Henneth

Hi all - I'm hoping someone has been in a similar situation and can offer advice:-

We are planning to relocate from the UK to Canada and I'm looking at spending the intervening time doing as much as possible to bolster my chances in the Candian job market. My OH works in healthcare and there's a pretty defined route for her to gain Canadian employment, certify with the relevant professional bodies etc. We'd get our visas and PR as a result of her employment.

I think my own employment situation is going to be a lot more problematic however. I dropped out of University to take up a paying job in IT with the intention of finishing off my degree part-time (I know, I know....). Real life of course intervened and it never happened. Now the lack of a degree isn't a real impediment in the UK IT market - prospective employers here seem more interested in experience and vendor certifications, but in Canada not having a degree is a much bigger barrier to gaining employment of a similar nature.

With that in mind I thought I'd restart part time study ASAP and finally get the elusive degree. My first thought was to check out the local universities' evening-courses, but these are going to take longer to complete than we are planning to be in the UK. As an alternative I thought about starting a distance-learning degree at either the Open University or Athabasca University.

Has anyone enrolled on degrees from either in the UK and then moved to Canada part way through the course? Did you encounter any problems in doing so? On balance, which of the two would you recommend in my situation and why?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Judy in Calgary

I don't think there would be a huge difference either way.

Most Canadian employers recognize degrees from British universities, and in most cases that includes the Open University.

On the other hand, if you're ultimately planning to move to Canada, why not do your degree through Athabasca University?

I have several friends who have studied through Athabasca University and have been happy with it.

One of them did her degree through Athabasca University when she accompanied her husband on an expat assignment in Qatar. When she returned to Calgary, she had no problems getting her degree recognized by local employers.

Hope that helps.

Dave+Jules

I studied extensively with the Open University long before emigrating to Canada and as said most if not all Canadian employers recognise UK university degree's including the OU.

In my view the OU is the premium distance learning provider (I think they are linked with Athabasca

I would check with the both the OU and AU to establish what prior learning accreditation you can get taken into account. That may decide for you.

The reason alot of Canadian employers in the IT suppliers field insist on people with degree's is so they can send you down to USA to work (I believe it is necessary to allow you to work in USA).

Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

Caitilin

As an OU graduate...i can wholeheartedly endorse htem ;-)

but i'd be interested in Athabasca University as its a 'known' entity in Canada.

JAJ

Both the OU and Athabasca are good but I would also look into the University of London (External):
http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk

Surrey Expat

Check out costs. Foreign students at Canadian educational establishments often pay more for tuition than Canadian residents.

Henneth

Thanks for the advice everyone. The points about costs and credit for prior learning are good ones.