to get your degrees stamped by the Saudi Cultural Bureau or in some countries just the Saudi Embassy. I know that this is a fairly simple procedure and because the degree usually will not mention if it was obtained through distance learning, then the issue is not raised by the embassy.

However, a friend of mine from the UK did his MA by distance from an American university and the Saudi Cultural Bureau in London told him they won�t stamp anything from outside the UK. He called the embassy in America who told him (as he was from the UK) that he would have to prove he was on campus for the MA if he wanted to get it stamped because they dodn't do anything by distance etc.

Now, another friend from Canada did his MA by distance, also from America. When he was in Toronto he got the degree stamped by the Saudi Embassy without any problems at all and there were no issues about him needing to send it to the Saudi embassy in America.

Now, I'm doing an MA with a Uni in Australia and I'm worried it could end up being a waste of time (in terms of employment in Saudi). Will the Saudi Embassy in Australia will be like the one in America. My hope is that they would be like the ones in Canada. It is complete madness isn't it?

So is there anyone out there who has some info that could help?

Cheers!

Jim.

[Jim Bigelow]

I just saw an earlier posting, semi-related to my post!

Still any words of wisdom?

Jim