Education without borders: distance learning

How can expatriates improve their education while living and working in the Netherlands?

Creating new opportunities through education
When I started working in the Netherlands in 2008, my job at a service provider in the financial sector was not my dream professional activity and I soon started to long for a more stimulating occupation. Unfortunately, whenever I browsed job ads in the Limburg region, or in North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany, close to where I live, I felt discouraged. The main obstacle in the Netherlands was that I didn’t know Dutch, and in Germany my insufficient qualifications. It soon became clear that the key to upgrade my future lied in improving my education.

Studying while working and living in a foreign country
I would have liked to become a full time student again, but I did not want to quit my job and the financial security it brought me. I thought learning Dutch would be useful, should I eventually move to the Netherlands in the future, and I considered enrolling in a Dutch language course at my local Volkshochschule, the German equivalent of the Dutch Volksuniversiteit.

Yet at the same time, Dutch did not sound too appealing and I felt inclined to follow a course I would enjoy more.

I finally decided to search for a post graduate Journalism course in the area.

The Media Culture course at Maastricht University looked interesting but I had to turn it down, because it required full time attendance. I was not able to find any similar course in Germany taught in English.

My boyfriend, a British expat who moved to Germany seven years ago, suggested I consider enrolling on a distance learning course and told me about the Open University in the UK, where he obtained his BSc in International Studies last July.

I was skeptical about the idea of studying from abroad, without attending lectures, and I wondered about the quality of the course.

I asked an Italian colleague at work whom I knew was studying with the OU. He spoke positively about the language courses, but was disappointed with the contact with one of his tutors. He also told me that the weekly workload was much higher than what was indicated on the OU website.

The main reason that made look for alternative institutions was not so much his feedback as the price of OU courses; a single 30-credit module in business studies can cost up to EUR 800 or more, and a 30-credit course in statistics averages EUR 1000. I thought of enrolling in a business or marketing course and ask my employer to sponsor my studies, but unfortunately the company I work for would not fund my education.

Another possibility was to study through the University of London External System. However, unlike the OU where entrance is open to all, the University of London only accepts students with a GCSE level qualification and entry requirements are stricter.

I also considered distance learning opportunities at Italian universities, but found them less complete, modern or experienced than those offered in the UK, which seemed to be a country leading in this field.

A French friend told me that the CNED is a good reference for distance learning university courses taught in French and I would have considered enrolling, had I known about them earlier.

Towards new horizons
I finally found what I was looking for at the London School of Journalism.

I am now about to finish my first module in Journalism and Newswriting, which started last September and I am very pleased with my course.

The course is divided into four modules, to be completed over four years. There is no obligation to travel to the UK for tutorials or exams, since all are carried out remotely and the total cost of the course is EUR 3427.

My hope is that a diploma in Journalism and Newswriting will help me obtain an internship or a junior position in the media industry in Germany or the Netherlands.

Naturally there are negative sides to being a distance learning student, such as not being able to enjoy all evenings or weekends with my family because I have to prepare an exam instead. I also miss the absence of direct face to face contact with other students, which I find more effective and fulfilling than conversations via student forums or chat-rooms.

All in all, studying has given a new perspective to my day-to-day life, as I know I am building a different future for myself. I look forward to seeing which doors my new gained qualification will open and I am confident it will be a very valid passport for the European job market.

By Claudia Costa

Claudia Costa, 26 years old, is an Italian graduated narrative translator at the Scuole Civiche Milano faculty for Interpreters and Translators. She recently started working as a freelance journalist and is currently attending a distance learning post graduate diploma in Journalism and Newswriting at the London School of Journalism. She currently works in The Netherlands and lives in Germany.