The majority of job posts I see (for an English language teacher) request a “BA degree **or higher**”
In many (if not all) western countries it’s quite possible to get a higher level degree without having done a BA degree, so long as the person has a BA-level of experience in the field.
Having the TEFL certificates I have, and the 2.5 years experience in China (and around three years teaching online, which don’t seem to count for much), I was able to do an online Postgraduate Diploma in TEFL (accredited), and was hoping that would be enough for a job in Japan. I was told by the company I did it through, Asian College of Teachers, it’d be enough for Japan.
Just wondering what’s people’s thoughts are on this, and wondering if anyone has had any experience/luck in being hired with a degree higher than a BA, without ever having done a BA (but has the life experience).
Thank you.
8 comments
The biggest thing about experience is qualifying for the visa. You need a college degree or a certain amount of years of experience. But, the years of experience can be hard to prove. It may be difficult to get someone to provide your a COE or sponsor you for this reason.
Are you trying to work at an international school? They’ll want a teachers license. Without it, you won’t be considered unfortunately.
Just get the BA. You can get it online
You can. BA degree is the easiest way to get a Visa. They just give it to you without any experience necessary.
You can get a Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa without a BA. You just have to show your work history. I think it is 6 years of work history? Even better if you already have experience in the job.
This website breaks it down well:
https://eng.visa-immi.com/list/humanities/
Not gonna happen for 1st world countries.
The “online postgraduate diploma in TEFL” is not a degree. It’s not a BA. It’s not an MA. I don’t care what they sell it as. It’s a certificate
In what country can you get a MA, MD, MS, PhD, JD etc *without* a BA???
Once upon a time anyone could teach English in Japan if they only graduated HS. No-one cared as long as you could speak English and were single. Now days, it is much more difficult. A BA (in anything) is the minimum now, if you want to work as an ALT/JET. Eikaiwa is different and depends how desperate the school is for a teacher. Immigration don`t care about `work experience`, you don`t have a BA minimum you won`t get a visa. Exceptions for ppl who managed to marry a Japanese citizen or have Permanent Residency. CELTA, TESOL etc are just a bit of candy to sell yourself to employers. They don`t count when you wanna get a visa.