Looking into i to i more closely, it seems that you need a high school diploma for Indonesia and China :( I don't have one of these as i left school 13 years ago...I am 31. When i contacted my old school they informed me that they only keep records for 8 years. So it is not possible to get replacement certificates. As you can imagine i am a little disappointed.

It seems Ecuador and Prague are the two places I don't need a high school diploma, so it looks like i'll be heading out to one of those places....hopefully! I do seem to keep meeting a lot of dead ends. You know, just when i think i can go ahead and book a course, something crops up telling me i can't do it for one reason or another.

So, yes! I've been led to Ecuador! It wasn't my first choice, but after some research on the place, it looks wonderful and i am very excited to have the chance to maybe live and work there. So its not all bad! :) Hopefully i won't hit any drawbacks with the Ecuador placement service!

Hey Rin,

Ecuador's great - so I'm sure you'll have a great time there!

Before you write off the China internship (or Indonesia for that matter) though, I've had a quick chat with the girls in our ops team here and you just need proof that you attended secondary school up until 18, which it looks like you have. They've said that just a letter from your old school saying you attended up until 18 would be fine (not sure how this would square with them only keeping records for eight years), or alternatively if you can remember which exam board you did your exams with you should be able to get replacement certificates.

Seems a shame that you should miss out even if though you've got the qualifications!

Thanks Honor :)

I've emailed my old school, and I think it would be possible to get a letter to prove that I attended secondary school.

I'm going to sign up to the Ecuador placement service, and then possibly change to Indonesia (I think its okay to do that?) if and when I get the proof :)

Though saying that, the more I look into Equador, the more I want to go there! Decisions, decisions!

So things are starting to look a lot better. Thanks!

Does that going to school until you were 18 thing stand for Ecuador? If so then I've got no chance and it's all been for nothing.  I was homeless when I finished my O'levels, and staying on at school was not an option.  It was 1984 and there were no jobs. Since then I have had been to college and got a level 3 NVQ, and I'm qualified in horticulture but I don't suppose that will impress anyone.  I'm 42, can it still count? I've been self employed for years and can provide excellent references, but will they just chuck my CV straight in the bin? I did the 120 hour course.

Hey Alix :)

No, for Ecuador you just need the TEFL :) Same as for Prague. I have felt let down a lot lately. I had my heart set on Japan originally, then found out i couldn't do it with i to i's placement service as i don't have a degree. :( So i then turned my attentions to Indonesia, and got my hopes dashed again as i couldnt get proof that i'd attended school to 18. ( My old school only keep records for 8 years and i am 31 and left 13 years ago. There are no teachers there that remember me even so i cannot get a letter saying i was there either) :(

I turned to Ecuador and Prague, which i hadn't even considered before. But the more i look at Ecuador, the more i fall in love with the place! <3 Its beautiful!! The only trouble that i seem to have come across with Ecuador, is the Visa stuff i spoke about to you elsewhere. I think £153 plus the cost of a CRB check and Medical certificates. A bank account that isn't in overdraft and the cost of a trip to London. Phew! So its turning out to be very pricey. What with plane tickets at £500-£600 and the cost of supporting yourself until your first paycheck its a lot more than i thought it was going to cost and possibly too pricey for me to be able to afford :( So, for me, its not something to be taken lightly!

On the other hand there is Prague. The flight is only £51 and you don't need a visa. So i may have to chose here. Though i did want to go much further afield originally..

If I do get that job I plan to sell my gardening round, my van, everything, and go! My kid has left home, I'm single now, no pets, why not?

I'm having a CRB check for my volunteer work - will that count or do I need another one?  And when you say medical certificates, do you mean vaccination records or something else?