Hey guys, can I get a decent job WITHOUT a college degree?

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lookingtoteach

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Ok, I am about 23 years old and my heart is set on teaching English right now, I don't care what country, as long as it pays decent and I can save some money. My only problem is I don't have a college degree. I am very intelligent and do plan on going back to college, just not right now. I do have some college, barley any though.

My question is, if I get a TELF/TESOL/CELTA certificate (which ever one is best), can I still land a decent job? What should I expect to get without a college degree? Does anyone know anything about this?
 

ICAL_Pete

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If you don't have a degree there are still possibilities. These countries do not always require a degree:

* China - the demand here is so great they often overlook the need for a degree.
* Indonesia
* Ecuador
* Czech republic (although you will need a passport from an EU member state to teach here)

You will, however, need a TEFL Certificate to show you have knowledge of the subject and teaching it.

Also, don't forget that you may well be able to find work in countries which normally require a degree.

To get these jobs you usually need to be in the country in person, ideally around the start of the new school year. If you contact as many schools as you can you may well be able to find one which is in need of a teacher and is willing to overlook the degree requirements due to the urgency of getting a native speaker into the classroom!

TEFL without a Degree: TEFL without a Degree - TEFL World Wiki
 

Tdol

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Mind you, not having a degree may well exclude you from some of the jobs with the places that pay better.
 

Alex Case

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I agree with TDOL. For example, there are few decent jobs in China anyway, so I hardly see how you could get one without a degree.
 

BobK

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Mind you, not having a degree may well exclude you from some of the jobs with the places that pay better.
:up: - especially if you're not prepared to go abroad*. Even a CELTA won't get you a decent job in the UK. You need a DELTA or a Masters. :-(

b

PS * :oops: ;-)
 
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Tullia

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This is something worrying me at the moment too. I don't have a degree, because I was forced to drop out of uni due to ill health (too) many years ago. I was working towards a language degree, and I have thought about trying to finish it via the Open University but it's obviously a time-consuming process as I can't afford to study full time for that long any more - mortgages and bills still need paying! - so I would be limited to taking modules individually over a longer time period.

I'm off to do my CELTA in Milan in a few weeks (I was accepted!) and I do very much want to work in the industry when I finish. I'd love to work abroad, ideally in Italy, and I'm worried about my lack of degree.

I've been teaching for years, doing private tutoring for small groups and on a one-on-one basis with children up to the age of 16. I'm confident in my own ability and I think I would perform well at interviews and be able to demonstrate that my lack of degree does not mean a lack of academic ability, but I'm concerned that I won't even get to the interview stage for a lot of jobs.

Realistically, should I wait and try to finish my degree first before trying to go abroad to teach? Even though that will set my plans back by a couple of years?
 

BobK

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This is something worrying me at the moment too. I don't have a degree, because I was forced to drop out of uni due to ill health (too) many years ago. I was working towards a language degree, and I have thought about trying to finish it via the Open University but it's obviously a time-consuming process as I can't afford to study full time for that long any more - mortgages and bills still need paying! - so I would be limited to taking modules individually over a longer time period.

I'm off to do my CELTA in Milan in a few weeks (I was accepted!) and I do very much want to work in the industry when I finish. I'd love to work abroad, ideally in Italy, and I'm worried about my lack of degree.

I've been teaching for years, doing private tutoring for small groups and on a one-on-one basis with children up to the age of 16. I'm confident in my own ability and I think I would perform well at interviews and be able to demonstrate that my lack of degree does not mean a lack of academic ability, but I'm concerned that I won't even get to the interview stage for a lot of jobs.

Realistically, should I wait and try to finish my degree first before trying to go abroad to teach? Even though that will set my plans back by a couple of years?
I would. Maybe, though, you could look into doing OU courses from a European placement - a lot of my fellow-students in the past have been situated all over the world. (It's more expensive, though, I gather.)

Also, you can (ultimately) study with the OU towards an MEd in Applied Linguistics - which clears you for a BALEAP-approved job (Introduction : BALEAP ) . I'm not sure I'd recommend it though - there's a very restricted range (overstatement: 'choose any three from three').

b
 

Tullia

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I would. Maybe, though, you could look into doing OU courses from a European placement - a lot of my fellow-students in the past have been situated all over the world. (It's more expensive, though, I gather.)

Also, you can (ultimately) study with the OU towards an MEd in Applied Linguistics - which clears you for a BALEAP-approved job (Introduction : BALEAP ) . I'm not sure I'd recommend it though - there's a very restricted range (overstatement: 'choose any three from three').

b

Because I don't already have a degree and because I don't earn huge amounts, I don't pay for OU courses while in the UK. I probably would have to pay while abroad, though.

I've done short courses via the OU before, and enjoyed them. I was sad to be forced to leave university (although it was the right thing to do at the time) and I'm never really happy unless studying *something*, which is why I've done the OU short courses, Italian night classes, learned fan-making, taken a LAMDA diploma and various other obscure qualifications, but I've never had the urge to actually finish my degree.

Truthfully, I'm not sure I could - it's been so long since I used my French and Latin that they are perhaps too rusty. I'd have to start again, with the minimum of credit transfer, if I took another subject.

It's so frustrating that I'm apparently less desireable than someone with a degree in Biology who has never taught before.
 
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