Job Discussion Forums

kylemcgee · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Various..

Hello -

I have applied for the Georgetown ELF program online and they have requested an interview. However, my MA is from Nottingham uni in England and they have requested that I pay for a evaluation service to make sure the program is up to their standards citing the following from the site:

"If your qualifying degree was awarded by a non-U.S. institution, you must have your degree evaluated by an educational credential evaluation service. Visit National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of evaluation companies."

From what I can tell, most of the evaluation companies charge $200 which is NOT refunded from the ELF program even if you get the job. Does this seem normal? Reasonable?

Also, I understand you must pay tax on the salary ($25,000) that you receive as an independent contractor. How much would that actually work out to? Any idea or experience with this?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Kyle

michgreen · Joined: 16 Apr 2010 Posts: 27

Many university jobs in the States require a non-US MA to be evaluated and on your dime.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

Tax on self-employment can vary greatly, depends on your deductions. The US tax laws for self-employment income are VERY complicated; not difficult, just a lot of different stuff.

kylemcgee · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Various..

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

I couldn't even begin to guess. Just remember, EVERYTHING that's job related is a deduction, including your degree verification, travel, some meals, some housing (there is an "exclusive use" rule that applies here). Also, remember that "deduction" doesn't mean that all of your job expenditures are free, it means you don't pay tax on the amount that you spend.

jr1965 · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 175

kylemcgee · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Various..

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Yep, I have. It was about the same amount.

csfek · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 41 Location: USA

It is normal to have your foreign MA evaluated for a lot of jobs in the US, but I don't know about the ELF program. I have an MA from a foreign university and I did the ELF program last year, but they didn't make me have my MA evaluated. Maybe they have changed their policies. I have had it evaluated for other US jobs though, including my current K-12 teaching job. It costs around 200 dollars for a course by course evaluation.

As far as taxes go, you have to pay taxes on the $25,000 stipend that you get for the ELF program. They don't withhold anything. You could end up paying quite a lot ( I did) but I think if you have a good accountant (which I didn't) you can figure out ways to pay less than you would otherwise.

If you have any other questions about the ELF program, feel free to PM me.

kylemcgee · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Posts: 86 Location: Various..