Degree Requirements
 

Hello All,

If this has been posted before, please forgive me. I did a quick thread search and didn't find what I was looking for.

Before I ask my question, I want to state that I completely understand the value of a university / college degree.

My husband and I have come into some recent severe financial commitments. We are looking to find a way to cut our living expenses and begin saving money efficiently. We are also getting a bit stir crazy and would like to liven up our lives.

We've currently looked into the possibility of teaching ESL in South Korea. It has been very clear that a 4 year degree is required to obtain the necessary teaching visa. My question is, will a life-experience degree be sufficient to obtain a work visa and job contract?

Neither my husband nor myself have completed university or college. We have both been employed for many years, and have various work experience, including financial advising, training, and police-work.

Would we be SOL if we went with a life-experience degree to try to get into an ESL-South Korea program?

I can't remember ever making such a huge life change, and am very excited at the prospect of working with children, traveling, and immersing ourselves into a new culture.

Thanks for reading!

Denise :)

Re: Degree Requirements
 

Denise - I'm in Japan, but I'd have to say I doubt that you'd legally qualify for the visa. Now, they may not know the difference and accept you thinking your degree is a 4 year degree from XYZ accredited university. If they do find out at some point, you'll probably be fired and kicked out of the country.

Best bet is to be honest and see if there is a recruiting agency that will find a job for you based on your current qualifications.

Re: Degree Requirements
 

SK and Japan are a lot more strict on this sort of thing. I'm in China right now and I have two friends that actually have a work visa with life experience degrees. They were very cautious when getting them and actually had to have their credentials checked. You can't get a life experience degree for teaching but here in China just about any degree will work. My degree was in mass media but I was able to get a job teaching. If SK doesn't work out maybe take a look into going to China. It's growing rather rapidly!

Oh and maybe you should apply to private language schools...they are generally not as strict under their requirements for foreign experts. That being said, you still can't get a work visa without a degree even at the private schools.

Good luck!

Re: Degree Requirements
 

Thank you both of you for the responses. You've saved me potentially purchasing a product which would not have been of use to myself or my husband. We will do our best to find jobs without a degree. :)

Re: Degree Requirements
 

Hello, I'm late to reply to this thread but just wanted to add what chokosaki has already mentioned.
There is a hunger for Americans here in China, so if you don't succeed with Korea, you can try in China.

Re: Degree Requirements
 

Yeah! The hunger is fierce. In my city I'm sort of like a celebrity and can practically choose the school I want to teach at.

Re: Degree Requirements
 

Indonesia may be another option. Immigration authorities here have been talking about restricting the esl market to degree holders only for some time now, but many non-degree holders still seem to be able to get work visas and jobs. Do you have a TESOL Certificate?
It might be worth a look for you.