Specific Situation - Any Ideas?

[Rav]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here, and new to the idea of earning a degree via CLEP/DSST etc. alone.

I have completed an Associate's degree and 2 years of education at traditional colleges and I'm taking a hiatus to focus on work right now.

What I'd like to do is teach English abroad but every country I'd want to teach in requires a bachelor's degree (of any type, as long as it's accredited).

What I want to know is:
1) Is it still possible to complete an English degree using only exam credits?
2) Approximately how much would it cost?

I have about 60 credits already from my previous college courses.

I'm going to keep reading the other posts on the forum and gather as much info as I can, but some specific input is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Snickerdoodle]

Welcome to the forum and to this amazing journey! I'm not an English major myself but I've seen quite a few others do it with only exams. Hopefully they will chime in. Please read this thread for some info on earning an English degree at Thomas Edison State College specifically. http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...-tesc.html

Not sure if you're familiar with the Big Three, but that generally denotes Thomas Edison State College, Excelsior College, and Charter Oak College around here. All 3 offer great options for testing out of degrees.

As for cost, I can only speak about Thomas Edison State College, which is my school, where costs depend on the amount of time and the number of credits you need. For one year, tuition alone will cost at least $2,958 for one year if you're not a New Jersey resident. Add testing fees, which I'll estimate at about $2000 for your case, as you need 60 more credits for a bachelor's, which roughs out to 20 exams (or less, depending on your choices), and testing fees in my area average around $100. So total minimum would be about $5000.

Now I have a few questions for you! If you don't mind, what was your previous degree's major and your line of work? You may be able to earn credit for life or work experience that you've gained in your current career, and the courses you've taken before will shape your degree plan now.
Wish you all the best!

[af2012]

I'm getting my BA in English @ TESC and I can tell you that as of July 2012, there is a capstone requirement that was added to our degree plans, actually most of the BA degree programs. If you go to TESC you will have to at least take that. You will also need to take (or transfer in) one course in Non-Western world literature, there are no CLEPs or DSSTs that satisfy this requirement. It has to be a class, it just doesn't have to be at TESC. Next, you have to have 18 credits in level 300 or 400 English or Literature to satisfy the English requirements (the capstone & non-western world lit are included in that 18 credits since they are considered upper level classes). Everything else can be gotten either through CLEPs, DSSTs, ALEKs or Straighterline courses in any combination that floats your boat. So if you really wanted to the most you would have to take at TESC in actual classes (or PLAs or TECEPs) are 6 classes. If you are only going to take 6 courses then I would NOT go the Comprehensive Plan route, it's overkill, you would be paying for credits you didn't need. I would just pay by the class.

Good luck!

Amy

[burbuja0512]

Hi there! Teaching English abroad is very fun and rewarding - years ago (and without a bachelors lol) I taught English in Mexico and the experience of living outside of the country was absolutely amazing.

You should research the countries that you want to teach in. I've looked at a lot of sites for a lot of different places and every place I've looked at only requires a bachelors, ANY bachelors, from an accredited university. No you won't be able to teach at a university without at least a masters, but in many places the private English schools pay better anyhow.

Think of it this way: in many countries, it's really tough to find native speakers. They do want a bachelors in most cases because they want to make sure that you have decent grammar, but they're not picky. English is the language of business and travel- EVERYONE needs to learn it to get a decent job or travel with ease. I have been lucky enough to travel the world for business in the past year and it doesn't matter which part of the globe you're in, English is in airports and used for business. That may change some day, but for now it's the reality. It's not easy to learn English and almost impossible to learn to speak without some experience speaking. I've met plenty of English teachers that can't speak a word. Your native accent and skills are more valuable than you might realize in areas where non-speakers are teaching the language.

So... that being said, my recommendation is to get the bachelors that you want. (Once you've looked at the requirements for schools in the countries where you want to go) If your goal is to get out of the country as soon as possible, then pick the degree that you can test out of quickly. If you have a long-term goal beyond teaching, then get a degree that most closely matches this.

My COSC undergrad choice was business and now I'm working on a global MBA. I shifted my career over to international business and it's a perfect fit with my experience and language skills that I acquired while living outside of the US. No, it's not rewarding in the same way that teaching is, but with kids and hubby, I can no longer live wherever I want to. It's a great way to keep me traveling and learning about other cultures while doing something I enjoy. It's definitely not for everyone, but I would recommend it if you don't have any other strong preferences and if business doesn't bore you to tears.

[Snickerdoodle]

So if you really wanted to the most you would have to take at TESC in actual classes (or PLAs or TECEPs) are 6 classes. If you are only going to take 6 courses then I would NOT go the Comprehensive Plan route, it's overkill, you would be paying for credits you didn't need. I would just pay by the class.

Good luck!

Amy

So glad to hear from a real live English major! Thanks for clarifying about the capstone and the min. 6 classes. Cheers

[Rav]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

If you don't mind, what was your previous degree's major and your line of work?

I hadn't declared a major in my previous college work but my classes were oriented towards a BS in Math. I work in IT right now but I haven't had time to make a career out of it (I'm 21 years old). By the way, from College Education for Adults at Thomas Edison State College "Thomas Edison State College does not award credit for life experience."

You should research the countries that you want to teach in. I've looked at a lot of sites for a lot of different places and every place I've looked at only requires a bachelors, ANY bachelors, from an accredited university.

I'm considering teaching in Taiwan, China, Japan or Korea and I know that the bachelor's degree requirement is merely for immigration purposes. Many job postings mention that an English degree is preferred; that's why I'm leaning towards an English major.

If your goal is to get out of the country as soon as possible, then pick the degree that you can test out of quickly.

I do plan to leave the country quickly. I would definitely consider a degree other than English if it would save me a significant amount of time and/or money. Do you have any recommendations? Perhaps something IT-related?

Finally, thanks af2012 for the input on the specific course requirements! I'm amazed that I received such prompt and informative replies from you guys.

[Snickerdoodle]

[quote=Rav]Thanks for the replies, everyone!



I hadn't declared a major in my previous college work but my classes were oriented towards a BS in Math. I work in IT right now but I haven't had time to make a career out of it (I'm 21 years old). By the way, from College Education for Adults at Thomas Edison State College "Thomas Edison State College does not award credit for life experience."

I guess I didn't make myself clear when I used that term. TESC does offer the option of Prior Learning Assessments. Thomas Edison State College: Prior Learning Assessment
They'll award you credit for "the college-level knowledge you may have acquired outside the traditional college classroom." They don't care how you attained that knowledge, they just want proof. "You may have acquired this knowledge through your past work, independent reading and study, training programs or in-service courses, volunteer service, cultural or artistic pursuits, hobbies and recreational pastimes, community or religious activities, organizational memberships, adult education, non-credit courses, study abroad, military training not evaluated for credit by ACE, or other experiences," according to the website. It's a great option if you do have skills that translate easily into college courses. All the best!

[burbuja0512]

I do plan to leave the country quickly. I would definitely consider a degree other than English if it would save me a significant amount of time and/or money. Do you have any recommendations? Perhaps something IT-related?

Sorry I can't give any IT recommendations... I have only ever seriously looked at Big 3 options in Liberal Arts, Psych or Business. I know that there are other degrees out there that you can finish up pretty quickly and there are several people I've seen on the forums with the TESC math degree.. yikes I can't remember who other then Ryoder. Liberal Arts might be a good one for teaching if you don't do English, but like I said before, go with your interests.


I hear that the teaching jobs in Korea pay well, though I can't say from personal experience. I have been to both Korea and Japan this year and definitely see bigger economic movement in Korea, which might bode well for future teaching opportunities. Japan is a wonderful country and I love it, but they're in a slump right now and I believe that it will last a lot longer without major changes in their business practices (actually just wrote a paper on this in case you want any of the boring details lol) Ok.. I'll shut up now. Ha ha - you got me talking about my absolute favorite topics, foreign cultures and travel so now I won't stop