Job Discussion Forums

[friendoken]

Any advice here would be helpful. I will graduate with a BA in Applied Communication this July from a Canadian university. I would like to teach in SE Asia for a year, then get an MA, which I would like to get from a Thai university. Why? Because I plan to emigrate to SE Asia (not sure which country yet) and if I am going to live there I felt a grad degree from there would fit nicely into the future plans.

Q1: Any advice on which Thai uni's are better
Q2: Any advice on grad degrees from other SE Asian countries, better/worse than Thai uni's

I'm kissing Canada good bye. It's too darn cold.

[mandalayroad]

[friendoken]

Thanks Mandalayroad,

Let the new adventure begin. I go to RRU in Victoria BC. Canada's lotusland if you would. It is May....cold....cloudy....and a bonechilling constant light drizzle. People here rave about this place and think I am crazy to leave. When asked where they have lived...."Here!"

Like everything else in life, it's all a matter of perspective isn't it? Getting punched sucks...but if the other option is getting stabbed?????? lol

I've been to SE Asia traveling around, as well as many other places. I found my home in SE Asia. Don't know why, don't know how...but it felt like I was finally where I was supposed to be. Thus, adieu Canada. It's been swell, but the swelling has gone down!

[mandalayroad]

No place in the world is perfect, but I'm with you that SE Asia is one of the nicest places in the world to live. I don't mind it hot, and hate the cold. The food is the best on the planet. The people for the most part are friendly and amenable. There are myriad cultures to explore since the area was the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. After my next stint in the ME for around a decade, I plan to eventually "retire" to SE Asia for the future.
Adieu America...

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Among the better known Thai universities: Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Assumption, Mahidol, Chiang Mai and Payap. Of course a lot depends on what you're planning to study. The unis mentioned above all have websites, which you can find easily with google, and / or use this for an overview: Universities in Thailand

[roguegrafix]

Master degrees at a Thai uni would set you back probably at least 100,000 baht, if not more. And even the more prestigous of them (Chula and Thammasat), despite their hype, are not well recognised outside of Thailand. An international head-hunter cringed when someone mentioned getting a PhD from Chula.

There would be few offering degrees in English (again Thammasat and Chula are your best bets) so you would need to learn Thai very well (writing as well).

Additionally, most master degrees in Thailand are not what you would expect from your native Canada. There is a lot of classes to attend, rote learning to get through and your "research" is not up to you -- your advisor chooses your topic for you and basically you do what they say. Any of your own ideas meets with a lot of resistance. But having said that, if you can put up with all that, you are usually guaranteed a pass.

You might be better off checking out an on-line/distance degree from a Canadian uni. Foreign degrees are much more prestigous here anyway. I did my masters like this (from an Australian uni). One other thing, only a few work places require you have a masters degree and having one doesn't necessarily mean you will be paid any more than a normal degree holder.

Sorry if this has put a damper on your ideas but that's been my experience.

[friendoken]

Thank you. All sound advice. I wish to further my studies and get an MA in Conflict Management. It is one of the topics we study in Organizational Communication and I find it fascinating. I have been throughout my young life the peacemaker when issues arise between friends, family or just classmates I attend (ed) school with. With all due humility I seem to be a natural at it, and I enjoy it. When two (or more) people are having issues and I can get a discussion going that opens a line of communication that leads to a mutually agreeable meeting of the minds it is a euphoric feeling. I could enjoy it very much as a career. I think it could also be lucrative, sort of a communication organization specialist.

[napili79]

You should check out peacebrigades.org if you have any interest in Indonesia. I was in Indonesia for several months in 2006 and I met quite a few people in central Java who were taking language classes prior to starting their employment with PBI.

[Sadebugo]

Just saw this thread and would like to comment if you haven't already solidified your plans. I taught at a university in Thailand for two years. I thought I would want to stay there forever when I first arrived. However, your impressions of any country may change once you've been there a while. If I had a dollar for every expat who soured on Thailand . . .

Anyway, in light of the above, if you can afford it, I would get my MA in Canada. You never know where you might end up in the future and a Canadian degree would be recognized anywhere. Even the best universities in Thailand are virtually unknown outside the country. You would also be receiving an inferior education IMHO.

Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

[friendoken]

Thanks again. My uni has a shared program with Chulalongkorn (and 4 others I think) in Thailand, an MA in Peace and Conflct Management, which I do find interesting. So, I think that degree would definitely be valued in Canada and other places. Also, the MA is distance with two on campus residencies and the first one takes place in Thailand.

It's interesting and something I may explore. The thing is, I don't want to teach ESL, not for longer than I have to anyway. I want a career with an NGO, and I want that career in SE Asia. I think an MA in Peace and Conflict mgm't would be valuable for that.

What do you all think?