Hi lovely people,

Im female, 25, currently full time employed and have decided to take the first steps towards something ive been wanting to do for the last 3 years - move to thailand!

I want to become an english teacher (original i know) but i dont have a degree to my name.

My 5 year plan is to part time study so that i can continue to work and pay my mortgage, so Open University is the option i think. Then complete a TEFL once i have my degree under my belt.

I have a question that i was hoping someone might be able to advise me with...

Which would be the preferred Degree, English Language or something more directed at becoming a Teacher?

Any advice or tips much appreciated!

If your long-term goal is to be a teacher, then do your degree in education.

Told

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A degree is needed for most jobs (especially the better ones) so trying to work without one will limit your opportunities.

I think the University of London courses are much better (and cheaper)

Thanks for your reply Scott! I am slightly tending towards English but I see the logic and will thoroughly look into both.

Brilliant, thanks haltes! I'll look into them too. Cheaper sounds appealing Just wish I could get cracking a bit earlier than September but patience is a virtue... so I'm told.

If your plan is to teach children, then yes education degrees would be better.However if you want to eventually teach at the university level English majors or TESOL degrees would be better suited.

It's always a god idea to take something that you really enjoy. Your major can be in education and your minor in English. Whatever you do, you want to be certifiable both here and in your home country.

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice. Can wait to get started! Its taken me til 25 to realise the direction i want to go in, wish the penny had dropped a bit sooner but feeling really positive about it now.

Silky x

Depending on your home country there are companies and organizations that allow someone to teach in "at-risk" schools and earn a degree in education. Though I am unsure if this applies to only people who have a BA/BS already. But it may be worth checking out, a free degree and job experience. Plus, working at an at-risk school will make any challenge you find in Thailand much easier.

But, if I was in your shoes I would do BSED and whatever subject you love, if it's English do English, or early childhood education etc etc.

Good luck!

Thanks for your advice BA!

Im finding it all a bit complicated to get my head around at the mo.

From what ive researched i'll find it hard to get and job and will lack security without a degree, but its such a long process, especially i'll only be able to study part-time as i need to keep working.

Is it just the word 'degree' theyre looking for, as in, i could just complete a foundation degree? Sorry if i sound totally clueless about all this - i guess its cos i am!

I want to do it right and be as prepared as possible, but i also dont want to waste time/money as both slip by too easily!

Whoaaaaa Nelly, you need to slow down a little bit. Getting a degree is neither a waste of time nor money. You are 25 years old and over the course of your working-life, that degree will pay for itself. Not only will it pay for itself, it will give you options that do not exist without it.

A degree is much more than a piece of paper.

Yes, and if teaching is what you want to do, a full BSED or equivilent, is going to bring you much better jobs down the line. Like I said, I rethought what I wanted, went back to school and got my second degree, this time in education. I am 29 myself and I can tell you, I don't feel that i wasted any of my time. With an education degree I have a passport to most countries and a sound career, totally worth it.

Just to give you an idea of what that degree is worth--and this is an absolute minimum. A school I know hires non-degreed teachers for 30,000 baht. A teacher with a degree starts at 35,000 baht (and no experience). If nothing changed then your degree would be paid for in 13 years. Of course, you can expect an annual increase in pay--and for some schools that is higher for teachers with a degree.

You also have the option of turning down the 35,000 baht job for a higher paying one. You have the option of leaving for a better job etc. A lot of the teachers without a degree are stuck where they are because starting over without a teaching credential isn't possible.

For people without a degree, the employment circle is getting smaller.

You're both right!

Its a great thing to do for myself even without adding travel/future teaching plans into the equation.

Im always wanting a new challenge and to better myself so i think (hope!) its something id enjoy doing and find rewarding regardless. I kinda kick myself for not going to uni now, but it just wasnt an option for me at the time...

I got a fuzzy head yesterday - over thinking all the different routes.

Sometimes that's the smarter option though, I have a degree i really don't care for and never use because I was told "GET A DEGREE!!!" Lots of wasted $ on that one. Though some say there is no such thing as wasted money spent on education...