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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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 Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:19 am Post subject: Are distance degrees acceptable? |
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| I'm just wondering in case I one day decide to do a degree in English through Athabasca (an on-campus Canadian University which offers distance classes). Would the NET scheme be okay with this? |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 3:38 am Post subject: Re: Are distance degrees acceptable? |
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| Sudz wrote: |
| I'm just wondering in case I one day decide to do a degree in English through Athabasca (an on-campus Canadian University which offers distance classes). Would the NET scheme be okay with this? |
I don't know if anybody could answer this for sure. My guess is that they're probably OK with distance degrees, so long as they come from a reputable institution. But, can you do a BEd by distance? Methinks not, as there's so much practical teaching and observation involved. |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 3:57 am Post subject: |
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Thanks.
Yes I think that Athabasca is among one of the more reputable institutions.
By the way, I just meant a BA in English, not a B.Ed |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:38 am Post subject: |
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| Just as an observation, NET seems to be one of the few programs which seem to give priority to those with English related undergrads - provided that they meet the other requirements. |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:40 am Post subject: |
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| Do you mean English degrees? Seems to make sense though ... |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:48 am Post subject: |
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"a bachelor�s degree in English (i.e. majoring in English Language or English Literature or English Studies or Linguistics# or a Modern Language)".
It does make sense, though I've found that most schools wouldn't really have any concern as to what one's BA was if they had a PGDE to back it up.
Perhaps I'm just used to researching schools a little futher down on the food chain |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 7:09 am Post subject: |
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| Sudz wrote: |
"a bachelor�s degree in English (i.e. majoring in English Language or English Literature or English Studies or Linguistics# or a Modern Language)".
It does make sense, though I've found that most schools wouldn't really have any concern as to what one's BA was if they had a PGDE to back it up.
Perhaps I'm just used to researching schools a little futher down on the food chain |
I imagine that even though it isn't specified, given a choice of two people, one with an English degree and the other with a philosophy degree (or whatever), most schools would take the former for an English teaching post.
However, despite its implied preference, the majority of teachers on the NET scheme have degrees other than English. |
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Sudz
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 9:02 am Post subject: |
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| I'm assuming most would have a PGDP/B.Ed/QTS? |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 10:23 am Post subject: |
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| Sudz wrote: |
| I'm assuming most would have a PGDP/B.Ed/QTS? |
Yes, but not all. The application criteria (take a look lower down the list) does allow for graduates without QTS, but this means you start at the bottom of the pay scale (though that still makes for quite a decent salary with the special allowance included).
From what I can gather, there aren't many SNETs without QTS, but there are plenty of PNETs who still don't have full teaching quals. |
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dandan
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 183
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| Perilla wrote: |
I imagine that even though it isn't specified, given a choice of two people, one with an English degree and the other with a philosophy degree (or whatever), most schools would take the former for an English teaching post.
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Unfortunately this is often the case. Ideally, one would hope that the decision would be made on the basis of which teacher had more teaching ability but often it is just a bureaucratic process of looking at qualifications.
If the choice is between two candidates, one of whom has a degree in English + PGCE and can't teach to save his life and another who has a degree in Philosophy + PGCE and is an excellent teacher one would hope that the position would go to the guy who can actually teach but in bureaucracies the safest option is usually to select whoever most closely fits paper-based requirements.
This is not just a problem in Hong Kong of course, it's fairly common in bureaucracies and corporations which don't have proper competency-based recruitment processes. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| dandan wrote: |
| Perilla wrote: |
I imagine that even though it isn't specified, given a choice of two people, one with an English degree and the other with a philosophy degree (or whatever), most schools would take the former for an English teaching post.
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Unfortunately this is often the case. Ideally, one would hope that the decision would be made on the basis of which teacher had more teaching ability but often it is just a bureaucratic process of looking at qualifications.
If the choice is between two candidates, one of whom has a degree in English + PGCE and can't teach to save his life and another who has a degree in Philosophy + PGCE and is an excellent teacher one would hope that the position would go to the guy who can actually teach but in bureaucracies the safest option is usually to select whoever most closely fits paper-based requirements.
This is not just a problem in Hong Kong of course, it's fairly common in bureaucracies and corporations which don't have proper competency-based recruitment processes. |
Training systems are there for various reasons, and the obvious one is to actually train people for a job. If you can't teach to save your life, you will be kicked out of any respectable PGDE. Getting a degree shows you are committed to the profession, and not a fly by nighter. It also shows that you have the patience and self-discipline to stick with something that requires hard work and persistence.
I have little sympathy for untrained teachers who complain that they can't get jobs as teachers. One teacher at my school who had no uni qualification at all complained to me that it was unfair that I got better classes and better respect, and a lot more money. He got shirty about it at times, and felt like he was a victim. He didn't seem to get the obvious: I spent 9 years in tertiary education, all funded by myself, and often while I was working full time and studying full-time - at the same time. That took great sacrifice. He was out partying with the babes while I worked and studied my butt off. Now I get to reap the fruits of hard work and self-sacrifice. He gets blind drunk - at least most of the time I see him. Don't get me wrong. he's a nice guy, but doesn't understand one of the fundamental qualities of mental/spiritual maturity: the capacity to delay gratification. |
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dandan
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 183
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:16 am Post subject: |
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| You don't seem to have read the post that you purport to be responding to. |
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