Life Experience Degree

[PeaceBlondie]

PeaceBlondie, I rarely agree with anything you write, but I must say that I've a lot of respect for somebody that goes back to school, with a family and working part-time. Very hard to do. Well done Sir, and more power to you. A good (and inspirational) example to many.

Not to be tooting my own horn much more (and thanks for tooting one for me ), but I kept going back to school because 'they' - the system - said I should. To have a degree in the first place, and then when I switched fields, to learn accounting, and then qualify for the next promotion, and try to become a better accountant - I was still attending when the career was at its peak! Even though I had a serious learning disability. I also worked full time, and worked half-time then too, and went to school some evenings. It was insane, but 'they' - the culture that nurtured me - said to do it. So, upon arrival in Thailand, I took a TEFL course. I don't value short-cuts that are meaningless, even though some of the schooling was less than perfect.

You experience life, to its fullest degree. But the experience alone, outside of an educational institution, doesn't qualify as formal education.

[wilko]

Anyone who claims to have a degree in Life experience hard knocks or whatever really has no idea what a degree is all about.....

[Basslifeform]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I'll be saving me pennies.

Which bringsa me to another question. I'm enrolling or trying to, at Rhamkampeang Uni. seems the do a B.Ed degree in English. So, does anyone know if you can get student grants from back home to help cover costs? In my case this would be Dreary old Blighty.

Cheers.

[mbkudu]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I'll be saving me pennies.

Which bringsa me to another question. I'm enrolling or trying to, at Rhamkampeang Uni. seems the do a B.Ed degree in English. So, does anyone know if you can get student grants from back home to help cover costs? In my case this would be Dreary old Blighty.

Cheers.

As far as I know (and I should because I attend there) Ramkhamhaeng IIS doesn't offer a B.Ed. They offer a BA in English and an M Ed.

[dada]

I've been teaching here for a while now, and having discovered how much I enjoy teaching have decided to get the relevant qualifications. Yes, I am, shall we say under qualified, and no this is something I decided to do before the new crackdowns. But saying that it's going to take a few years before I complete my degree, so I was wondering if a life ex. degree will keep me covered until then? Any one out there using a life ex. degree or knows about them any advice you have would be gratefuly recieved.

<deleted>!!!

[DaiHard]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I'll be saving me pennies.

Which bringsa me to another question. I'm enrolling or trying to, at Rhamkampeang Uni. seems the do a B.Ed degree in English. So, does anyone know if you can get student grants from back home to help cover costs? In my case this would be Dreary old Blighty.

Cheers.

Haven't you heard not only are there no grants for students in the UK any more but instead they have to pay about £3,000 p.a for tuition. You should qualify for a student loan though which, as its not repayable before you earn over £25K a year (I think that's the figure), you wil never have to pay back with the sort of money you get paid as an ESL teacher in LOS. 

Why not do an OU degree, its cheaper and you can do it anywhere - I read on here somewhere that you can't do it if you are in Thailand, because of exams I believe, but OU themselves said the exams could be sat at the british council. You can read about the Open University here

Edited March 1, 2007 by DaiHard

[wilko]

I understood there was a £6000 grant for those traing as teachers? Post grad training year....

[Casanundra]

I understood there was a £6000 grant for those traing as teachers? Post grad training year....

There is but you need to do the course in the UK and not as an OU course, and I believe there may be a commttment at the end of it to actually teach in the UK for 2 years.

[DrFisher]

I'm an MD but not a surgeon however I did work on a trauma team for 5 years. Now, that's life experience but would you let me preform surgery on you?

[Loaded]

Haven't you heard not only are there no grants for students in the UK any more but instead they have to pay about £3,000 p.a for tuition. You should qualify for a student loan though which, as its not repayable before you earn over £25K a year (I think that's the figure), you wil never have to pay back with the sort of money you get paid as an ESL teacher in LOS. 

I was one of the last lucky ones who received a grant. I lived at home with my parents and travelled by train each day to uni but still received enough from the tax payer to pay my personal costs, study costs and sponsor wet lunches most days in the Student Union. The grants were means tested and I was lucky my dad was a poor civil servant. I'm not sure I could have done it without the grant.

[PeaceBlondie]

I'm an MD but not a surgeon however I did work on a trauma team for 5 years. Now, that's life experience but would you let me preform surgery on you?

Good point, doctor, and your question may not have been as rhetorical as it first seems. In the USA, all MD's are licensed to practice medicine, and that includes minor surgery and emergency surgery, I believe. I once entered an emergency room on a stretcher, blind but conscious. Only later did a friend who was an RN in the room at the time tell me I was surrounded by 4 specialist surgeons. But if there had only been one MD non-surgeon and I was bleeding profusely, I'd have expected him to close the wound, even if it qualified as 'surgery.'

Now, to make some connection of that analogy to teaching, and life experience. If an applicant for a job opening in Matayom 1 EFL had no degree such as a BA, but somehow managed to legally teach EFL in Thailand successfully for five years, and he did a great interview and demo lesson, I'd hire him instead of some new B.Ed. graduate who was 'still wet behind the ears' and had no clue how to teach 49 pubertal students at 93 degrees F. Also, I'd hope he didn't make his sentences as long as the penultimate sentence here.

[Norrad]

Now I'm confused. A friend of mine just got his TL and work permit using a life experience degree from some strange university, sounded like Andromeda or Almeda

Seems they reject degrees on a whim. Oh, he payed just over 40000 Baht for his degree.

[Jockstar]

It's the old. I have a degree and i'm better than you. ###### off! Just because you have a degree. Does it make you a good teacher? For those with life experience .ie over 30 then why not. But if you are only 21 and applying for a life experience degree. You must have had a quality life.

[Norrad]

I agree. I have a BSc in Computer Science and never once did anything, I learnt at university, help me in my work environment (back when I was still working in IT). I learnt more usefull things during weekend courses.

Passion and enjoying what you do will always help you more than a degree.

[dreambarrelH20]

I know someone who got a Life Experience Degree in Education last November and received a work permit and teaching license. Paid about 26,000 Baht i think.

He's been living in Thailand for 13 years and speaks the language fluently.

He's been a teacher for approximately 3 years at the same school.

Do you think MOE will extend his w/p????

[PeaceBlondie]

I know someone who got a Life Experience Degree in Education last November and received a work permit and teaching license. Paid about 26,000 Baht i think.

He's been living in Thailand for 13 years and speaks the language fluently.

He's been a teacher for approximately 3 years at the same school.

Do you think MOE will extend his w/p????

I think the MOE doesn't extend work permits; that's the Ministry of Labour. If he's been at the same school for three years, he should be okay. Assuming, of course, that he hasn't previously gotten caught with faked documents. Renewals seem to be much easier when you stay at the same employer. Assuming, as well, that they may not even ask for proof of a degree if he hasn't provided one previously. If he just got one because the authorities told him to get a degree, then they may check it and decide if it's real.

[Chaichara]

Time for some up-to-date, factual, information.

Right now it is very dangerous to consider obtaining legal employment with any degree that is not genuine and issued by a university accredited by the governments of the US, UK and Australia.

TESOL certificates are fine, but apparently most schools that insist on them want a minimum of a 120 hour face-to-face course. No on-line short courses.

It would be best to get 'part time' employment in one of the language institutes without any qualifications at 250 baht per hour or a well paid corporate teaching job (600 - 1,000 baht per hour) which is not subject to the same regulations - they can even get you a Work Permit.

After searching for a long time, this seems to be the ultimate answer and it looks as if no one can can argue with it, with links to all the government agencies:

[PeaceBlondie]

You can look up diploma mill in an online encyclopedia such as wikipedia.

[ilyushin]

Can't you get an English teaching position at a university with a proper TEFL? I would think this is enough to teach English in Thailand. Not my industry, but I have friends that are doing it.

[Ijustwannateach]

It might be possible- I'm assuming you mean without even a Bachelor's?- but it'd be unlikely. The universities also have faces to save, after all, and most of them would prefer if the poor unfortunates to whom they pay 27K a month had Master's degrees.

[PeaceBlondie]

Some universities and rajabats have several English programs. The undergraduates who are majoring in English are most likely being taught by specialists (master degree, or a BA in English), while the regular undergrads might take speaking and listening courses from somebody who only has an unrelated BA and a TEFL, lots of experience, properly dressed, etc.

[DrFisher]

Chiang Mai University requires a BA for part time employment and an MA for full time employment, they do check the degree to make sure it is from a real school approved by the issuing country (which is very easy to do on the internet, not to mention looking up a fake one is easier). I would imagine all government universities fall under this same rule.