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Some people (usually graduates) and many course providers would have you believe that you can't teach English without a degree. But it needn't hold you back from becoming a TEFL teacher
Do you need a degree to teach abroad? Short answer - it depends. With such a wide range of TEFL destinations on offer, it's inevitable that different countries will require different qualifications. So, some countries will be off limits for those without degrees. It may seem unfair, but many governments state that you have to have a degree in order to get a work visa, without which you won't be able to teach legally. Not having a degree doesn't mean you'll be a bad teacher or that you're any less smart than a graduate - it's just a pesky legal requirement.
It's not the end of the world though - there are many countries where you can teach without a degree - take a look on where's on offer.
China
The daddy of all TEFL destinations, China's need for teachers is so great that they're willing to let the degree thing slide. Good news for you is that it's a fantastic place to teach. If it's your first time teaching abroad take a look at the Teach in China internship: you'll get plenty of support, making that first TEFL experience all the easier.
Ecuador
Tropical rainforests, astounding natural beauty, low living costs and high demand for TEFL teachers… Ecuador certainly isn't a consolation prize for degree-less TEFL teachers. The best bit? There are opportunities in Ecuador with i-to-i's hassle free job-placement service. Just click here for details.
Czech Republic
Contrary to popular belief, Europe certainly isn't out of bounds for teachers without degrees. The Czech Republic, with it's great position slap bang in the middle of Europe (not to mention cheap beer), is open to those who never made it to uni. Check out the opportunities there through i-to-i's job placement service.
That's it! The longer your TEFL certificate (100 hours plus is the industry standard), the more chance you'll have of bagging that job, but often you'll be able to get by with just a 20 hour classroom TEFL course.
Some previous teaching experience (such as volunteer teaching) can help bolster your job applications, but certainly isn't necessary.
Unfortunately there are some countries where, due to visa requirements, you can't work if you don't have a degree. Here are some of the main ones:
The short answer is maybe. It just depends on your individual circumstances and how willing you are to take a chance and head abroad without having secured a job first. Often, if you just turn up in a country, you can secure work by word of mouth and approaching schools directly. However, due to the visa situation you may be a cash-in-hand employee, which puts you at risk of being exploited by unscrupulous employers.
Ultimately though, there are always exceptions to every rule - so if you have your heart set on a particular country network with teachers who are already there here on Chalkboard and see if they have any suggestions as to how you can make your dream to teach in _____ a reality.
Check out i-to-i's country guides to see requirements for individual countries.
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I have an Associates Degree. Do you know of any countries that recognize those type of degrees? The norm that I see for education requirements is a "university degree" but that term is quite vague for in America there are several degrees.
Since I have an associates degree already if I take TEFL course, would that be equivalent to a bachelor's degree?
Hey,
It depends where you want to teach - generally jobs ask for a university degree for visa purposes (rather than proving how smart you are!), so if that's the case your Associates Degree probably won't be enough, as embassies will be looking for a bachelors degree.
Don't sweat it too much though - there are loads of countries where you can teach without a bachelors degree if you do a TEFL course, such as Indonesia and China. You might want to check out Craig's blog about China to see what it's like there: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/craigbarber and Robert's posts about Indonesia to see what life's like there: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/robertclarke
If you have any other questions please feel free to get in touch!
Good luck!
Yea....China and Indonesia were last on my list of "countries to go". You said "there are loads of countries where you can teach". So, what are the others?
That's cool - Ecuador's another good place to teach without a degree and a lot of other south american countries don't require degrees, as well as Russia.
I'd say that if you're starting out China's probably your best bet though - have you thought about doing a paid internship at all? The Teach in China internship might be a good bet for you, as you get loads of support in getting started, a ready-made group of friends in all the other interns, as well as free accommodation and food. You can get all the details here: http://www.onlinetefl.com/teaching-internships/china/
Where's top of your list at the minute?
I've looked at Ecuador and most of the advertised job ask for a degree. However, I have read blogs that say that if you go there and ask around or do private work there is plenty going on that doesn't get onto the internet. I've also heard that they don't always ask you for a work visa so you can go as a tourist but I dont know how true that is, so I'm starting to join some forums in order to ask these questions. It seems that as with all things, what you're told officially just seems designed to dishearten you, and now is the time to start looking for ways around it. I don't think a TEFL course is a high enough level to count towards a degree, not sure how it works, but there are higher EFL qualifications like CELTA and DELTA, and now I've heard of them being called TEFLI and TEFLQ...... but still, I should think you'd need the basic TEFL if you don't have any teaching qualification, i -to i, what do you think?
Hey Alix,
With Ecuador I don't think you do need a degree to be 'legal' so to speak - as our partners in Ecuador (who are fully kosher!) don't state that as a requirement: http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-jobs-abroad/tefl-ecuador.html
Your TEFL course is totally separate to a degree so you never need to worry about 'topping up' to degree level. Your degree is for visa purposes, while your TEFL course is for teaching purposes, if that makes sense! Obviously the higher your TEFL certificate, the better chance you have of getting jobs, but generally the advice we give is that CELTA and DELTA courses are for those who already have quite a bit of TEFL experience and are intending to make a total career out of TEFL.
Generally a TEFL certificate of 100 hours plus is enough to persuade most employers in countries where you don't need a degree that you're good enough, so your 120 hour course should stand you in very good stead.
Also, try not to get disheartened! There's a lot of misinformation out there about TEFL and in reality it's not as complicated as people make out. It looks like you're really persevering with the job hunting so I'm sure you'll get some joy soon :)
You might want to get in touch with Sandy - while she was looking for jobs in different areas, she's got a lot of job-hunting experience, so might be able to give you some tips: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/sandychow17
Good luck and keep us posted with how you get on
Thanks, I didn't realise before that the degree was only for visa purposes. I applied for the Ecuador job with you anyway - if I do get something it'll be a mad scramble to get the cash together! Do you have to have a return ticket? Surely if it's a twelve month contract they can't expect that?
I've read lately that you can get jobs in the Caribbean teaching people who've come over from Latin America. Do you know anyone doing that? I was born in Port of Spain and the idea of teaching there would be like a dream come true!
Hey,
That's cool you've applied for the job in Ecuador - best of luck with it! You won't need to book your return flight or anything - you should be fine just to get a one-way ticket.
Never heard of anyone teaching migrants in the Caribbean, but I'm sure it does happen. Sounds like a pretty sweet gig! This person lives in Trinidad and Tobago, so you might want to ask them: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/dasaniapril
Depends what kind of teaching. Private tutoring, educational centres, doing cources in schools with an external organisation and even Kindergarten teaching can be possible without a degree. I've heard similar from other English teachers with experience in Taiwan, Japan and Mainland China. Building up experience and credability from private tutoring to small languages centres, to running cources in school and then into possibly a Kindergarten is all possible (believe it or not) without even a TEFL certificate. With enough experience and already having a visa it's possible.
Yes, I did read a few times that Japan, for one, would forsake a degree if you have two years experience. So, that is what I am aiming for! :)
The term degree is too broad, i think...do we need to have a teaching-related degree in order to teach in places that require them? like for example, with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance, can that be used too...? thanks...
I possess the flexibility in being able to participate in a TEFL course anywhere in the world and would love some recommendations! I've not achieved a university degree, unfortunately, but to my understanding this isn't too great an issue for many places. Any thoughts or knowledge on Egypt? Aloha~~~
I could have my associate's degree by the end of this summer (only 10 credits to go), and I've been surreptitiously debating whether I should teach in Indonesia for a year. Okay, this is my concern. I realize I can qualify for a K.I.T.A.S. work permit as long as I have completed a 120 TEFL course. If I choose to postpone completing my associate's degree will the Indonesian government request to see my high school transcript? I have quite a few questions, but this is a good start. Thank you!
No answers yet, I-to-I? This is truly comforting. Anyone?
Hi, by degree you mean TOEFL, IELTS or similar, or university degree? If you are referring to university, I have a bachelor degree in informatics and in economics and the language certification from the universities... does this apply?
Okay...I'm starting to think this website is some sort of scam. No one has answered my questions and my inbox is bombarded with messages from people in Africa trying to extort money from me.
FYI everyone...if you're receiving these messages to correspond via your private e-mail address, it's a scam. They will send you a sad story and claim they're the daughter of a millionaire, but they need your money for...I don't know. If you're stupid enough to give them your bank information, they will take all of your money. I've received 6 such private messages so far.
Hi, hope this question isn't too irrelevant to ask here.
I see that in the requirements for teaching in the Czech Republic you don't need a degree but you do need to be between the ages 23-50.
I am only almost 21, I was wondering if the age requirements are absolute or if they're a little bit flexible.
Thanks!
So i wasn't the only one then, wondering whether it has to be a certain degree(s).
I've looked on numerous websites and not one of them mentioned anything about a specific degree, it's just says "a degree".
I'm guessing, around just under half of the ads i've looked at, mentioned a degree, that's not including volenteering. Although i've many been looking at Eatern Europe and Japan.
As some people where asking that question, i think the article just about clears it up nicely, the degree is usually just for visa purposes, but may just be an ever increasing requirement by some. But if have good experience and/or can speak their language fluently, some will be willing to take you on anyway.
So basically you could have a degree in Scratching your ass, but it gets you the visa. But in other countries where you don't need a degree to get a visa, a degree Pancake flipping might not be too impressive. But none from what i have seen specify which degrees they prefer you to have, so as long as it's something academic or decent, i think it shouldn't matter.
Hi. I do not have a degree - but completed half of one (the first year). Prior to this some vocational qualifications (equivalent to A level) and then GCSEs. Since leaving university I have spent the past 11 years working in education (marketing) and communications and PR for local government. Would this be of benefit when applying for teaching roles? Either way I am keen to know as I am considering the 120 hour course to put me on the right path for teaching English abroad. Thanks.
i-to- last moderated this site in 2010.... doesn't look good. i-to-i can you please respond to the questions or delete them as it looks a bit sub standard having queries appear on the website with no responses... and then responses to queries dating February 2010!
Hi DannyT (and everyone else that did not receive a reply on this thread)
Huge apologies for you not receiving a response on the page here, I hope that we're not too late in some circumstances to reply here.
DannyT - having experience is superb and will make you stand out from other applicants for sure. The trouble is that it isn't always about the requirements of a specific school, but of the visa requirements set by the Government. So, if the Government requires TEFL teachers to have a degree then it will be difficult to work (legally) in that country.
Smaller schools, private teaching or shorter-term volunteer teaching may be possible or a non-teaching visa. We'd recommend the first port of call when looking at different destinations is to check the visa regulations with the specific embassy before making any further decisions.
I hope that helps a little more? Unfortunately the ball is in their court when it comes to degrees, because as far as we're aware, it doesn't matter what type of degree you have; but certain schools might be looking for a teaching degree.
It's always an annoyance when the information is this vague, but it basically allows them to factor in changes at short notice, so it's always worth staying up to date with the latest info.
Sweetadeline - it's worth making an application even though you are younger than the age advertised. Depending on how strong the other applicants are, they may decide to relax the requirements a little, but there's no way of knowing unless you give it a go!
Lastly, Indonesia sadly now has joined the ranks and you do now need a degree to teach there :(
Sorry again for the delay in responding everyone. Don't forget that we have a 'contact us' page where you can get a faster response to your question!
http://www.onlinetefl.com/contact-tefl-team/uk/
Katie :)
Hey i-to-i,
I'd like to learn Spanish, so I intend to move somewhere in south america or central america to teach english and study on the side. I do not have a degree. I am going to take a TEFL course (60 hours). I have worked at a University day care center for 6 years as a teacher assistant, inclusion facilitator, and also volunteered for 2 years at an elementary school with 4 and 5 graders. Can you recommend me a couple countries to look into specifically? Thank you for much.
I've been worried the last few months, i plan to move to hong kong in july to teach english, but i don't have a bachelor's degree, but i'm also a hong kong citizen, so technically i don't need a working visa, so i should be ok about it right?
Do online Bachelor degrees count? I know in the US at least, a lot of people see them as useless but would they count overseas?
@ WandSouj: some countries, such as those in the Middle East, categorically refuse to accept degrees from online universities.
In other countries it depends on whether the university itself is online, e.g., the Open University, or whether the degree was offered online by a 'real' bricks-and-mortar university, e.g., University of Liverpool. An online degree from the latter is more likely to be accepted than one from the former.
I read on another site that counties in the Middle East will not hire you if you received your TEFL certification online. Is this true?
Since I started doing my TEFL course and started looking around at available jobs I see more and more private language schools are making it a requirement that a Bachelor's Degree are a must have for new job applicants. I think for those of us that don't have degrees the better paid jobs will be beyond our reach as we will be automatically excluded from applying for them. This is already the case for the internship in Poland.
I am nearly finished my 140 hour Course but I don't have a degree. I'm currently looking at working in Ecuador and was wondering if you can choose what part of the country you can work in. I have friends in Cumbaya and would like to know if it's possible to pick where you want to work? What do you think?
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