Hi. I just had a brilliant idea 2 days ago... I want to teach English abroad! I have taken some college but have not graduated.  I have done some research but there is sooo much information it is hard to decipher through it. My main concern is that I will take the TEFL courses and not be able to find a position because I do not have a Bachelors Degree.  How necessary is it to have a degree to be placed in the country of your choice. I would like to go to South America, preferably Costa Rica. Thailand would be great too.

Unfortunately the list of countries where you can legally teach without a degree is rapidly decreasing. I'm afraid that you need a degree to teach legally in both Costa Rica and Thailand. Admittedly there are plenty of people working illegally on tourist visas in Thailand, but it's definitely not advisable.

If South America interests you, have you considered Ecuador? You don't need to have a degree to get a visa to work there.

Yes, after looking deeper on this site I see that it is very limited. I appreciate the reply.

If you don't have a degree, I would say the best route would be to work in China (where you can get a job via TTC without a degree) first, get some experience and then use the weight of that to get a job somewhere else. Alot of people have picked up fake degrees on the way...

Don't let a bit of paper (or the lack there of) hold you back.

@ Dave: Of course it's possible to work illegally or with fake documents – everyone knows (of) someone who knows someone who is doing that – but it's certainly NOT advisable. You wouldn't break the rules in your home country, so why do it abroad? You risk being heavily fined and/or deported (and possibly banned from entering the country again) or even jailed, and NO job is worth that much! Note that if you do run in trouble, your Embassy can do nothing more than provide you with an English-speaking lawyer. They can't pay your fine or get you out of jail.

I have to agree with Briona. I'm not really a rule breaker, actually just the opposite! So even though I'm sure that works for some, I don't think I can bring myself to take that route. I am looking to get into teaching abroad as a way to also volunteer and feel somewhat philanthropic. I think that heading south to Ecuador will to be a great place to start and there seems to be a need for teachers as well as volunteers.

@ Sommer: If you are considering Ecuador, talk to Alix – http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/alixm09. She's now in Madrid but she spent a year (?) in Ecuador before that.

I am new to this website and in the same boat. I am Highly Interested in Teaching Abroad and leaving my country for a while. But I have only got a Diploma in Leadership which breifly covered teaching. I am mainly afraid of needing a degree, but want to get the ball moving asap. Would the best decision be to do the TEFL course, and then continue on with a teaching degree. It just means that it will take me about 2 more years to actually start Teaching Abroad.

Also I have not studied since June 2010, and have been working Full Time since then, but am very eager to start this course.

There are two ways of teaching abroad. The first is with a TEFL certificate (online/CELTA/Trinity CertTESOL/EDI CertTEFL), which will enable you to teach in private language schools. The second is with teaching certification from your home country. You could use this to teach in International Schools (schools which teach the British/American schools curriculums). If you opt for the latter, you don't need to have a TEFL certificate.

Regardless of which route you choose, I would recommend investing in a degree. In the past few years it's become much harder for non-degree holders to find good, legal work in many places around the world, and the rules are being tightened up as we speak. By 2015, with ASEAN integration (the Asian answer to the EU), it will no longer be possible to teach anywhere in South East Asia without a degree.

Have you thought about where you'd like to teach?

I am also considering doing the TEFL course with a view to teaching in Croatia, I also do not have a degree and can find little or no information pertaining to work in Croatia. A second choice would be to teach in Chile.

Does anyone have any infor mation or advice thay can send to me.

Hi to everyone..I am new here and read all your messages and i think we have the same situations. Lack of a bachelor's degree and experience is difficult to get a teaching job unless you will use fake documents as Briona says. I am working in China right now and i'm considering a career brake and i chose teaching.

One thing more is that,english is just my second language,so it is not perfect but i'm willing to exsert my efforts to improve to be able to impart knowledge to my future students.

My school is hiring, no degree is needed. We're in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China. email me at brad_colson@hotmail.com

Ah Ditto. I know a few schools that are hiring. I am in Hangzhou, Zheijing Province (little south of Shanghai).

Being a man on the ground in China, I know quite a few agents (they seem to congregate in the bar we westerners use on a Thursday for a pub quiz, or infiltrate the Westerners' rugby team...). I can put you in touch if you want...I believe they have contacts all over China.

email me at ahopkins767@hotmail.com

hi all
im in same position really wanting to go overseas and teach English but dont have a degree just a diploma (do they consider that?). Does anyone duggest doing an internship first gain some experience...???

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Hi Justine, really the question is, where do you want to go? Every country is different. Of course, any qualifications you have are going to look good, but a diploma won't get you into the countries where a degree is required. Likewise with an internship, it'll look good, give you an edge (although, personally I don't think it's necessary much of the time) but it won't get you anywhere if you need a degree for the visa.

hi
thanks for your reply. really annoying that you need degree to get into certain countries i have just as much experience and knowledge(if not more) than half the people out there with degrees.... I would like to possibily go to Europe to teach (know some countries dont require a degree)
Justine