The best schools require a degree, and they do check. They'll also do an interview (online if you're not in the country) and ask for a criminal background check. If you are accepted it will be conditional depending on how your mandatory lesson observation goes. The good schools don't care if you're white or female. They'll be looking at your teaching skills and how you get along with the students.

So, get the degree. Complete your studies in the UK where good instructors, resources and conducive study environments are available. Then come over to Cambodia to hone your teachng skills. You'll be able to work in a good school and further learn from other excellent teachers.

Khmu Nation wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 12:15 pm

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:51 am

Khmu Nation wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:36 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:30 am Experience 35 degrees heat and rain that is biblical when your first see it, traffic that terrifies you, language that baffles you, sights that haunt you, smells that nauseate you, garbage piles that disgust you, cheap beer that lures you and girls that make it all better again.

He's 27 not 67. I don't think he is going to be scared of anything.

Wanna bet?



(And if you don't have a strong sense of fear over the traffic conditions here then it is just a matter of time before one of them will get you...)

Yes he might be a snowflake. Although aren't they millenials? I don't think the traffic is so bad in PP - well not when compared to Saigon which, I agree, when the first time you have to cross a road is quite anxiety inducing.

27 is very Millennial.

Oxford Living Dictionaries describes a millennial as "a person reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century."

I take your point about PP v Saigon. At least it is relatively slow moving in PP which does give you half a chance...

Khmu Nation wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:35 am You can work your way up the ladder or teach A Level etc without a degree. It depends on your level of education, demeanour and knowledge of the subjects.

really?

which schools here offer A level courses? they hire nongraduated people to teach A level? wow.

Any decent international school will offer Cambridge A Level.

They might ask for a degree.

But they definitely don't check.

Why?

The only way to check is by notarization - which isn't asked for.

A degree is only essential in Thailand or Vietnam as it is a legal requirement to obtain a work permit. It isn't here or elsewhere. Sure, it is desired. That's all.

For the guy to finish his degree will cost him about 20 grand and 2 years. A waste of time and money if he is set on working in Cambodia. If he is only getting a degree to get a job in Cambodia no need. He doesn't need one under current laws. If he intends to go to Thailand or Vietnam then, yes, get a degree.

As a general comment about asking questions on forums, especially asking questions on expat forums, you will find numerous negative/you got no chance mate answers to any query which often aren't necessarily true.

I am not sure why this is.

Is it because some people just don't want to see other people getting on? Is it because people who have established a new life as an expat feel weirdly proud and protective about their new living environment and defend it like a jealous lover as they don't want newbies coming in and spoiling whatever the illusion is that they think they have? (A weird kind of 'I was here first' kind of thing) Is it because they have failed to achieve whatever the question subject is and therefore don't want others to succeed? Is it because they want to put off the competition? Is it something else?

I have no idea.

In terms of this question - degree or no degree? - this is the bottom line.

If you are educated to A level or equivalent, are reasonably intelligent, half eloquent, comfortable speaking to groups, native speaker, healthy, pleasant looking, clean, dressed in a clean shirt and a tie, enthusiastic, positive, friendly, willing to get boots on the ground and visit the schools, have a CELTA or online tefl, come at the right time of the year (July to Sept being peak season + Jan/Feb), have enough cash to exist without an income for a while it is pretty much a 100% certainty that you will find yourself in a job that will pay at least enough to sleep, shit and wash in private and eat and drink in public within 1 week to 6 months.

My advice: fuck the degree and go for it.

Good luck.

Khmu Nation wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:54 pm As a general comment about asking questions on forums, especially asking questions on expat forums, you will find numerous negative/you got no chance mate answers to any query which often aren't necessarily true.

I didn't notice any negative comments, can you point them out? I wrote that the better schools in Cambodia do require certification, which is absolutely true no matter what your opinion may be. I don't know anything about the requirements in Laos.

Do they require notarised certificates?

If they don’t then the point is moot

You will easily find full-time work without a degree which will pay you enough to live a reasonably comfortable lifestyle but if you plan on doing a lot of travelling or you like to put money aside every month, you may struggle a little.

With a degree you can potentially earn substantially more. Despite the myths, there are schools here with very high standards which only employ teachers with degrees. School fees for these are much higher than your average fly-by-night, back-street TEFLer style get-ups, and as such, can afford to pay their teachers very competitively.

It's no different to any other country in that regard. With a degree, your options become much broader and your earning potential increases significantly. Without one, you're competing with everyone else, often in a race to the bottom.

Yes but the point I am trying to make is in Vietnam and Thailand it is a legal requirement on schools who provide work permits to employ graduates, hence why degrees must be notarised in your home country, translated etc. No notarised degree no job.

Schools in other countries such a Cambodia might well require a degree but it isn’t a legal requirement imposed upon the school by the state hence they might employ a teacher without a degree but with the right experience or a teacher might claim to have a degree on their CV and show a fake certificate.

Therefore it is not essential to have a degree.

Advantageous? Without doubt. Absolutely imperative to the point of delaying coming here and spending 20 thousand completing a degree? No.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:16 am Why did you postpone your degree? Did you realize you weren't interested in geography anymore, or was it something else? You can find a job, but it'll be a bit aimless in terms of pay and progression. It's fine if you set yourself a deadline (say, 6 months, one year), but the degree is what will open doors in your future. It's easy to get stuck in the degreeless tefl scene here, but I don't think it leads anywhere.

I wasn't interested in geography to start with. I felt a bit ushered to go to university. I dropped out because I stopped attending lectures and my heart wasn't in it. I truly regret this now.