I’ve searched for this but the answer seems to have eluded me.
I went for a uni job and they said they need my actual degree certificate…not just a copy.
firstly, I don’t have it as it hasn’t been issued to me yet and the uni refuses to hurry things along.
secondly, why do they need to see my BA cert when I have an MA? I find the logic here confusing?
So basically I want to know if they really can’t do with a copy and if I really need to show my actual BA certificate, or not? Any help much appreciated.
Yeah, they want the real thing. I wrote to my uni, told them the original was lost, and needed a replacement ASAP. I had to pay to have it couriered to me, I think. That was 14 years ago. Now I keep it in a folder, ready if needed in the future.
If I remember correctly, they wouldn’t accept my MA, which is why I had to get the BS couriered to me. Asinine.
I taught for several years at universities in Taiwan, and yes, they do need to see your actual diploma. I think they’re trying to prevent hiring teachers with fake diplomas.
If your university has not yet issued your certificate but you have completed the course satisfactorily it is (or was when I last did it in late 2003) possible to submit an original letter from the university stating that this is the case, along with a breakdown of your grades. I did this successfully for two successive ARCs with different schools (in Tainan). I seem to remember the second time they initially didn’t want to accept it, but after a bit of buggering about they said ok.
To this statement should be appended the usual caveat that bureaucratic decisions in Taiwan often differ depending how bad a day the woman on the desk is having, so your mileage may vary.
Explain to them why you don’t have your originals with you, and tell them that you can arrange for your official transcripts to be sent to them directly. You can then contact your uni and hve them send these (for a fee) if they will accept them. I did this in the UAE as I didn’t have my original Masters in hand yet when I got the job, and they accepted it as just as good. Hopefully your uni will too, they should. I would consider official transcripts to be even more legit if sent by your uni than the actual degree cert, as that could be easily faked.
I had my first overseas job, and needed to start, before I would be issued my BA, but after I’d finished studies. I had the Dean write a letter and notarize it. That worked for me then. I also learned to order a duplicate diploma so that i could keep one that looked good, as the one you hand over for your boss’ handling gets handled by all kind of office workers and, once, someone supersmart put a bunch of stamps all over it. Then, though these were the same official stamps needed, no other school would take it, as they figured I’d just counterfitted all those officail stamps. Just lean to keep a spare.
the problem is the uni themselves have actually said I need my MA cert. in order to apply for a ‘taiwan lecturers licence’. I’m not sure if this is the case or not but they seem to think it is.
Herein lies the problem; to them, it is black and white and everything else will be “impossible,” however reasonable it is to those with common sense.
Official transcripts are just as good, if not better, as the cert itself. Transcripts can be sent directly by the university and are more official in that sense anyway.
And I will bet that the uni you are going to be working for won’t even look into it. They will just say “Cert or it’s impossible” without actually trying to find out if there is a solution to your issue.
Black and white. It’s enough to drive one to drink.
The first school my husband and I worked for in Taiwan took our degrees and shoved them in a drawer filled with his kids’ crayons. Our degrees are now multicolored, despite our efforts to erase the lovely marks all over them.
I have a spare, but my husband’s uni won’t replace his! :s
I think you should try, but I doubt they will have the ability to look at another possibility. Taiwanese seem to be programmed with polar thinking…it’s black or white, yes or no, etc. and have a difficult time seeing common sense and exploring other possibilities.
But what I found to work was simply telling them what they needed to do or think. That seemed to work. For example…“Because my degree certification is not yet with me, you will need to accept my official transcripts that my university is sending to you instead. They will reach you soon. Let me know when you have processed everything.” That’s how I started to deal with things in Taiwan after a while, and it worked like a charm. If you approach them with questions like, “Is it ok to accept xxx instead of yyy?” You will get, “No, it’s impossible” after a sharp intake of breath. They will not even explore other options if you ask questions nstead of just telling them.
Just lean to keep a spare.
