I've taught for 6 years in total in bkk, got a tefl and various other teaching certs. Does anyone think I could gain anything from doing a diploma in tesol? Or would it be regarded as just another tefl?

I did an online TESOL - took me 6 months to get a top score. I had to write and write and write.

I ended up with a 60+ page teachers portfolio. Lots of multple choice tests and quizes along the way too.

I feel that I really earned that certificate.

You could get a masters degree in TESOL. Then you would have a choice to teach in more places than just a secondary school.

The official Cambridge DipEd is well-recognized by quality teaching organizations as helping you qualify for management/DOS positions. Unfortunately few of these exist in Thailand.

An internationally reputable Masters is another step above that, and would be especially valuable landing a decent job teaching in a tertiary environment with higher standards than most in Thailand.

A masters in TESOL from Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand only cost 119,300 baht. Google Payap or send me an email for more details.

Is the Payap course available totally online?

Is the Payap course available totally online?

Your average Thai-run shop, sure they'll be impressed.

No degree from any Thai institution will have any credibility outside of Thailand, and very little at farang-managed organizations here either.

I don't know of any online-only degrees that would carry much weight either, unless the core qualifications and lengthy relevant experience were really really solid, so the extra degree were just a little icing on the cake.

I've heard of respected British organizations that had a very limited in-classroom component, say 80% online, but they did require at least two or three six-week sessions back in the UK - sorry my memory's weak, it's been a while.

Is the Payap course available totally online?

Is the Payap course available totally online?

This degree is in house only.

Is the Payap course available totally online?

Your average Thai-run shop, sure they'll be impressed.

No degree from any Thai institution will have any credibility outside of Thailand, and very little at farang-managed organizations here either.

I don't know of any online-only degrees that would carry much weight either, unless the core qualifications and lengthy relevant experience were really really solid, so the extra degree were just a little icing on the cake.

I've heard of respected British organizations that had a very limited in-classroom component, say 80% online, but they did require at least two or three six-week sessions back in the UK - sorry my memory's weak, it's been a while.

Is the Payap course available totally online?

Your average Thai-run shop, sure they'll be impressed.

No degree from any Thai institution will have any credibility outside of Thailand, and very little at farang-managed organizations here either.

I don't know of any online-only degrees that would carry much weight either, unless the core qualifications and lengthy relevant experience were really really solid, so the extra degree were just a little icing on the cake.

I've heard of respected British organizations that had a very limited in-classroom component, say 80% online, but they did require at least two or three six-week sessions back in the UK - sorry my memory's weak, it's been a while.

I can understand how some people might assume that courses in Thailand are not comparable to courses in the USA. If you were born in another country and never studied in Thailand then it makes sense that you would really not have any idea about studying in an international program here in Thailand.

You wouldn’t know that the concepts that are taught in Thailand are the same concepts that are taught in the United States in schools such as Harvard, UCLA, or even UK universities such as Cambridge. You wouldn’t know that students studying in international programs in Thailand come from 20 to 30 different countries and how rich the cultural diversity adds to these same concepts that are taught in the west. You would have no idea as to how global the focus is in the classroom as opposed to a classroom where concepts are dominated by one culture. You wouldn’t know that most of the textbooks come from western countries and that most international programs are taught in English. To top it off, you would have no idea that Harvard, UCLA, and Cambridge accept degrees taught in Thailand and that most businesses are starting to recognize the importance of an international education.

It’s really not anyone’s fault if they don’t know. How would they if they never studied here? However, for those that have studied here, when we fill out a job application, there are no borders.

Thanks for the insightful post, Richard. I know several people who have studied at International programs--mostly Master's Degree students. A very wide variety of nationalities were represented, usually small enough classes that they got a lot of individual attention and extremely highly qualified professors--mostly from overseas universities.

Your average Thai-run shop, sure they'll be impressed.

No degree from any Thai institution will have any credibility outside of Thailand, and very little at farang-managed organizations here either.

I don't know of any online-only degrees that would carry much weight either, unless the core qualifications and lengthy relevant experience were really really solid, so the extra degree were just a little icing on the cake.

I've heard of respected British organizations that had a very limited in-classroom component, say 80% online, but they did require at least two or three six-week sessions back in the UK - sorry my memory's weak, it's been a while.

I can understand how some people might assume that courses in Thailand are not comparable to courses in the USA. If you were born in another country and never studied in Thailand then it makes sense that you would really not have any idea about studying in an international program here in Thailand.

You wouldn’t know that the concepts that are taught in Thailand are the same concepts that are taught in the United States in schools such as Harvard, UCLA, or even UK universities such as Cambridge. You wouldn’t know that students studying in international programs in Thailand come from 20 to 30 different countries and how rich the cultural diversity adds to these same concepts that are taught in the west. You would have no idea as to how global the focus is in the classroom as opposed to a classroom where concepts are dominated by one culture. You wouldn’t know that most of the textbooks come from western countries and that most international programs are taught in English. To top it off, you would have no idea that Harvard, UCLA, and Cambridge accept degrees taught in Thailand and that most businesses are starting to recognize the importance of an international education.

It’s really not anyone’s fault if they don’t know. How would they if they never studied here? However, for those that have studied here, when we fill out a job application, there are no borders.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I wasn't commenting on the actual quality of any given program nor the learning outcome.

I was simply speaking to the perception of employers and quality academic institutions overseas.

Unfortunately the impact of the "brand" of the qualification is often more important than the actual knowledge of the applicant.

As I said, as long as he's only concerned about his employability within Thailand or other less-developed nations, it may well be worth his while. However I'd be very surprised if say the British Council would treat a masters from a Thai institution as being competitive with a UK, US or Commonwealth uni, unless it has an internationally recognized accreditation, or listed in for example the QS World or the Times Education Supplement's rankings.

As far as employers are concerned:

With the increase of globalization, international education from countries like Thailand is more important than ever. Asia, especially Southeast Asia, is aligning it's trade policies in order to be more competitive in the world. Western countries such as the United States and United Kingdom will have to adjust their trade practices in order to compete in this part of the world. Graduates from international universities from Asia will be in high demand by western employers looking for workers who have the cultural and educational experience that can help give their western products a competitive advantage in Asian markets.

As far as universities are concerned:

Earlier I mentioned Harvard, UCLA, and Cambridge universities as accepting degrees from Thai universities. The reason I mentioned them specifically was because I emailed those 3 universities and asked if they would accept an undergrad degree from Payap University, in Chiang Mai for admission into their graduate programs. They said, as long as a school that issued the undergraduate degree is accredited by the government body that regulates education in the country where the institution is located, then they would accept that degree as the basic educational requirement in order to attend their institution. The student would still have to meet all the other requirements to enter such as an essay why they want to study there, interview, etc.

The British Council is only one organization in millions that would have their own unique opinion of education abroad. Each organization is different with their own unique opinion of education. While education is an important part in getting a job, it is not the overriding factor that an employer would look at when deciding on granting an job interview. I doubt most employers would consider an opinion by the British Council as being relevant to their hiring decisions.

There is a paradigm shift in how education is viewed around the world. In the past, views such as yours were considered the norm and totally justified. Things are changing. Education is changing. Even Thailand is changing. For example, in order to be on the same academic schedule with all the other ASEAN countries, all universities in Thailand will switch to a western academic calender by 2014.

People and institutions that don't change will be left behind as the new way of doing things start to dominate the norm.