A degree proves nothing. What does a degree mean to you?

A provocative title?

Why do many schools insist on potential teachers having a degree?

Would a degree in 'Basket Weaving' really make me a better teacher?

I see the degree as a record of a person’s ability to learn. At no point does it prove the persons ability to teach.

I am in progress with a TEFL course. I don't have a degree, but I scored the same as a person with a 'Masters Degree' in a test.

The TEFL alone should hold more value than a degree as it shows that the ability to teach English has been achieved.

I work as a packaging designer; I often come by work that has been designed by Graduates. I find myself altering their drawings to make the packaging function correctly. They have no real experience.

I have gathered so much information over the years, funding my own further education in many subjects. I have worked hard after finishing school and gained knowledge in all manner of different things.

I believe, that what I have in my mind is just as if not more practical than what a graduate has.


All the best,

Lee.

Sophie,

In your case the degree in TESOL is very important as it shows that you have leart the ability to teach the English language.
Someone with a BA in Physics would never be able to say that. Therefore my argument is that a degree in Physics is useless for someone wanting to teach English.

Educational institutions should restrict the requirement for a degree to a degree in the English language, or teaching, such as yours.

The whole system is unfair.
A degree should not be an 'Instant teacher award'!

All the best,

Lee.

Lee in England :When one has a B. Ed in English which is a three or four year course obviously one is going to be better qualified to teach English especially if one also has a CELTA.The fact that you thought yourself better has nothing to do with the degree.Some people however much qualified never make good teachers. Not all degrees qualify one to teach English. What nonsense to suggest that a four week course is as good as a five year degree in English.
Please think again

I know what you mean Lee. Fair enough, some degrees qualify you to do certain jobs, however, often the requirement for recruitment is 'a' degree in any subject.
I do not have a degree and work in an industry where one is pretty much standard. I have got here by experience and a lot of luck, and feel that I am very good at my job.

I am now frustrated by wanting to move on to work at a higher level, and can't as I didn't spend three years studying god-knows-what 20 years ago when I was 18!

I've been lucky in that I have twice been given 'graduate' jobs without having a degree. In both cases, the person appointing me - my bosses - also came up through the 'school of life' and didn't have degrees.

I feel there is a lot of discrimination against people without degrees. Why should a degree in one subject qualify anyone to work in another field entirely. I agree that an English degree will be useful for an English teacher, but that is not what people ask for, they just want any degree.

When I was 16 I left school, as that was what most girls of my generation and social/financial background did. A very few did A Levels. Virtyally none went on to do degrees.

I am now trying to study part-time for a degree as that in itself seems to be opening a lot of doors for me, but I resent feeling that I have to do it, as it is extremely difficult to combine with working full-time and being a single parent. I would love the luxury of going to university full time, and I wish I had had the opportunity when I was younger.

A fluke of birth has narrowed my options massively and I do not believe that is right. I am an intelligent person. Should I be disregarded because of my background?

Nona,

First of all, good luck with your studies.

We're now in a "credentialization" era, and yes, we're seeing degree inflatoin.

Back in the old days, if you wanted to work in a profession, you became an apprentice-- you learned on the job. But the only way to know how good you were was by word of mouth (ah, yes, and your portfolio, if you could keep one. ).

But with compulsory public education, everything has changed. We now institutionalize learning.
And that little diploma becomes something to go by, especially when employers receive floods of resume every day.

Whether degree holders are more qualified is subject to debate. With the Mcdonaldization of higher education, I've seen, in my hometown, many TESL degree holders who don't even speak the language well enough to teach it. And that's really the fault of the universities--they are more anxious to make money out of their students than to teach them right.


I hope my comment doesn't offend anyone.