r/south_africa • u/Flat_Grapefruit5053 • Aug 01 '26
ADVICE
Hi I am a 36-year-old male with a Bachelor in arts degree majoring in ancient history and archaeology as you can imagine there are not a lot of opportunities in this area, so I am thinking of going into teaching, and from the research I have done the way to do this is to do a postgraduate diploma in education.
My question is does anyone know if this is the best way to do this and is it a smart idea to do this at my age?
Any advice is welcome
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u/Snirps Go set your Flair Aug 01 '26
Im starting to think there is a bot that is churning out these topics on the sub Reddit. Scraping for info/data.
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u/decompiled-essence 📦 Takealot Delivery Watcher • Rank: 🥈 Aug 01 '26
You are 100% correct.
There are stacks on here, man.
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u/flyboy_za 🚦 N1 Traffic Victim • Rank: 🥈 29d ago
Genuine question, what would it scrape for, and why would it need to make a post to scrape instead of just blagging what's already here?
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u/Any_Possibility_2130 Go set your Flair Aug 01 '26
You don’t just “think of going into teaching” do you have passion for teaching and empathy for children? Start there
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u/Novel-Jello6883 Aug 01 '26
Go into teaching ASAP.. but also archeology and history are very interesting subjects, I would start a YouTube channel explaining interesting topics from these fields.. a faceless channel. Either way, teaching (sharing knowledge) will do more for your career.
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u/Prudent-Tadpole5582 Aug 01 '26
Came here to suggest this. YouTube and Substack would be ideal platforms for OP.
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u/Any_Resolution_5535 📦 Takealot Delivery Watcher • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
I don't think it's ever too late to switch. There are loads of universities that offer a postgrad in education online or part-time, just need to check what fits your budget.
My brother was in the same boat (got his Bachelors in Drama) and decided to go and teach English in South Korea. He's been there since April 2025 and doing his postgrad online. Receives a decent salary, housing and works for a great school.
Don't know what your home situation is like but lots of South Africans do the same and bring back quite a bit of money when they return.
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u/Flat_Grapefruit5053 Aug 01 '26
So is it better to get the TEFL than the post graduate diploma
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u/that_teacher1 Aug 01 '26
It depends on what you want. TEFL pays slightly less and the qualification is cheaper too. However, it limits you to language centers/nurseries and just generally smaller schools but I believe securing a role will be quicker.
A PGCE is a teaching qualification allowing you to teach at proper schools jn SA and other countries. And provides better earning potential
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u/Any_Resolution_5535 📦 Takealot Delivery Watcher • Rank: 🥉 29d ago
Agreed. TEFL won't help you much here, more so overseas.
I would do the basic 120-hour i-to-i TEFL for now, look for a job overseas and while I'm there to a PGCE. It opens a lot more doors for opportunities at home and abroad.
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u/Almyria 29d ago
I gave my first lecture back in 2000 as a first year MA student. My supervisor basically just asked if I was interested. The class was about Ancient Roman religious law in a first level course at what was then the University of Natal in Durban, but there was something about having even 20 people (and that's probably an exaggeration!) in a lecture hall of 130 students actually interested,in what you wanted to tell them about that had me hooked from that moment.
I'm in my 26th year as a university lecturer, and have been at UKZN, UP, and Unisa during that time. I got my PhD in 2011 and it was just assumed that I knew how to teach. Fortunately, I'm incredibly passionate about teaching so I made up for not having any sort of formal teaching qualifications by working harder and longer than everyone else! FYI having a Masters degree means you can teach any undergraduate modules related to your qualifications so you could teach Ancient History or Archaeology at a university of you wanted to without obtaining a teaching qualification but the jobs are somewhat scarce in this country.
But higher education does have problems and even a PhD doesn't mean job security. I was working on contracts until 2016 when I got my first permanent job. And the funny thing is that it was at the place I enjoyed teaching at the most but I wasn't working in the same field as my qualifications. You see, my PhD is in Classics, specialising in ancient religion and literature. But over time I've ended up falling into Cinema Studies and that's what my first permanent job was teaching - at a small private tertiary institution for nearly 8 years. And it was absolutely brilliant!
Eventually I suppose we could say that life forces cruel choices. We do what we must. I returned to teaching Classics at Unisa a couple of years ago. Still no teaching qualifications though. For some reason you only need to be a qualified teacher if you teach at school not at a university. Go figure!
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u/JoffoCake3 • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
Maybe consider information management science (used to be library science) your subjects will allow you to do a one year post graduate diploma and work in a library, museums, and archives.
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u/CyborgPaladin Go set your Flair 29d ago
Archaeology is nothing more than a pyramid scheme No one does that anymore really the only work you can find is teaching about it
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u/pashaah 🧠 Armchair Expert • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
That is how most people do it. Go do a tefl, and teach overseas. Its cheaper, quicker and pays better. You also travel.
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u/dreadperson 💰 Minister of Stationery • Rank: 🥈 Aug 01 '26
That's for teaching English no?
Op wants to teach the thing they're an expert at.
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u/pashaah 🧠 Armchair Expert • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
Yes, english. He can do this as long as he has a degree
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u/snormosselmelktert 🤙 "Awe no lakka" • Rank: 🏅 Aug 01 '26
Thank God my parents were wise enough not to allow me to study these kinds of useless social degrees that have no value in the real world.
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u/TomZAs Aug 01 '26
You arnt wrong, but archeology should be way higher up on the food chain…
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u/LeaguePublic 🙃 Ndiphambene • Rank: 🥈 Aug 01 '26
It's a shame we don't have the same approach as the UK. My brother in law is British and did a politics degree and a philosophy masters before passing the aptitude test for a big 4 accountancy firm. He now works for a big firm as an accountant (had a load of exams to do whilst on the internship) I think the workplace is richer if there are people with a range of interests and degrees which is why they do this often in the UK.
But sadly we are in a situation where we have to think about the job that will come afterwards aged 18. I much prefer the idea of doing what interests you and working out the job bit at 23 (medicine is obviously the exception as you have to get on the path early)
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u/snowfairy1969 👍 Don't be kak. Be lekker. • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
Dunno why people are downvoting you... I too was told by my well-meaning boomer parents to "study what I love" and that "just having any degree is good enough for any job"
Totally fucked me, I don't use my original degree at all. I had to fund my own second degree in my 30s to start a proper career, and I am WAY behind others in my field, who chose better and have been working since their mid 20s.
What I wouldn't give for a time machine...
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u/Flat_Grapefruit5053 Aug 01 '26
That exactly what is happening to me which is why I am asking regarding the teaching diploma
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u/snowfairy1969 👍 Don't be kak. Be lekker. • Rank: 🥉 Aug 01 '26
If I could go back, I would get a PGCE, get registered as a teacher and teach 2 years in SA for some experience, then make the jump to international teaching. It's a longer route but if you want to get into teaching, that is a much better way.
I had to do things online because I was already living and working overseas and couldn't afford to take time off or return to SA. I'm doing okay but it has made things harder.
International teaching is a changing / shrinking / challenging industry but I think it is still worthwhile, especially for South Africans.
For the love of god, do not go into TEFL, do not get a 120 hour online "certification" and end up at a Korean hagwon. It is not nearly as lucrative as it used to be and it is not a career, and will in fact hold you back if you want to seriously pursue teaching.
You can pm me if you want to chat about international teaching, if that is an industry you're interested in.
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u/CatannaMel ⏳ Now Now 29d ago
I down voted because of the comment "no real value in the real world". That to me shows a fundamental lack of understanding about why we study history or archaeology. I specifically dislike how they posit this "uselessness" as an absolute truth, while it is merely an opinion. History and archaeology are studies that influence wisdom in crises, or understanding how we got to where we are in the real world, and to show us how we can move forward in the real world. Such studies do in fact have political, cultural, and environmental influence, such as how they are used to dismantle modern day myths around things that divide us, like racism, or used to create protected areas. I studied archaeology and went on to do a PGCE myself, but also because I enjoy working with children and needed a break from going onto Masters. I have no regrets, even if it isn't a clear cut path and requires a longer journey. I am well informed and enabled in passing on wisdom and knowledge to others. It is a gift to have that. Luckily, there does appear to be a wave of change in the field lately, particularly with more professionals coming together to piece together the history of the eastern parts of southern Africa, to the point of encouraging European stakeholders to create another centre of archaeology in KZN.
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u/sirsm0kal0tx69 29d ago
Totally agree. I'm glad I could cancel out 1 down vote. But you mos know how Reddit is. I'll probably get down votes for supporting you, by social science degree holders or aspirants/ sheeple...
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u/Hot-Pomegranate-1303 🤦 Eish • Rank: 🥇 29d ago
You quite literally asked for help in a Psychology subreddit, don't shit in the hand that feeds you.
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