A quick question about PGCE's

I have my PGCE (professional certificate in education) from Sunderland University in the UK by distance learning. I have two years ESL experience in Japan and I

Legally, the only thing that would matter in your situation is whether or not you hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. Certificates don’t matter. Experience doesn’t matter (unless you have a lot of it, in certain cases). Degrees talk.

[quote]The first question is:
As I did not obtain my PGCE in the UK and thus did not compete a year in a state school in England following my PGCE to obtain QTS (qualified teacher status) am I still eligible to work for a state of private (not buxiban) school in Taiwan. [/quote]
What age group are you hoping to teach? Although you haven’t done the practicum, your having some sort of teaching qualification will be an advantage in looking for work. However, if your goal is to teach in some sort of post-secondary state institution, the PGCE w/out QTS may not be very helpful. It may open up opportunities in private colleges, though.

[quote]
Secondly:
I am currently studying for my Masters in TESOL from the same University by distance learning. And again the question is: Do the Taiwanese government recognize distance learning degrees and if so would this qualify me to work in state school of higher education.[/quote]
Distance degrees are not looked upon favorably in Taiwan. If you wanted to get a job in a state tertiary institution, you would probably have to have at least an MA earned on campus somewhere, or have done an MA with an on campus component that accounts for a certain percentage of the total coursework. I knew one guy here in HK with an RSA Cert+Dip, a distance masters from Macquarie, about 15 years of experience, a few of which were post-masters, a couple of articles published in regional journals and one in an international journal and working proficiency Mandarin. A couple of years ago he applied for a few university jobs in Taiwan. The responses were all basically “sorry, your CV looks great but we can’t take on someone with a distance degree.” I think he got a couple of offers from private tertiary institutions, but the working environment and pay were both way below what he was getting in HK and what he later got in Japan. This was a couple of years ago, though, and just one story. If you’re interested in tertiary level teaching, there are a few posters here working in universities and colleges who might be able to explain current policies and practices.

Why dont you go back to the UK and get a teaching job for a year or two, then you can teach in the British International schools that are found all over the world. Better pay and conditions; worth giving up a couple of years for. And if you think getting a job will be hard, just apply to London, or greater London; they are usually crying out for teachers.

On another point, I dont get how you can do a distance learning PGCE; it entails a lot of assesed placements!! How did you get around that??