Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

This is where our community discusses almost anything! While we're mainly a Cambodia expat discussion forum and talk about expat life here, we debate about almost everything. Even if you're a tourist passing through Southeast Asia and want to connect with expatriates living and working in Cambodia, this is the first section of our site that you should check out. Our members start their own discussions or post links to other blogs and/or news articles they find interesting and want to chat about. So join in the fun and start new topics, or feel free to comment on anything our community members have already started! We also have some Khmer members here as well, but English is the main language used on CEO. You're welcome to have a look around, and if you decide you want to participate, you can become a part our international expat community by signing up for a free account.
Simon1867
Tourist
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:10 pm
Reputation: 0

Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Simon1867 »

Hi all!

I've just completed my TEFL course and am moving to Cambodia in March to hopefully start teaching English to students.

I'm a male, aged 33 with a lengthy CV of managerial and training positions (no actual teaching experience though).

Do you think it will be relatively straightforward for me to obtain a job with the Tefl under my belt bearing in mind I have no degree? I'm certainly not expecting to get the first one I apply for.

I'm not using this just as a stop gap, so I'm totally approaching it with a view to sticking with the job and actually helping to educate people, rather than just as a means to live somewhere hot.

Any advice whatsoever would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Simon
User avatar
whiteribbon
Expatriate
Posts: 666
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:45 pm
Reputation: 252
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by whiteribbon »

Simon1867 wrote: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:19 pm Hi all!

I've just completed my TEFL course and am moving to Cambodia in March to hopefully start teaching English to students.

I'm a male, aged 33 with a lengthy CV of managerial and training positions (no actual teaching experience though).

Do you think it will be relatively straightforward for me to obtain a job with the Tefl under my belt bearing in mind I have no degree? I'm certainly not expecting to get the first one I apply for.

I'm not using this just as a stop gap, so I'm totally approaching it with a view to sticking with the job and actually helping to educate people, rather than just as a means to live somewhere hot.

Any advice whatsoever would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Simon
It will be easy to get a job in education. Too easy. Uncomfortably easy.
Why do you want to come here to 'educate' people and not do it in your own country? No degree and no experience, not a dig, just wondering why your first choice is Cambodia. I can not speak about PP but in Kep (we do have private schools here) the teachers earn about $1000 a month. With minimal or no experience, most of them are from the Philippines though.
just noise, white noise
User avatar
Cam Nivag
BANNED
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 10:17 am
Reputation: 735
Sao Tome & Principe

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Cam Nivag »

You don’t mention if you’re white. That’s the most important qualification.
Simon1867
Tourist
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:10 pm
Reputation: 0

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Simon1867 »

whiteribbon wrote: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:43 pm
Simon1867 wrote: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:19 pm Hi all!

I've just completed my TEFL course and am moving to Cambodia in March to hopefully start teaching English to students.

I'm a male, aged 33 with a lengthy CV of managerial and training positions (no actual teaching experience though).

Do you think it will be relatively straightforward for me to obtain a job with the Tefl under my belt bearing in mind I have no degree? I'm certainly not expecting to get the first one I apply for.

I'm not using this just as a stop gap, so I'm totally approaching it with a view to sticking with the job and actually helping to educate people, rather than just as a means to live somewhere hot.

Any advice whatsoever would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Simon
It will be easy to get a job in education. Too easy. Uncomfortably easy.
Why do you want to come here to 'educate' people and not do it in your own country? No degree and no experience, not a dig, just wondering why your first choice is Cambodia. I can not speak about PP but in Kep (we do have private schools here) the teachers earn about $1000 a month. With minimal or no experience, most of them are from the Philippines though.
I want to leave England and I like the idea of living in Cambodia, basically.

It seems like a good place to gain teaching experience for at least a few years and I like the idea of helping people in less fortunate positions than the majority of people in my country.
Simon1867
Tourist
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:10 pm
Reputation: 0

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Simon1867 »

Cam Nivag wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:51 am You don’t mention if you’re white. That’s the most important qualification.
I am white.

But I've also heard that being a male can count against you.

Again, just always have thst nagging concern that not having a degree will be a hinderence. I'd rather work for a school/college on merit as opposed to just because I'm white.

Any advice on where and how to look for jobs would also be massively appreciated

Thanks
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by frank lee bent »

Yes
User avatar
Brody
Expatriate
Posts: 7203
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:07 pm
Reputation: 8203
United States of America

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Brody »

frank lee bent wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:22 amYes

If I may, I'd just like to expound on this stellar reply by our illustrious,eloquent, judicious, and most revered 'mod', for the sake of our starry-eyed, wet behind the ears noob.

It's not so much the lack of a degree that may be an issue but the lack of teaching experience.

You have your TEFL certificate and that is a plus.

Don't sweat the lack of degree too much. I'd say that most of the language schools here come in about an 80/20 split.

80 percent are English language 'factory' schools that are just teaching English to speakers of other languages. I would imagine that after a successful interview, demonstration lesson and probation period in which you can flesh out your skills, you will have no trouble securing a full time position, teaching subject/verb agreement to a bunch of disinterested teenagers from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

The other 20 percent, the schools that would actually care whether or not you have a university degree, would also probably care what the degree is in.

So not only would you need a degree to teach at these schools, the degree would need to be in Education or be in the subject matter that you are going to teach, ie Science, Math, etc. and on top of that you most likely would need to be a certified teacher in your home country which comes with an intensive criminal background check.

So it seems Simple Simon is ELT bound, 9$/hour after tax...yikes.

About the male/female question.

It's not that being male will count against you, it is that females are preferred due to the perception of them being more reliable, patient, not drug/alcohol addicted and less likely to be picked up shirtless and incoherent by the competent authorities after a vicious beating from a roving band of tuk-tuk drivers and photographed by the local media, sullying the brand of the school.

Welcome to the wondrous world of tefl jobbing, don't forget to hook up with a bar-girl and make the 7th circle of hell complete.
User avatar
prahocalypse now
Expatriate
Posts: 2417
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:27 am
Reputation: 1181
India

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by prahocalypse now »

Simon1867 wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 3:52 am I like the idea of helping people in less fortunate positions than the majority of people in my country.

That's every white person teaching English in Phnom Penh.
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by frank lee bent »

You dont even need a tefl cert.
A close friend works 10 hrs a week for 1200 a month.
Holidays and sick leave paid.
User avatar
Brody
Expatriate
Posts: 7203
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:07 pm
Reputation: 8203
United States of America

Re: Working in Phnomh Penh without a degree

Post by Brody »

frank lee bent wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:03 pm You dont even need a tefl cert.
A close friend works 10 hrs a week for 1200 a month.
Holidays and sick leave paid.
Wow, $30 per hour and no tefl cert!

Simon already has a leg up with his needless tefl cert.

Why don't you pass on to Simon the name of this school that has so much money to throw around on under qualified teachers?

Sounds like a choice gig :thumb:
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bobby66, Google [Bot], Khmu Nation, Moe and 1184 guests