Job Discussion Forums

[HoPie]

Hey, I was wondering if any of you have taught abroad without a degree? From what I heard if you try and find work overseas without a degree you will get paid less and be hired at much more beat down places. Is this completely true? I am definitely going to get my CELTA certificate, I was just wondering if it's worth it when I don't have a degree.

Advice is greatly appreciated!

[80daze]

Hi HoPie

I'll give you some options.

You can still teach in parts of Asia without a degree though it is illegal, I know of people who are teaching in Thailand and China without a degree even though you need one officially to work in these countries. Basically the employer sorted this out with the local authorities ( by pulling out a fake degree).

I know getting a job here in China would not be much of a problem but without a degree you would be on a lower wage and you would be going for the jobs that legally qualified teachers may avoid.

You can teach in South and Central America without a degree (legally),others on this site will be in a better position than I to give you more information on this part of the world. Also if you have 3 years teaching experience you can teach in Japan.

So now comes the question you know I'm going to ask! why no degree? are you going to get one at some point? you will be aware that your opportunities will be very limited in this field without one.

[Glenski]

There are various options to working without a degree:

1. spouse visa. If you are married to a local, you may not need a degree to be able to get a work visa. Whether the employers think you are employable is another story.

2. student visa. You have to prove you can pay tuition, and then you can study plus work part-time.

3. dependent visa. If you are married to someone who has a visa or permanent resident status, you can work PT.

4. cultural activities visa. In Japan you can study a craft, and work PT.

5. Have enough experience (3 years minimum for Japan), and you don't need the BA degree for a work visa.

6. Have the local heritage (like be a second generation Japanese), and you don't need a work visa.

Now, with all those visa options, the main point is whether you can prove to an employer you can do the job. Some don't care, some do. I would bet that most do.

Bottom line, unless you fit one of the special categories above (and in some cases despite fitting them), get a degree if you want to be in the biz a while.

[HoPie]

I definitely want to go back to school eventually (I am only 19) I just thought it would be neat to teach overseas for awhile beforehand and then come back and get my degree later. I also wanted to see if I liked it before I dedicated 4 years of my life to becoming a teacher. It's starting to seem like that's what I'll have to do though!

Thanks for the advice!

[santi84]

Without a degree and being only 19 years old, you will probably get hired at a place that will try to take advantage of you with either low pay or terrible working conditions (or both) - even with legal work.

You have a third option aside from going straight into university or taking a teaching job abroad...

I totally understand how you feel about not wanting to spend four years in university without knowing if teaching is for you. In your position, I would suggest volunteering with local ESL students (elementary, high school, college, government immigrant programs, etc) and see how that goes. I did that myself It was a lot of fun. A lot of ESL programs, especially the ones for immigrants, could really use a volunteer native speaker to just be around and chat with the students during exercises.

You didn't say where you live. If you are in Canada, volunteer with LINC/ELSA. I'm not sure what the US programs are called, but there are similar ones.

**Oh, I see you did say where you were from! Well then! LINC in most provinces, ELSA in British Columbia. Contact your local community services society and ask them about their newcomer's ESL programs.

If you choose to go into teaching, the volunteering will benefit in a couple ways. First, all BEd programs in Canada are very competitive, so volunteering gives a good advantage (especially ESL as it is an in-demand subject), and when you graduate, you have just a wee bit more experience than your classmates.

[spiral78]

Ah, I hadn't realised that you are so young. That does change the picture a bit - and I agree that your age unfortunately makes you much more likely to be exploited by shady employers.

Many reputable employers may not want to hire someone so young as they can (rightly or wrongly) expect that you will need more logistical support outside of the classroom.

I realise it may not be a fair assumption about you specifically, but an employer may feel that they would need to be 'responsible' for your safety outside of work, and not wish to take this on.

Many of those who would take on a 19 year old either don't care at all about their employees outside of work - or may well see you as a soft target in terms of working the worst schedules, least wanted students, etc.

I agree with the suggestion above that you volunteer for a year or so. Then you can get a related degree if you like it, and strike out from a much stronger position in terms of qualifications, experience, and age in a few years. Most employers will feel much more positive about a 24 year old candidate with a degree than a 19 year old in any case.

Again, maybe not fair - you may be entirely adult, responsible, and totally able to take care of yourself in a foreign city - but the perceptions will be there regardless.

[Glenski]

santi has good advice.

If you want to know whether you will like being a carpenter, work with one as his aid. Same with plumber or electrician or politician.

But do it in your own country with conditions that simulate what you will face.

Teaching abroad doesn't offer such options most of the time, so do as santi advises. Find some tutoring or volunteer work and see how you like it. Make sure you work with foreign students, of course. Find out who teachers ESL or offers certification courses in your area, and talk to them about their own teaching abroad experiences.

Would you want someone to teach your own kids from a foreign country if he had no teaching degree or experience but was instead using your kids as guinea pigs to test the waters? Think of it.

[Dinah606]

Degrees aren't a requirement to work in Wuhan China, though I've heard whispers that they might be in the near future. In China at least, it varies greatly from city to city whether or not just a TESL cert is acceptable. I knew one guy who was 19 years old, working here, and actually at a very nice school, getting paid what is pretty much considered a mid-ranged salary around here (only 500 yuan a month less than I was, and I have a degree.).

I'm pretty sure his good luck was the exception rather than the rule though. I've known two other teachers in the under twenty set for whom things did not work out very well, and who ended up going home without completing their contracts.

[rrrjjjmmm]

Hi
I work for the Teacher Training Center in Queretaro, Mexico.
There is no requirement for a degree to teach English in Mexico, just the TEFL certificate, for most language institutes.
Often govt organisations (e.g. universities, public schools), will require a degree, but private tuition it is not required nor requested in the FM3 work visa process.
The job market here is very fluid right now, it might be worth look.
Cheers
RM

[sarahuk]

Hi, do you have the contact details for the school in Mexico. It sounds like somehting that would be ideal for me to. Thanks. Sarah

[TeresaLopez]

I agree with the poster about jobs in Mexico. There are lots of schools in Mexico City who will hire you as a native speaker and give you training in their method. There is a large chain called Interlengua that will hire you after you pass a written and oral exam (no problem at all for a native speaker) and then give you their own training program. *I* worked for them when I was 19 - 20, and it didn't make a difference in how I was treated. I worked for them again a couple of years ago (waaaaaaayyyyyy past 20 now) and there were people just starting from age 19, 20, 21 all the way up to early 60's, so at least there, if you can do the job, your age won't matter. They have a fairly rigid teaching method which they require you to follow, so there isn't much room for creativity or originality, but on the upside, you don't have to plan lessons, they even provide you with lesson plans, posters, CD players, etc., everything you need to teach their classes. And, if you decide to leave you will have learned somethings from their teaching method that you can incorporate other places. You can also take a 4 - 6 month course here that will provide you with decent training to teach anywhere. Some schools do require a degree (The Anglo, for example) but the vast majority of language schools don't.