Getting A Teachers Degree Online In Australia...

[krisb]

Hi everyone! I am seriously considering returning to school to get a teachers degree to end up teaching English in Thailand. My wife and daughter one day want to move back to Thailand so I am trying to open doorways for myself. So I am wondering if anyone knows of any online sites that offer a degree in education or basically a teachers degree in Australia? As an Australian, do I have to study an online degree with an Australian firm?

Has anyone taken this approach and acquired their degree through this avenue or know anyone who has?

There seems to be numerous sites Australian based, but which is best?

All and any ideas greatly appreciated!

[krisb]

Another question I have is if I get a primary school degree, does it matter in Thailand if I wanted to teach older kids? and does the pay vary between teaching younger or older kids?

[Mousehound]

You can get a teaching degree "online" in Australia. You have to complete practicum units under supervision at a school (usually at least 10 weeks). Check out:

http://www.open.edu.au/courses/education/curtin-university-bachelor-of-education-primary--cur-bed-deg-2013

[krisb]

You can get a teaching degree "online" in Australia. You have to complete practicum units under supervision at a school (usually at least 10 weeks). Check out:

http://www.open.edu.au/courses/education/curtin-university-bachelor-of-education-primary--cur-bed-deg-2013

This link for the primary school degree, does that mean in Thailand you cant teach older kids? Reason I ask does that mean less money for teaching younger kids?

[Mousehound]

Go to "forums" on this site and look up ESL Teaching in Thailand. They have the answeres to all you need there. Generally you don't hanve to have a degree but do need a Cert. in ESL. A degree in anything is better - with ESL and a degree in education as well as ESL Cert would be the way to go if you want this to ba your future for years to come. How much you get paid will depend less on being primary or Secondary School but on whether you are teaching at a government or private institution and the socio economics of their clients. The best paid will most likely be International Schools.

My advice would be to just get a Cert in ESL and try teaching for a few months. I know many people that have spent years and a lot of money getting teaching qualifications to then spend years trying to get out of the system as they can't handle the stress. Teaching can be very rewarding but it is one of the hardest things to do well, and often not appreciated. Typically 80-90% of university students drop out (usually after their first practicum) and I would say that of those that get their education degree at least a third give it up within five years.

[SlyAnimal]

Do you have a degree already? If so, you can easily find work as an English teacher.

If you don't, then study in any field for a bachelor's degree is great (A bachelor of Science would also be very useful, as often science teachers are in demand, although any specialization you have adds significant weight to your CV, since any native speaker can teach English). With a non education bachelor degree you can still get a Thai teachers licence, there are just a few extra hoops to jump through compared to if you have a BEdu or degree + postgrad dip in edu/teaching.

However if you do get a bachelor of Education, or another degree + grad dip in teaching/edu and then do your Australian teachers license, you can then teach in international schools, which pay significantly more than non international schools.

Primary or secondary doesn't matter as much here pay wise, and to the best of my knowledge studying one doesn't pigeon hole you into only teaching at that level. Although each school will look at your cv based on its merits in respect to other applicants though, so imo study what you think you would prefer to teach.

[culicine]

I teach in Thailand as a maths teacher. I did a Grad Dip Ed as a distance student through UNE. I did this part time over for years from 2004 - 08. The practical component was just supervised teaching in my school. The only catch was that I had to be teaching in the subject area that I was training for. Not a problem for me. Also I needed to return to Australia for 2 residential schools.

If you are living in Australia you can do this course from home. You practical teaching is organised in a local school where you live.

Primary teaching is a different course from secondary, so it's best to decide what you want to do at the start. Regular Thai schools won't care what your training is it, but the better International schools will do.

Also if you are living in Australia, you should work there 2-3 years first, then you have much more choice for employment in the good international schools. I've only worked in Thailand and have not gotten an interview for an International schooldespite my efforts.

[Mousehound]

Most International Schools prefer a Masters.

Western Australia will allow High School teachers to teach in Primary School and will be desperately recruiting soon for primary teachers to move over to Middle school (Y7-10) as the year 7 Primary students will be shifting to High School. There is going to be a desperate shortage of teachers of all levels in the next few years in Australia. They are already looking at teachers (?) only needing a degree and a six week teaching certificate. So much for my spending 7 years studying!

I would suggest that if you don't have a degree that you look at taking English as your major. There are also double degree options. I have a couple of degrees and a Grad Dip Ed. I would also need a Cert in ESL to feel well qualified and a masters in English would place me well in line for an International School. However, I I have to say I would much prefer to teach in a poor government school where I might actually pay back some of the good fortune that has fallen my way over the years. I think that if you are going into teaching just for the money or you will only to teach in "leafy green schools" then you are not a real teacher at all. I was in business for many years prior to teaching and left to earn less than a quater of my salary. I do get hollidays but find teaching very hard work. I think I am a pretty good teacher but there are many that are better than I am and they really are driven by the ethos that teaching is a vocation.

Sadly I am too old to teach in Thailand (65). I would so much like to have had the opportunity to do so. I have taught myself to read and speak Thai, after a fashion, and I visit as often as possible.

If you do go ahead then I wish you all the best. Aim to be the best teacher you can - you will have an effect on kids lives.

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