Is It Possible To Get A Work Permit For Teaching With Out A Ba?

[Shred]

After teaching in Thailand for 14 years my school has come to me and told me that they will not be able to renew my work permit as the MOE will not accept my degree as a Bachelor level qualification!

I have a DipEd and PGCE. Despite a post grad being Masters level they are refusing to accept this.

Someone please tell me this is not true of that there is a way round this?

[Mario2008]

I believe new rules from the Teachers Councli indeed require you to have a university degree. Do you have a teachings license?

With a teaching license you could try, as I think labour is only following the rules by the teaching council.

You wil find more information in the teaching section, so I will move your topic to there.

[Hedghog]

Seems you have been caught in the net,trying to rid Thailand of unqualified teachers,even though you seem to be a rare exception,as are qualified by time served and certs,maybe ask your present school to help,

Lawyer,approach Immortal,presume after 14yrs have a good command of Thai language.

Good luck

[Phatcharanan]

Was your DipEd a continuation of an education degree or the 1 year study attached to a degree in another area?

Are these Australian quals?

Edited December 14, 2012 by Phatcharanan

[Scott]

If you were a licensed Teacher in 2003, then you should have a Teacher's License and basically be exempt from the qualifications requirement. If you do not have a TL and are subject to the current regulations, then there is little that you can do except to provide them with your transcripts and hope that they are sufficient to convince them that you have the equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree.

What you need to figure out is if it is the Teacher's Council or the MOE that is the stumbling block.

[Morakot]

I believe new rules from the Teachers Councli indeed require you to have a university degree. Do you have a teachings license?

With a teaching license you could try, as I think labour is only following the rules by the teaching council.

You wil find more information in the teaching section, so I will move your topic to there.

A PGCE is a postgraduate diploma, which is a university degree. A PGCE obtained from an university in England or Wales confers Qualified Teacher Status in England and Wales.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Morakot

[ManOnTheRoad]

To obtain a Post Graduate Diploma/Certificate you need to have a BA , But nowadays universities in UK and etc accepts Matured Candidates to take up their PGD/PGC without the needs of a Bachelor Degree.

I am having a similar situation like yours, With my Post Graduate Diploma i am qualified to take up Master Degree Courses.

Unfortunately lots of people in Thailand thinks that a PGD/PGC is lower that a Bachelor Degree.

My application for Master Degree was rejected by 2 university in Thailand, The admin still insists i need a BA to take up their MA ,the best thing is they never heard of Matured student bypassing BA .

Seems that this country are still way behind .

[Loaded]

In theory you can obtain a teacher's work permit without a degree. I believe there's nothing in labour law that stipulates a degree is necessary. However, it's very difficult and depends on the interpretation of labour law by the government officer at your local Labour Office.

However, to extend the work permit you should have a teacher license or teacher license waiver from the TCT to show Immigration for non-immigrant B visa extensions and Labour for work permit extensions. From the TCT's website, you can see it's possible to obtain a Teacher's License without a degree (route 3). If the OP has 1 year of overseas' teaching experience, he should qualify.

http://www.ksp.or.th/Khurusapha/en/userfiles/02%20Routes%20to%20teaching%20license.pdf

However (lots of 'howevers' in Thailand), it often doesn't matter whether the law allows or doesn't allow, a government officer's discretion usually overrides all laws ime.

However, TIT and nobody really knows for sure what can be obtained.

[Morakot]

To obtain a Post Graduate Diploma/Certificate you need to have a BA , But nowadays universities in UK and etc accepts Matured Candidates to take up their PGD/PGC without the needs of a Bachelor Degree.

I am having a similar situation like yours, With my Post Graduate Diploma i am qualified to take up Master Degree Courses.

Unfortunately lots of people in Thailand thinks that a PGD/PGC is lower that a Bachelor Degree.

My application for Master Degree was rejected by 2 university in Thailand, The admin still insists i need a BA to take up their MA ,the best thing is they never heard of Matured student bypassing BA .

Seems that this country are still way behind .

On a side note, as I've seen quite a lot of confusion on this issue... The point is not that one has a "higher" degree as the entrance requirements or not, but whether a sufficient amount of study has been undertaken prior to commencing postgraduate studies. A first degree such as a BA or LLB will usually give 360 credits and 300 credits without honours, whereas a postgraduate diploma will give 120 credits. This may equate to a total of 3600 hours, 3000 hours, and 1200 hours of study respectively.

Of course admission regulations are not set in stone and any sensible admission officer will normally waive parts of the requirements for postgraduate studies on the basis of other things such as work experiences (and to a considerable lower extent life experience).

If you don't mind me asking where did you apply in Thailand, for which programme?

Edited December 15, 2012 by Morakot

[sirchai]

To answer the question. It is possible. You could be employed as a trainer, or a teacher's assistant, still doing the same job.

Have met some guys who did that, with a valid work permit and Non-B visa.

But then the school would have to change some documents and you'd be more under pressure. Good luck from lower northeast!-

Edited December 15, 2012 by sirchai

[aidenai]

After teaching in Thailand for 14 years my school has come to me and told me that they will not be able to renew my work permit as the MOE will not accept my degree as a Bachelor level qualification!

I have a DipEd and PGCE. Despite a post grad being Masters level they are refusing to accept this.

Someone please tell me this is not true of that there is a way round this?

Although a great qualification, a PGCE is not registered in the OCSC's database as a degree study on the level of Bachelor or Master degree. Therefor, according to the Thai government, you don't hold a Bachelor or Master Degree and won't qualify for a provisional teaching permit when working in basic education schools (OBEC), dictated by The Teachers' Council of Thailand or hold the degree qualification when working in universities or its primary and secondary demonstration schools (OHEC).

Holding a Bachelor degree AND a PGCE AND a Thai Language, Culture and Ethics Course Certificate makes you eligible for a teacher license from The Teachers' Council of Thailand. You don't have to sit the TCT Professional Knowledge Tests. Currently only 10 or so foreign teachers hold the TCT teacher license through sitting those tests so the tests are hard to pass.

However, as said, you MUST hold at least a Bachelor degree.

[sirchai]

After teaching in Thailand for 14 years my school has come to me and told me that they will not be able to renew my work permit as the MOE will not accept my degree as a Bachelor level qualification!

I have a DipEd and PGCE. Despite a post grad being Masters level they are refusing to accept this.

Someone please tell me this is not true of that there is a way round this?

Although a great qualification, a PGCE is not registered in the OCSC's database as a degree study on the level of Bachelor or Master degree. Therefor, according to the Thai government, you don't hold a Bachelor or Master Degree and won't qualify for a provisional teaching permit when working in basic education schools (OBEC), dictated by The Teachers' Council of Thailand or hold the degree qualification when working in universities or its primary and secondary demonstration schools (OHEC).

Holding a Bachelor degree AND a PGCE AND a Thai Language, Culture and Ethics Course Certificate makes you eligible for a teacher license from The Teachers' Council of Thailand. You don't have to sit the TCT Professional Knowledge Tests. Currently only 10 or so foreign teachers hold the TCT teacher license through sitting those tests so the tests are hard to pass.

However, as said, you MUST hold at least a Bachelor degree.

If only around 10 foreigners have passed the test, there must be something wrong. It's very easy to make a test- in any language- so difficult that only those who'd created them know the answers. How many Thai English teachers would pass these "tests"?-

Edited December 18, 2012 by sirchai

[devilish]

I'm in the process of finishing my B.A. degree now. That's why i came back to America. It should help land me a good paying job and make it less of a hassle to stay in the country and work. I am def. over 1/2 way finished towards the degree w/ all electives way done.

[aidenai]

If only around 10 foreigners have passed the test, there must be something wrong. It's very easy to make a test- in any language- so difficult that only those who'd created them know the answers. How many Thai English teachers would pass these "tests"?-

Yes, there's something wrong with those tests but that is something we knew since the first test in 2007. However, at test 10 another 5-8 foreign teachers passed them all. So, there's progress.

Thai teachers have to do the professional knowledge tests in the Thai language. I estimate the pass rate between 20-40 %.

[Ludacris]

First off, your qualifications in education should be accepted by the TCT with no problems. You're way more qualified to teach than most people around here, and why the TCT doesn't see it that way I have no idea. Maybe it's possible to appeal because you have a good case - experience plus qualifications. I suggest going down to the TCT office yourself with a rep from your school instead of just being told what's going on. We all know how frequent miscommunication is around here.

It looks like you have a few options if the TCT won't change their mind:

1. You should be able to get grandfathered in like a previous poster suggested. This happened to a few teachers at my school that were here long before all this TCT crap started.

2. If you have both a Dip.Ed and a PGCE you should be certified or be able to obtain certification from the country you studied in. Don't quote me on this, but I believe the TCT grants licenses to teachers who are already certified in Western countries without making them jump through any hoops. If this is the case, it could just be a quick trip back home to complete the paperwork.

3. As far as I've ever heard, diplomas and certificates are not called degrees. Although yours are at the master's level, I can see the sticking point here. It's possible that the jump from your PCGE to an actual master's degree is not that big, so completing an M.Ed could even be an option. Make sure to get it confirmed that the TCT would accept a master's degree in lieu of a bachelor's. Hopefully they're not that screwed up!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Scott]

They may be that screwed up. We had a teacher who had a Bacehor's and a Master's Degree. He only had a copy of his Master Degree & Transcript. He had to get the Bachelor's Degree. We have had people who have not had the actual paper degree and have gotten by with Transcripts only--but they can be rather pedantic.

I believe that there have been problems with some people who have gotten a MA in TESOL. Does anybody remember anything about it?

[aidenai]

First off, your qualifications in education should be accepted by the TCT with no problems. You're way more qualified to teach than most people around here, and why the TCT doesn't see it that way I have no idea. Maybe it's possible to appeal because you have a good case - experience plus qualifications. I suggest going down to the TCT office yourself with a rep from your school instead of just being told what's going on. We all know how frequent miscommunication is around here.

Officials of the TCT stick to the written rules and the OCSC's database in regards to university degrees. OP should indeed go in person to the TCT accompanied by a Thai teacher and ask for exemption of the degree requirement as such. OP might want to invest a little bit of money to get all the DipTESOL and PGCE diplomas, certificates and documents officially translated in the Thai language. It will help the discussion for exemption tremendously.