welshie2000

I shall be starting a degree soon to go into teaching but was wondering if you can finish a degree off in Oz?

Also, what happens to your student loan if you move abroad???

Ta

Glw88

I think you can transfer over you're marks onto a similar degree in Oz,that might only be for one semester. Looking at the course I'm doing in Australia it is possible to do an exchange over to a uni in the UK for one semester, and I'd assume it would probably work the other way. Might be a good idea to see if you can find out if the university in the UK has any partner universities in Australia.

As far as I've been told by the Student Loans Company, you cannot borrow any money for a degree outside of the EU, although I wouldn't have thought you'd have to start paying it back until you'd finished the degree just as if you were still in the UK.

welshie2000

If I have completed my degree in UK, what would happen then?

JAJ

Much better situation. A U.K. degree is assessed for general purposes as equivalent to an Australian bachelors degree. But whether it meets specific teacher registration requirements will be another question.

As a general rule, qualifications lose value when taken across borders, but incomplete qualifications lose more value compared to completed ones.

sloane46

As regards your student loan... you don't have to start repaying until you are earning over the threshold amount which is the equivalent limit in Aus as you would have done in the UK (note the amount can vary between different countries but for aus it is the same as the UK i.e £15000)which is worked on 9% of earnings over the threshold. for example if you had to be earning over £15000 in the UK to have to start paying the loan back then you wouldn't have to start repaying the loan in aus until you were earning over approx $33000(based on 2.2 exchange rate) Anything earned over this will be repayable at 9%. You should inform them that you have moved abroad and supply your new address. You will need to fill in an overseas income assessment form available online. All this and further info is available on their website: http://www.studentfinancedirect.co.u..._schema=PORTAL
hope this is of some help

ianhutch1

My wife has been sent that form this week and we have provisionally agreed to pay back £20 a month until she has a job sorted, it does say on a letter which was sent with the form that if we do not supply details of her employment out there within 2 months of us going we will be liable for the standard charge which will be £240 a month

GillyG

Aus has very strict rules about teaching- you must have 4 years of tertiary education including at least 1 year of teaching studies- therefore either a 3 year degree and a PGCE or a 4 year degree in teaching. I have a 3 year BA (hons) with QTS in Primary Education and Teaching, work as a reception teacher here in the UK but will have to do another year of post graduate studies once I reach Aus!

welshie2000

I shall be startin an access to teaching course in September. That will be for one year and then I shall be doing a degree and teacher training.
Would I be about to start my course here and move to oz whilst doing my degree and finish it there? Otherwise I am thinking it will be another 5 years before we get over there.

GillyG

Yeah I guess you could transfer but don't forget the cost of going to uni in Aus will probably be higher than if you were to complete it in the UK- especially if you're not on a permanent residency visa. I presume you're going on your OH's skills?

welshie2000

Yeah we're going over on hubby's skills. We were chosing the visa that treats you just like you're an aussie citizen. Can't think from the top of my head which one it is now, 157 maybe...

GillyG

That's good then. You'll still have to pay uni fees but they won't be nearly as much as if you were on a temp. visa. Having a student loan wont be a problem, I've got a feeling that the repayments might be slightly higher if you're living outside of the UK...if it's an option probably best to pay it off before you go- clean slate and all.
Just remember that to teach anywhere in Aus you have to have 4 years of uni level education, whether that's gained here or in Aus!

Tom Ward

Hi there,
Just read ya post, good luck with everything. I'm a registered nurse and thought about finishing my degree in Oz... but it wasn't possible. The credits I had earned prior to completing the course were not transferable. I had to complete my degree in the UK and have 1 year post qualifying practice under my belt. Dunno if it's different for teachers with regards to transfering credits, but it caused me some stress. My degree is recognised as like for like in Oz. It's worth the wait though.... my permanent residency visa arrived 2 weeks ago and we'll be off this year. By the time we leave it will have taken nearly 5 years but I still feel I'm one of the lucky ones!