Many reputable universities offer online degree courses. An online degree offers students many advantages, especially older students, who may have childcare commitments that need to be accommodated into a study regime. Given that students on a traditional course spend the greater part of their time partying, it is certainly possible to pack the study part of a university education into one or two years.

Employers are naturally suspicious of anything new in the way of qualifications, and there will be a certain reluctance, on the part of some, to accept an online degree as equivalent to a traditional one. This arises because of the wealth of worthless “life experience” degrees that can be obtained for $200 or less from universities that no-one has ever heard of.

An online degree from a traditional and respected university will get you over this hurdle. You should avoid lesser known universities offering these courses, even if they are accredited institutions. Employers do not have the resources to keep track of which institutions are reputable this year, and which were reputable in the year your degree was awarded. They will play safe and only interview candidates with qualifications from universities they recognize.

School principals and governors are some of the most conservative people on the planet. If you apply for a teaching job with a qualification from some unheard of university, they will assume your hard-earned qualification is an online degree and worthless.

If you are looking into an online education degree, then you need to be particularly careful that it includes some teaching experience in a school situation. Teachers want to be working alongside other teachers who have been through a similar system of training that they went through themselves.

The general perception amongst teachers is that online degree qualifications do not include teaching practice in the classroom. They want to know that you have some teaching experience in the classroom and to see reports relating to that.

These reports are the only relevant reference you have as far as most teachers are concerned. The extent of your knowledge, as measured by your degree is much less important than is your ability to communicate that knowledge to a group of students.

View all Peter Gallagher's articles

---

About the Author:

More Education articles