Job Discussion Forums

[drivingcats]

If I got my bachelors degree from a university in Thailand or say China would immigration be opposed to giving me a working visa in Japan if I wanted to teach english there in the future? I'm from America. I've been looking for an answer on the web regarding this but I can't find one.

Thank You

[Glenski]

If the university is accredited, you'll probably have no problems.

[Dilton]

As a westerner with a first degree from Asia, you will be at a great disadvantage in applying for jobs in your home country and quite possibly overseas jobs as well. People won't know what to make of it, your home country may not honor the accreditation, overseas schools may question whether your English is fluent. I strongly recommend getting a degree from your home country. Online is fine as long as it is properly accredited. (In the U.S., that would mean regional accreditation.)

[drivingcats]

Thank you. I have been doing a lot more research online and a lot of other people said a degree from the states would hold more value when seeking employment. I was just wondering because I have no interest in living in America. Some friends who taught english in Japan told me that no one will care about the school just that I have a degree so I can get the visa.

I'm looking hard at online schools now though. College in China or Thailand just sounded like a cool way to spend 4 years.

[Shroob]

[jpvanderwerf2001]

If I were you, I would look at UNISA (University of South Africa), where you can get a recognized degree, in English, which is accepted by the US government (I looked it up; thought about doing a masters with them). The degree would be from an English-speaking country, and would still be very cheap.
My two cents.
Good luck.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

(By the way, when I wrote "accepted" by the US government, I meant UNISA is recognized for work in the federal employment.)

[santi84]

Simon Fraser University in Canada is a well-respected university that also offers some degrees through distance/online learning. You can get an English major and choose from a selection of Education minors.

Just another option if you are interested I did most classes on campus but I also did a few classes online and it was good stuff!

http://code.sfu.ca/webview/23673

[Gringo Greg]

Excelsior College is what you should be looking at in the US. That's where I got my degree from. It's regionally accredited out of Albany New York with a long history of external degrees.

Basically, they collate all of your courses from other universities and give you a degree if you meet the number of credits they require. If you don't meet them then you can take CLEP and DSST exams, and even GRE subject exams to meet the number of credits required. These exams can be taken in many places in Asia and the US.

I went this route back in 2000 and I'm glad I did. I started out with 84 semester credits and in just three months I had a BS in Liberal Studies thanks to many exams.

[Johnny_5]

This is a interesting topic. Any other ideas out there? I want to get an MA in English or Education and there's no way I'm going to do it in America.

[Isla Guapa]

[GMark]

The posts above are right on - degrees from non-English countries are no good for ESL. Your degree should be from one of the countries that native English speakers spring from - US, UK, etc.

However, Mandarin is an in-demand language at high schools, and a degree from China might help getting a job back home someday.

[GMark]

The same goes for MAs - US, UK, etc. They should be research degrees too, as coursework MAs may not count in some areas (Middle East).

[naturegirl321]

[tttompatz]