China Post story about South African deported

Why do people with a degree get annoyed about people with fake degrees? Because “we are fools by actually studying”(quote Mr He)? Why would you feel like a fool? Low self-esteem is the only reason I can think of?

I also studied for my degree, and the only reason I went back to uni after 10 years was that I wanted a degree in order to be able to get an ARC in Taiwan. I didn’t even think about getting a fake degree, probably because I wouldn’t feel safe, I would always worry, I couldn’t see a policeman without getting paranoia. But if that isn’t a problem for other people, who cares.

As long as nobody with a real degree gets deported because there are people with fake degrees, why bother bitching about them? There is more than way to happiness.

Well, the reason to that I am offended are actually 3:

  1. The person with no degree is holding a position, where (s)he submitted wrong information in order to get the position. That’s illegal, and that behavior should not be condoned.

  2. By doing crap like that, the person with the fake degree is lowering the reputation of foreigners even lower.

  3. The persons with bona fide degrees have actually spent some time getting their degrees and are proud of their achievements. We also learned a great deal when we spent our years in college, I hope. Why should some law-breaking idiot be able to gain the same advantages by buying a piece of paper over the internet, without the base of knowledge and maturity that comes with a real degree?

I take that Rice T don’t feel like a fool spending 4+ years getting a degree if (s)he worked alongside a similarly renumerated degree mill degree holder. Most people with university degrees would, I guess.

Alright, I understand the reasons, I just can’t understand the excitement. I know it is illegal, maybe I just don’t care so much about other people doing illegal things as long as they don’t harm me too much.

And no, I wouldn’t feel like a fool. Because I used to not have a degree. And I know that having a degree doesn’t prove anything really. Do your job, do it well, and I don’t care about your degree.

I recognise that in Taiwan a degree is required for most of the jobs open for foreigners, who are not married to a native Taiwanese. And - as sated in my last post - I wouldn’t want to work illegally or get a tjob based on a fake degree. But I don’t really care, if others have a different opinion.

The majority of expats in Taiwan including myself have at some point done something illegal (driving without a license, etc), and were glad that they got away with it.

I do have a driving license now, but if other people think they don’t need one, then that is their business. They have got to live with the consequences, not me. And the same applies to working on fake degrees.

I never liked the guys in school, who would point their fingers at people who cheated in exams, maybe because I was one of the people who cheated. Now I wouldn’t cheat anymore, because you only cheat yourself anyhow. But I still don’t like sneaks.

I can’t believe the Taiwanese government didn’t take any time to look at the Ashwood University website. I don’t think all online degrees are fake; however, before you choose an online university you might want to check this list: ossc.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html

Some other things to look for include:

  • www.university.edu
  • RA accreditation, DETC, etc.
  • No(or extremely little) life experience credit. If credit is offered it must be done through a personal portfolio and reviewed by an administration board.

If you need any more information you can use this link:
degreeinfo.com/index.html

Ashwood University is fun.

[quote=“http://www.ashwooduniversity.net”]Please select your preferred GPA/grade status from below. Your selected GPA/grade status will be displayed on your degree and transcript. A GPA/grade status of 3.00 has already been selected for your Master’s Degree. If you wish to select any other GPA/grade status , kindly select from below.

	GPA 3.00 Free
	GPA 3.4

Actually, this guy’s behaviour DOES harm all of us who are legitimately qualified. It puts a cloud of doubt over the validity of all of us who claim to have a real qualification (ESPECIALLY if the govt doesn’t do its job in checking).

Second, as another poster pointed out, it further weakens the poor rep most people seem to have of the foreign community already. Is it any wonder foreigners struggle to get credit cards etc when we have folks like this making headlines?

And THAT affects us all.
:fume:

For an example of this, check the iacc23 job posting in which they specifically exclude South Africans from applying.

Very interesting rice_t,

It reminds me of the orientation program I went to many years ago, when I was in high school. A big group of us were getting ready to go on a one-year exchange programme to Germany. One of the workshops that had been organized was called “How to get along with your classmates”, or something like that.

You can probably see where this is going… What was the #1 piece of advice they had when it came to the schools? Don’t inform on the cheaters.

After years of watching exchange students go to Germany and instantly become the least popular kid in class for doing what they thought was the right thing, the orientation instructors had decided to make this point a key piece of advice.

“Everyone cheats,” they explained. “Well, not everyone, but a very significant portion of the students. So it does not have the same social stigma that it does here. Your classmates are not going to congratulate you for reporting a cheater. They are more likely to look at you ask ‘What the f**k is your problem? What did poor ol’ Juergen ever do to you?'”

Was sound advice. My first day in Gymnasium I started saw at least a dozen of those little cheat-sheets taped to the inside of calculators. I began to think that they must come pre-packaged with the Gymnasium Essentials school kit everyone buys (Lamy pen, cylindrical leather pen/pencil case that everyone signs and draws on, tennis ball for courtyard tennis-football, straight-edge ruler, deck of playing cards numbered 9-Ace).

Okay, boring story… your quote just brought a good memory back is all. :wink:

Cheers,

he was just teaching english, no biggie, what if he had a fake degree in surgery, and performing open heart surgery, now that woudl be scary…

As long as there are fake degrees, there will be people using them for their advantage. If they get caught, they will be deported. There is nothing you can do about it, hm, hang on a second…

Have you ever denunciated someone, who you knew was working on a fake degree? Would you do it?

Alright, alright, alright, maybe I should just shut up…I am getting off topic anyway

I’m glad you have such respect for teachers and don’t care about any possible harm that might come to children from bad education.

[quote=“Mr He”]Well, the reason to that I am offended are actually 3:

  1. The person with no degree is holding a position, where (s)he submitted wrong information in order to get the position. That’s illegal, and that behavior should not be condoned.

  2. By doing crap like that, the person with the fake degree is lowering the reputation of foreigners even lower.

  3. The persons with bona fide degrees have actually spent some time getting their degrees and are proud of their achievements. We also learned a great deal when we spent our years in college, I hope. Why should some law-breaking idiot be able to gain the same advantages by buying a piece of paper over the internet, without the base of knowledge and maturity that comes with a real degree?

I take that Rice T don’t feel like a fool spending 4+ years getting a degree if (s)he worked alongside a similarly renumerated degree mill degree holder. Most people with university degrees would, I guess.[/quote]

I quite agree with you and feel equally offended by these folks with fake degrees - and getting away with it! However, some of us are aware of people who do this. Aren’t we equally responsible to report this? Or would we then just be “snitches”? What are your thoughts on that?

Because, just like you, I’m also proud of the time and energy invested in getting my degrees, and pissed of by wannabees who slip throught the system. It just irks me very deeply… :fume:

If I were asked about doubtful credentials held by a colleague, I would tell.

If not, I would leave it to my senior officer to suss out.

Yes, I agree that the problem with people who have shaky on-line degrees and even fake degrees does give us real degree holders a problem.

The problem is suspicion, especially if you’re from a country that has a high number of people being rejected for an ARC. So even if you DO have an authentic degree that you worked your ass off for and are proud of, the government here (or school you apply at), can justify denying your resident visa on the grounds that your contrymen are less than honest.

Poof! There goes your chances of teaching in Taiwan.

So to sit back and say that’s all right for them if they can handle the paranoia is illogical. I’m happy to say that, for some reason, my diploma and credits were recently double checked by whomever in Taipei and they held up fine, as I knew they would.

But that doesn’t mean squat if people from my country are commiting fraud just to get in here and teach or whatever. One day someone at a decent school might say to me: “Oh, we hired somone from your country once and it turned out he had a fake Internet degree. Sorry.”

Now do you get the picture? :unamused:

I’m glad you have such respect for teachers and don’t care about any possible harm that might come to children from bad education.[/quote]

er…your assumption that a degree in ANYTHING would make you a good teacher qualified to teach is ludicrous, just because TW law feels feels thats the minimum standard doesn’t mean its my minimum standard. I would want my kids teachers to have B. Ed. as well as a degree in the related field that they are teaching…