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Options for people without a degree?
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spiffy



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:44 am    Post subject: Options for people without a degree? Reply with quote
I'm a British citizen, with more than 4 years experience teaching but no university or college degree. I am currently living and working in Japan but would like to spend 1 or 2 more years teaching in another country (preferably Asia) before settling down. Originally I was planning to do so in Taiwan but found out it was impossible. After Taiwan my next choice would be Korea but that also seems either very difficult or impossible. So my question is, what are my options in this situation? Are there any countries in Asia I can work or should I look at other continents like South America, Africa or Europe?
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
No degree means you have to rely on working holiday visa (limited term) or years of experience. In Japan you may be able to use either option (depending on your age). To get a work visa for teaching, you only need 3 years of experience.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Most European countries don't specifically require a first degree. Yes, you'll be up against most teachers who do have one, but you've got the right passport and some experience, so you should be able to land reasonable work.

Just be aware that you won't likely make enough money to save anything.
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stillnosheep



Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 2068
Location: eslcafe
PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Most SE Asian countries would be possibilities for you (Taiwan and Korea are the (relatively well paying) exceptions. With your experrience it would be no problem for you to find work in China.
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naturegirl321



Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Latin America could work as well. Here in Peru, you might not get a visa, but you could work at an institute and with private classes, but you'll only get about 500 or 700 usd a month
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spiffy



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for all the replies. I heard that Japan would give me a visa if I have 3 years experience but as I've already been here for 3 years I would like to try somewhere new. Are there any other countries in Asia that have this system? How about China, Thailand or other South East Asian countries? Usually higher demand for teachers means they have more relaxed rules right?
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 8:03 am    Post subject: Re: Options for people without a degree? Reply with quote
spiffy wrote:
I'm a British citizen, with more than 4 years experience teaching but no university or college degree. I am currently living and working in Japan but would like to spend 1 or 2 more years teaching in another country (preferably Asia) before settling down. Originally I was planning to do so in Taiwan but found out it was impossible. After Taiwan my next choice would be Korea but that also seems either very difficult or impossible. So my question is, what are my options in this situation? Are there any countries in Asia I can work or should I look at other continents like South America, Africa or Europe?
There is a great deal of wiggle room between "no college" and "no university degree." How much education have you completed?

If you have an associate's degree (two years) and a TEFL certificate, you can teach in Taiwan.

If you have two years of college, you can teach in South Korea, but only at a public school (it's a new regulation).

China traditionally has been very easy to get EFL employment in, but around the Olympics, lots of employers started requiring bachelor's degrees and lots of Foreign Expert Bureaus stopped giving letters to people without degrees, but supposedly this has changed back since last month, so you could probably work in China, too.

In Vietnam, the visa process is so prohibitive, almost nobody has a visa, meaning that the police don't crack down much on illegal English teachers, so you could go there and have the same status as most other English teachers.

In Cambodia, it's a simple matter of buying a business visa at the airport. There is no English teaching visa, so once again, like Vietnam, although it's not technically legal, you would be on the same legal ground as most other English teachers.

In Indonesia, all you need is a TEFL certificate.

In short summary, there are LOTS of countries you can go and teach in, and the one you're teaching in is probably one of the most competitive in Asia. Good luck.
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spiffy



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the info, was exactly what I wanted to hear. Unfortunately I only have the standard 12 years education and at this time no tefl but am thinking about getting it. I'll look into some of these countries, especially China, but apart from the visa situation, what are the conditions like? Is it possible to have a good time and save a bit of money on the side? (especially considering I want to continue teaching kids)
Btw, does anyone have any info on Thailand? Visas or otherwise?
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
spiffy wrote:
Thanks for the info, was exactly what I wanted to hear. Unfortunately I only have the standard 12 years education and at this time no tefl but am thinking about getting it.
You should get it. You're about to walk into a country where your salary could very well be more than even a local doctor makes, so it's the least you can do to take a one-month TEFL course.
Quote:
I'll look into some of these countries, especially China, but apart from the visa situation, what are the conditions like? Is it possible to have a good time and save a bit of money on the side? (especially considering I want to continue teaching kids)
If you want to teach kids, I predict you will have no problem finding a job. As for "what are the conditions like?" and "Is it possible to have a good time and save a bit of money on the side?" that completely depends on you, where you are, what kind of teaching you're doing, your benefits, your workplace, etc. No one on this forum can accurately predict the answers to these questions.
Quote:
Btw, does anyone have any info on Thailand? Visas or otherwise?
As previously stated, you need a four-year degree, but many people get around this by teaching illegally. I strongly doubt you will find any legal ways to get a working visa for Thailand without a degree, though.
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