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Dietary77
Joined: 03 Oct 2014
Posts: 1
Location: United States
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 Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:54 pm Post subject: Looking to get started... |
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Me and my wife are 31. We have no degree and a 2 year old. We think we need a change in our life and heard we can teach overseas without a degree. We were wondering where we could teach without a degree?
My wife does have experience as an instructor and health educator. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Have either of you completed any university/college coursework? I ask because you'll be extremely limited as to where you can legally work without a BA; employer and/or government visa requirements can and do change. Plus, it will be even more challenging with a young child to care for. If you have some uni credits under your belt, it would be worth it to complete your degree before considering heading abroad. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| If you have some uni credits under your belt, it would be worth it to complete your degree before considering heading abroad. |
Even if you have zero uni credits under your belt, it would still be worth it to complete your degrees before moving abroad. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Right on, esl_prof. And that would be a full BA degree and not a two-year associate's degree. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Right on, esl_prof. And that would be a full BA degree and not a two-year associate's degree. |
Indeed. While the prospects of pursuing a four-year degree program may seem a bit daunting, the reality is that this poses some unique opportunities for the OP as well. In contrast to the average prospective TEFLer who happens to have a degree in an unrelated field like, say, criminal justice or microbiology, the OP actually has the opportunity to choose a degree program and, possibly, teacher certification track with overseas teaching in mind that would make him quite competitive for a number of jobs (and salaries) that wouldn't even be open to someone with simply a BA plus 30-Day TESOL Cert. And, of course, one could accumulate quite a bit of experience doing things like tutoring international students or working as a paraprofessional in the public schools over the course of a four year degree, which would certainly enhance one's resume when applying for jobs after graduation. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 1:17 am Post subject: |
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I think you've received some extremely overly-optimistic information regarding what teaching abroad entails.
With no degrees and a child to support, your options are extremely limited, as already noted.
I can speak for the European region, where I've been for a long time. Not here, not as US citizens, no degrees, with a child. |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 2:51 am Post subject: Re: Looking to get started... |
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| Dietary77 wrote: |
Me and my wife are 31. We have no degree and a 2 year old. We think we need a change in our life and heard we can teach overseas without a degree. We were wondering where we could teach without a degree?
My wife does have experience as an instructor and health educator. |
Truth?
Effective with AEC integration in 2015 you can rule out ALL of east and southeast Asia for legal (defined as having a proper visa and the necessary permits) without a degree (visa and/or work permit requirements).
As Americans you can rule out western Europe due to visa issues.
Eastern Europe or western Asia may be an option for the short term.
I don't know about the current state of affairs in central and south America. There are usually visa issues so long term options may not be available and salaries certainly won't allow much in the way of savings.
Without a degree or some very specialized skills (driller for offshore oil rigs) your chances of employment abroad are near "0" and long term there is no future as visa rules continue to tighten.
Don't let the dream sellers sell you a worthless TEFL course with the dream of teaching and travel abroad. The days of tourist teachers and backpacker's with nothing more than a high school diploma and 30-day TEFL cert making it as "English Teachers" have long since ridden into the sunset.
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 3:17 am Post subject: Re: Looking to get started... |
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| Dietary77 wrote: |
| ...heard we can teach overseas without a degree. |
What's the source of this info? A company that provides TEFL adventure courses? |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 11:38 am Post subject: Re: Looking to get started... |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Dietary77 wrote: |
| ...heard we can teach overseas without a degree. |
What's the source of this info? A company that provides TEFL adventure courses?
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Oh, plenty of stories still make the rounds about "the good old days." It is not always made clear that things have changed enormously since then. (And, yes, of course less scrupulous course providers also promote the idea.)
| Quote: |
I don't know about the current state of affairs in central and south America. There are usually visa issues so long term options may not be available and salaries certainly won't allow much in the way of savings.
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It is still possible to teach without a degree in Latin America. Mexico, for example, requires evidence of a professional qualification for a work permit, but that evidence can be a TEFL cert rather than a degree. Your chances would be maximized by an in-country, on-site TEFL course that checks all the boxes, with staff who can advise you about local employment possibilities, and assist you with making contacts.
But, as always, better jobs require better qualifications, and without them the pay for entry-level teachers is at the subsistence level. And the lack of a degree leaves you at the bottom of the barrel for even entry-level employment. While you might be able to pull this off without a family, I just don't see how you could manage it with a child to support.
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Eastern Europe or western Asia may be an option for the short term. |
Not Eastern Europe. For the unqualified, the jobs are bare survival and even with both parents working full-time (unlikely for US citizens at entry level) it would be impossible to deal with a small child. |
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Tudor
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Effective with AEC integration in 2015 you can rule out ALL of east and southeast Asia for legal (defined as having a proper visa and the necessary permits) without a degree (visa and/or work permit requirements). |
I'll believe it when I see it. I'd say the day when laws and rules override corruption and chicanery in some of the countries of this region are some way away yet. The only countries that will adhere to this edict are the ones that already do. |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| Tudor wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Effective with AEC integration in 2015 you can rule out ALL of east and southeast Asia for legal (defined as having a proper visa and the necessary permits) without a degree (visa and/or work permit requirements). |
I'll believe it when I see it. I'd say the day when laws and rules override corruption and chicanery in some of the countries of this region are some way away yet. The only countries that will adhere to this edict are the ones that already do. |
LEGAL work vs work.
There have always been opportunities for illegal work but would you want to relocate your family based on being an illegal, undocumented, migrant worker who depends on bribes and corruption to stay in the country (even if you do have a blue passport and white face).
How do you (or the OP) feel about Mexican fruit pickers or Central American "anchor kids" (same/same) since that is essentially what they will become?
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Tudor
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| suphanburi wrote: |
| Tudor wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Effective with AEC integration in 2015 you can rule out ALL of east and southeast Asia for legal (defined as having a proper visa and the necessary permits) without a degree (visa and/or work permit requirements). |
I'll believe it when I see it. I'd say the day when laws and rules override corruption and chicanery in some of the countries of this region are some way away yet. The only countries that will adhere to this edict are the ones that already do. |
LEGAL work vs work.
There have always been opportunities for illegal work but would you want to relocate your family based on being an illegal, undocumented, migrant worker who depends on bribes and corruption to stay in the country (even if you do have a blue passport and white face).
How do you (or the OP) feel about Mexican fruit pickers or Central American "anchor kids" (same/same) since that is essentially what they will become?
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I can only speak for Indonesia but there are plenty of teachers here without degrees who have work permits and pay taxes, as unpalatable as they may to be some. How their employers procure these work permits is a mystery to me but they do. Of course, there are also some that are blatantly working illegally on tourist, business or social visas just as I imagine there are in Thailand. If they get caught then tough.
I very much doubt the first group of teachers I mentioned are going to suddenly find their work visas revoked on January 1st 2015 because they lack a degree although unqualified "newbies" to the country may not find it so easy as those who are already in the system.
I wasn't condoning nor condemning working in the region without a degree nor was I recommending anyone do it; I was merely pointing out that I don't think it's as clear cut as you seem to think it's going to be. I have a degree so I couldn't care less what happens to those without one. Likewise, I'm not overly concerned about the fortunes of fruitpickers or "anchorkids" (whatever they are) either.
Oh, and my passport's burgundy, not blue. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Needing a change in life isn't enough of a reason to pack up and leave home. Even without a wife and child.
Also, what can you offer the students? Any Tefl training, or certs? |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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<duplicate post>
Last edited by suphanburi on Mon Oct 13, 2014 3:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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