Another Teacher Question.

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MrSam
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Another Teacher Question.

Post by MrSam »

First of all hi, new to these forums.

I visited Phnom Phen April last year, had only booked a week away which turned into a 30 day stay. Absolutely fell in love with the place as many people do.
For the last 6 months I have been working a way to stay for longer which has involved a lot of hours of looking about here, google and youtube.

So a bit of background from me and ill explain the situation i am in.
i have a bachelor degree in criminology from Edinburgh University, i also have a bachelor degree in sports, fitness and coaching from Open University. I will be doing a TEFL course before i leave. I have seen enough post and videos to say this is not a requirement but i would feel more comfortable doing so. My current job(s) are a split between sports coaching and swim teacher.

Now this is where my problems are.
I have all my certificates from my governed approved swim instructor courses, which all clearly state i am qualified to teach, plan and execute lessons. This is the only teaching experience i have, tho i have been doing this for 3 years.
My bachelor degrees are currently hanging on a wall in Spain (i'm in Scotland) on my parents wall. I have them detailed on my CV (resume) but don't have the hard copy's or a copy of them.

I have come up with two solutions and looking for advice from someone that knows better, or has had some experience with this before. do i;
(A) Keep them on my CV and hope they don't ask to see copy's
or
(B) Remove the information from my CV and just go with my TEFL and swim instructors certificates

How often do the Schools/Government check degrees and are they used in the process for work visa's? I don't want to be asked to provide a document that I don't physically have with me in the country to gain a work permit.

Now I know the easy solution to this problem would be hop on a cheap flight across to Spain, say hi to the parents, grab a few margaritas and back the next day. Unfortunately this isn't possible as they are currently on a cruse which last around 6 months. And I had my key taken off me around the age of 22 because taking a group of your friends across and basically wrecking the place in a 3 week party is not acceptable.. ah to be young again!

Thanks in advance!
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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cptrelentless
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by cptrelentless »

I don't think anyone's going to give a shit about your bachelor's degrees, the bar's pretty low here for teaching. You can search alumni on the university web pages, anyhow.
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MrSam
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by MrSam »

cptrelentless wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:48 pm I don't think anyone's going to give a shit about your bachelor's degrees, the bar's pretty low here for teaching. You can search alumni on the university web pages, anyhow.
Thanks for the reply.

Yeah i realise the bar is low, its more for being in the situation when it comes round to applying for a work visa, surely they would want to see the certificates?
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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prahocalypse now
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by prahocalypse now »

When I was working at an "international school" a few years ago, someone from admin asked me to bring my degree to school because people from the Ministry of Education were coming to the school to check teachers' qualifications.

However, I don't know if they looked at it.

Is it possible to get copies of your degrees from your universities?

To be honest, if an employer asks to see your degrees and you tell them that they are hanging on the wall of your parents' house in Spain, and they won't be back for six months, the employer may not believe you.
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MrSam
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by MrSam »

prahocalypse now wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:02 pm When I was working at an "international school" a few years ago, someone from admin asked me to bring my degree to school because people from the Ministry of Education were coming to the school to check teachers' qualifications.

However, I don't know if they looked at it.

Is it possible to get copies of your degrees from your universities?

To be honest, if an employer asks to see your degrees and you tell them that they are hanging on the wall of your parents' house in Spain, and they won't be back for six months, the employer may not believe you.

I could quite easily get copies from the Edinburgh University but the Open University from what i hear are a bit of a drama.

That's very true, because if someone told me that.. i would think the exact same

thanks prahocalypse
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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Brody
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by Brody »

Jeez, PH is/was a tefl jobber....I had you for a better class of person...you think you know people, sheesh. :mrgreen:
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by Username Taken »

With "a bachelor degree in sports, fitness and coaching", I think you could get a decent job at one of the top tier international schools.
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John Bingham
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by John Bingham »

So a bit of background from me and ill explain the situation i am in.
i have a bachelor degree in criminology from Edinburgh University, i also have a bachelor degree in sports, fitness and coaching from Open University. I will be doing a TEFL course before i leave. I have seen enough post and videos to say this is not a requirement but i would feel more comfortable doing so. My current job(s) are a split between sports coaching and swim teacher.

I have come up with two solutions and looking for advice from someone that knows better, or has had some experience with this before. do i;
(A) Keep them on my CV and hope they don't ask to see copy's
or
(B) Remove the information from my CV and just go with my TEFL and swim instructors certificates
My advice would be to get a copy of your degree from Edinburgh University, it's a very respected institution and it will help to have a physical copy. Some places may not always check but it is a requirement for the better positions, as will be a transcript sent directly to HR from whatever office in the university issues them. I'd leave the part about the Sports/fitness on too, if you can prove you did a degree at Edinburgh University they'll believe you did an Open University course. Learning about TEFL is no harm even if you don't intend to work in that, it'll give you some ideas about how to deal with language barriers etc. If you are in the UK still you should get a criminal background certificate, the better places require one.
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MrSam
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by MrSam »

Username Taken wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:36 pm With "a bachelor degree in sports, fitness and coaching", I think you could get a decent job at one of the top tier international schools.
Yeah that sounds great, tho because this would be my first in class training job and not on a sport field or next to a pool i am quite happy to stay middle of the road as in the tier of the school to get some real hands on experience. Is good to know that i would have the opportunity in the future to look a bit higher.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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MrSam
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Re: Another Teacher Question.

Post by MrSam »

John Bingham wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:36 pm
So a bit of background from me and ill explain the situation i am in.
i have a bachelor degree in criminology from Edinburgh University, i also have a bachelor degree in sports, fitness and coaching from Open University. I will be doing a TEFL course before i leave. I have seen enough post and videos to say this is not a requirement but i would feel more comfortable doing so. My current job(s) are a split between sports coaching and swim teacher.

I have come up with two solutions and looking for advice from someone that knows better, or has had some experience with this before. do i;
(A) Keep them on my CV and hope they don't ask to see copy's
or
(B) Remove the information from my CV and just go with my TEFL and swim instructors certificates
My advice would be to get a copy of your degree from Edinburgh University, it's a very respected institution and it will help to have a physical copy. Some places may not always check but it is a requirement for the better positions, as will be a transcript sent directly to HR from whatever office in the university issues them. I'd leave the part about the Sports/fitness on too, if you can prove you did a degree at Edinburgh University they'll believe you did an Open University course. Learning about TEFL is no harm even if you don't intend to work in that, it'll give you some ideas about how to deal with language barriers etc. If you are in the UK still you should get a criminal background certificate, the better places require one.
Yeah I've just been on the phone to them, the lady kindly explained because of my change of address the process may take longer but its possible to send out replacements. Lets just hope it arrives before i leave.

Yeah that's my thinking about the TEFL, it would help with language barriers.

A criminal record check didn't even cross my mind. Tho getting a disclosure Scotland takes no time at all as many jobs across here ask for them.

Thank you
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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