Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Voyeur]

I've been teaching in Korea for awhile now and I want to explore the idea of returning home to become certified. IOW I'd like to think about becoming a Secondary School teacher as a second career. I'm in my 30s now and I am not interested in returning to the career I left behind when I came to Korea.

I have the teachables, but here is my problem. I only have a 3 year degree and I aquired it over 10 years at two different universities. My marks are HORRID. I have multiple incompletes, MANY outright fails, and then A+s and Bs - it is all over the place. But that is 10+ years ago.

Any advice / ideas on how to approach getting certified in Canada? I know that technically, I need my 9 month Bachelor of Ed. degree via a consecutive education program at any Canadian University. After that, getting accreditted in the Province of my choice is a hassle, but doable.

The big problem is actually getting admittance to ANY B. Ed program. Even universities that I thought were crappy, are getting 1000 applications and only accepting 200. My friend, who is a teacher, is willing to bet that the only way I'll ever get into ANY B. Ed. program is by first taking a year and taking more undergraduate courses and then blowing them out with A+ on all of them to raise my average.

Obviously, I'll be contacting universities directly to get guidance, but if anyone has any knowledge, some initial guidance here would be helpful too. I'm also looking for alternative ideas like trying to get one of those 3-year work permits under NAFTA and becoming an Emergency Teacher in the states, getting certified there over 2-3 years, and then transferring it back to Canada etc...

[The Hierophant]

One alternative would be to gain your secondary teaching qualifications overseas. I'm currently studying for my Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education in Wellington, New Zealand.

From what you have said about gaining admission to courses in Canada, competition for a place in the course in NZ schools is a lot less, but the qualification is still recognized internationally.

Some websites for teacher training colleges at various cities in New Zealand:

Auckland (University of Auckland): http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/
Wellington (Victoria University): http://www.vuw.ac.nz/education/
Christchurch (Canterbury University): http://www.education.canterbury.ac.nz/
Dunedin (Otago University): http://www.otago.ac.nz/education/

International students' fees may be quite steep (I'm a domestic student). But I do know that NZ is the 'cheap option' for international students.

Anyway, best of luck with your search.

[Typhoon]

Go across the border to the USA. There are several programs in the Buffalo/Niagra region that cater to Canadians. The teaching degree recieved there is accepted by the Ontario College of Teachers and also will count as a BEd/MEd so you will start in the 4 cat on the pay scale (the highest you can get). It is pretty expensive, but if you really want to teach and don't have the marks to get into a program in Ontario it is a good way to go. Also, a lot of the programs run on the weekend so you can work during the week and study on the weekend. You should look into it.

[bassexpander]

My friend went to a teachers college in Canada. I don't think he had good marks at his university. I think he finished in a year or so (could be wrong), and he said he was a certified teacher.

[ttompatz]

Also some of the community colleges / university-colleges offer post grad studies to gain teacher's certification and the entry requirements are easier than those at the big universities. These are 3-4 semester post grad programs and award a B.Ed based on 60 credits of work + your previous bachelors degree.

Typically the entry requirements are a C+ average + meeting required program pre-reqs + evaluation for suitability as a teacher.

Your time spent as an ESL teacher with real world classroom experience would go a long way toward a positive evaluation and would trump your previous academic history as long as you meet the course pre-reqs.

[mrsquirrel]

I wouldn't worry too much about the marks, it appears to affect fresh grads more than mature students.

I've been looking into it in the UK and a few places have outright no-ed me - Oxford and Cambridge, most places though have said no problem, apply through the correct website and they will arrange an interview when I go back.

My degree is crepe, but my experience and 'maturity' are what they are looking for. I'm sure my bitter cynical views as well will be appreciated.

[Typhoon]

In Ontario Univeristy BEd programs marks matter regardless of age. Each school has a split of experience vs grades. You need some of both to get accepted. Good experience can't make up for bad grades and good grades can't make up for lack of exprience. You need both.

[bosintang]

[Jordaning]

Actually there are many Universities in Canada that offer Concurrent B.Ed. Degree. You can enroll and work on the B.Ed and the undergrad at the same time. If you take extra course load 6+ you can still do it in 2 years.
I also believe the being a mature student with experience teaching works in your favor. When I was completing my B.Ed I thought I would be old at 26. I thought many of the other students would be just finishing their undergrad. I was actually one of the youngest of more than 50 people.

Never hurts to apply anyway.

[Typhoon]

[Voyeur]

so Typhhon you seem to be suggesting, like my friend, that if I want into a teaching program *in* Ontario that I might have to take some more courses and ace them to up my average. That would suck. But then again, sometimes you have to pay for past transgressions

Having paid off debts from previous sources, I'm only looking at having maybe 15k in cash when my contract is done in 6 months. Sounds like I may need a lot more than that. Might have to re-up for another year and throw on another 20k+. Probably makes more sense to just defer everything for a year and keep working here+ saving than to go home, take loans, and try to pay them off once I'm a teacher.

But I am getting tired of Korea. Another 12 months would be no fun.

[Typhoon]

Why don't you apply to 3 schools (the minimum). See what happens. Plan to stay through next summer. If you come up short you know you need to take 2 or 3 courses over the next year online and keep working in Korea while upgrading(I know it sucks to be stuck here, but you could be in a factory unable to find the time or money to study). If you get in great you go home and get cracking at the BEd.

Remember a lot of schools take your best 10 or 15 full year credits...this means your bottom five are out the window (I threw my whole first year out). Each class you take bumps your bottom mark and this can make a big difference in the overall grade that gets submitted. I know people who had a 77% in their top 10 or 15 who got into some programs. It really is really important to research how the schools accept people. My sister applied to all the schools (cost a lot of money) and got into a couple. I think I applied to 3 or 4 and got into all of them. Not because I had good grades, but I had things they were looking for. Remember there is a written component to the application to that is considered. Apply. The worst that will happen is they say no. You upgrade and then try again next year. I applied fresh out of uni. and got shot down by every school. I applied later on and got in. It is not held against you if you don't get accepted on your first try.

[Voyeur]

Thanks. Good advice. OTOH remember that with a 3-year degree that means I currently only have 15 full year credits. Upgrading could take a lot of time. I'm no spring chicken, so I'm not into taking too many full year credits if I can possibly avoid it.

Does anyone know about Emergency certification in the US - especially inner cities etc... Is that a possible route? Do 2-3 years in the States, work and get the B.Ed at the same time (less cash outlay) then transfer my Cert to Canada later?

[angelheart]

Hi, voyeur
I, too, have a 3 year undegraduate degree program. It's from York university in Toronto. After teaching in Korea for 2 years and wanting to go home i've made my decision to go to Medaille College in Buffalo. My marks are not so great either. But I got accepted pretty easily into this college. It's basically "paying degree". It might not sound great, but it's fully accredited and one gets Master of Science in Education after completion of the program(elementary). It's a full year, pretty easy and one gets certified in both NewYork and Ontario states. I'm onto my second semester and so far so good.
Students have an option of coming to medaille three times a week. mon/tue, wed/thu or sat/sun. Personally, i think it's great because it allows you to have a fulltime job, at least for 2/3rd of the program, until one starts student teaching.
The only catch is money! 20 grand plus gas, 1 day per week accomodation and various "extras"! all together it might come out to about 24 grand per year! you can visit their website www.medaille.edu

Hope that helps!

[jellobean]

The problem with most emergency/alternative certification programs in the US is that they require you to be a citizen. The working visa is a pain if you aren't already certified. There are a few that might work, but it would require searching all the states individually. North Carolina is a pretty desperate state so you might have some luck there. Alternatively, Alaska will certify you once you are enrolled in a teacher certification program. Works well for residents of BC because they can get in state tuition. There are also a few programs in Australia that double certify with Canada. I just talked to a girl last week who is going to a place in Australia (don't know where) for one year and it will cost her about $20K and that will give her both a Canadian and Australian certification. I think AUS & NZ are usually the best bet. You also might find a 1 year MAT program in the US, but it will probably run you about $30K since you aren't a citizen (unless you are from BC and go to Alaska).