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sandrahall
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:37 am Post subject: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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Thank you for this wonderful website!
Before I put my energy into looking to teach english as a second language, I'd like to know what my possibilities of teaching without a degree are.
I am a qualified professional, A Registered Nurse with a diploma in Natural Therapies; a diploma in Yoga Teaching and a certificate in Training and Assessment, along with many years of professional work experience and teaching.
I am Australian and am 46 years of age. English is my first language.
I am very interested in teaching english to young children, especially using creative arts as a teaching tool. The country I would love to teach and work in is Japan, being emersed in Japanese culture for one to two years.
With appreciation
Sandra Hall |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:01 am Post subject: |
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I may stand to be corrected (glenski are you out there?) but to the best of my knowledge you require (as a visa requirement for Japan) either:
a) A bachelors degree
b) 3 or more years of verifiable classroom experience.
You will find that most (but not all) places in Asia now LEGALLY require a degree for issuance of a work visa as a teacher
HOWEVER
there ARE places where you can get a visa without the degree or the local authorities can get around your "lack of a degree".
It is do-able but it won't be easy.
. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:27 am Post subject: |
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To get a work visa (in your case either the Instructor type or Specialist in Humanities/International Relations), one has to have either the equivalent of a bachelor's degree (any major ok) or 3 years of related teaching experience.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/t_main.html#zairyuu
http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/information/mopca-01.html
I presume a registered nurse has something akin to a BA or BS degree...?
If you want more info about Japan, please come to the Japan forum. I'll be there, too. Heads up, though, as there is a glut of teachers here, and it is not as easy to land jobs as it used to be.
If you were an Aussie under 30, you would probably qualify for a working holiday visa, which requires no degree, and be able to work PT or FT from the outset.
Other ways to teach in Japan with no degree:
spouse visa (if spouse is Japanese)
dependent visa (if spouse or parent has a valid visa)
student visa (if you are enrolled FT)
cultural activities visa (if you study a craft under a master) |
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FrenchLieutenant'sWoman
Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 53
Location: France(ish)
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:34 am Post subject: |
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Which system did you train under to become a nurse? And is there any way you can upskill that to get a degree?
I know in the UK registered nurses typically used to have the quivalent of a DipHE which they could add 120 credits to in order to receive a BNurs Hons. |
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sandrahall
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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Thank you all so much for your informative and swift replies
I will look into what is possible further especially with the links you gave me
Hope that all is enjoyable in your worlds
many thanks
Sandra Hall |
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AdrianG4
Joined: 17 Apr 2009
Posts: 160
Location: Harbin, China
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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I'm 23, with no degree, but a TESOL cert. I chose to do this because of the countries that interest me. I'm obsessed with Mexico and had long decided this is where I would want to spend a great deal of my life -- where it is easy to get a job, especially as a Mexican blooded, Spanish speaking U.S. citizen. 
If Japan was my passion though, Id be a little worried as its difficult for degreeless teachers to optain jobs, even with the three year experience thing.
There's no where else you'd like to teach? Not china? Not indonesia ? |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:09 pm Post subject: Re: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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| sandrahall wrote: |
Thank you for this wonderful website!
Before I put my energy into looking to teach english as a second language, I'd like to know what my possibilities of teaching without a degree are.
I am a qualified professional, A Registered Nurse with a diploma in Natural Therapies; a diploma in Yoga Teaching and a certificate in Training and Assessment, along with many years of professional work experience and teaching.
I am Australian and am 46 years of age. English is my first language.
I am very interested in teaching english to young children, especially using creative arts as a teaching tool. The country I would love to teach and work in is Japan, being emersed in Japanese culture for one to two years.
With appreciation
Sandra Hall |
I won't ask how it is that you're a registered nurse (which, here in the States, requires a four-year degree) with nothing more than these miscellaneous diplomas (by which, I presume you mean they're not degrees). However, since you indicated that you want to teach English to young children, be aware that the various TEFL certificates (like CELTA, Trinity, SIT, and the various generics) are geared toward teaching adults (though some of these do offer a certificate for teaching English to young learners).
At the risk of sounding insensitive, brutal or whatever, why do you presume to think you should be allowed to become a teacher without having a degree? Some of us take the teaching profession (and it is a profession) seriously and find this notion of people thinking they can do it without bothering to get the proper training (including a college degree) insulting.
Anyway, since you're not entirely settled on whether you want to go into this, perhaps you might consider a short-term volunteer opportunity first to see whether this is something you might want to do long-term. While i-to-i is not considered a proper TEFL certification, the one thing it does have going for it is that it offers volunteer opportunities. You can find out more about it by going to http://www.i-to-i.com/. |
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FrenchLieutenant'sWoman
Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 53
Location: France(ish)
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 7:08 am Post subject: Re: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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| Chancellor wrote: |
| I won't ask how it is that you're a registered nurse (which, here in the States, requires a four-year degree) with nothing more than these miscellaneous diplomas (by which, I presume you mean they're not degrees). |
Some countries still have a practical nurse training route, where you start as a probationer on wards and learn on the job combined with some theoretical/classroom training but you don't get a piece of paper or official diploma. From a bit of research I've found that Australia only shifted nurse training to the tertiary education sector 25 years ago, so it's entirely possible to be a RN without a degree. However universities with APEL may recognise the training and time spend nursing and award credits.
The UK made recommendations to shift away from the probationer system to graduate level in 1972. The first nursing degree was introduced in the 60s. America, in constrast, was very far ahead - the first BNurs was apparently in 1909 and Yale had its own nursing school in 1923.
So basically, in summary, entirely possible to be an RN without holding an official piece of paper reflecting academic achievement. |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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| FrenchLieutenant'sWoman wrote: |
| Chancellor wrote: |
| I won't ask how it is that you're a registered nurse (which, here in the States, requires a four-year degree) with nothing more than these miscellaneous diplomas (by which, I presume you mean they're not degrees). |
Some countries still have a practical nurse training route, where you start as a probationer on wards and learn on the job combined with some theoretical/classroom training but you don't get a piece of paper or official diploma. From a bit of research I've found that Australia only shifted nurse training to the tertiary education sector 25 years ago, so it's entirely possible to be a RN without a degree. However universities with APEL may recognise the training and time spend nursing and award credits.
The UK made recommendations to shift away from the probationer system to graduate level in 1972. The first nursing degree was introduced in the 60s. America, in constrast, was very far ahead - the first BNurs was apparently in 1909 and Yale had its own nursing school in 1923.
So basically, in summary, entirely possible to be an RN without holding an official piece of paper reflecting academic achievement. |
Sometimes I think the whole college degree thing is over-rated. The high school I went to had a nursing program (it was a vocational-technical high school and nursing was just one of the programs it offered) and those who went through the program were able to get their LVN/LPN right out of high school - all they had to do was take the state licensing exam. |
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Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 1520
Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 4:54 pm Post subject: Re: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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| Chancellor wrote: |
Sometimes I think the whole college degree thing is over-rated. The high school I went to had a nursing program (it was a vocational-technical high school and nursing was just one of the programs it offered) and those who went through the program were able to get their LVN/LPN right out of high school - all they had to do was take the state licensing exam. |
Keep in mind that an LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse is a step below an RN or Registered Nurse in terms of education, skills and responsibilities. |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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| Isla Guapa wrote: |
| Chancellor wrote: |
Sometimes I think the whole college degree thing is over-rated. The high school I went to had a nursing program (it was a vocational-technical high school and nursing was just one of the programs it offered) and those who went through the program were able to get their LVN/LPN right out of high school - all they had to do was take the state licensing exam. |
Keep in mind that an LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse is a step below an RN or Registered Nurse in terms of education, skills and responsibilities. |
Yes, I'm aware of that. |
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sandrahall
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:35 am Post subject: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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The hospital I trained at in Australia had a very good school of nursing The three year training was gruelling with a lot of theoretical study and working as a nurse in the hospital in all the related specialties The trainee nurses were the backbone of the hospital nursing care
It is wonderful that nursing is now a degree in Australia This has empowered nurses tremendously, although the work can be arduous and not paid as well as it should be It is quite a challenge for nurses coming out of University to become acquainted with the day to day running of a busy hospital ward with all the hands on knowledge that is required
We all learn differently and require contrasting approaches to learning
Education is empowering |
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sandrahall
Joined: 08 Jul 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:57 am Post subject: TEACHING ENGLISH WITHOUT A DEGREE |
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I have recently been living in Asia On many occasions I was called upon to help people with their english I found that I was good at instructing english and enjoyed empowering others
Creative learning really interests me and I would love to do further study in this area of expertise
I have a five and a half year old friend who I play with and she loves to learn in so many different creative ways
Life experience teaches us so much |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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| Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 5:14 am Post subject: |
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"Empower"...jes' another buzz word like "Transparency" or "Stakeholder"!!! 
NCTBA |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 5:21 am Post subject: |
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| NCTBA, you should 'take ownership' of 'empowered', ahem. |
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