Request for Advise

[ferthepoet]

I am a 27 years old from Panama I have recently received a Ph.D scholarship offer from Monash University in Australia I was originally looking forward to it but now I am scared about taking it.... I am overwhelmed about moving so far from home and scared about not being able to find a job after finishing... I have two masters an LLM in International and Comparative Law from IU Indianapolis and an European Masters in Human Rights and Democratization, I worked for a small law firm for two years in between my masters. I would liek to get a teaching job upon completion of the Ph.D. but I don't know how realistic is this.... I do not have formal teaching experience although I have had some experience given presentations in specialized seminars. I would like to know if you think the Ph.D. from Australia could realistically help me get a teaching job and if so whether only in Australia or if it would have any worth outside of it.

I have also applied to Canadian Universities McGill and Queen's I would prefer to go there because of the closeness for home but since my academic record is not extraordinary I'm not sure how realistic is to hope to get scholarship offer from those universities and I'm afraid of passing up the Australian opportunity and ending up with nothing......

I have no job at the moment and its not looking good in my country for me finding a job any time soon

[Bukharan]

It is not up to us to give advice. It is a very important decision that you should do with as little interference by the others as possible.

I'd say that Australia is a fantastic country, you will love studying there. I know nothing about the job market there but spending a life teaching in Australia (if it comes to worst and you can't find a job anywhere else) does not sound too bad either (in fact, I would absolutely love to do that).

You are being offered a scholarship for doctoral studies! This is fantastic! Congratulations on this opportunity!

[eklavya]

If you are thinking about not attending the Australian school just because it is too far, think again. You are being offered scholarship, which is an A+ fact to consider. Leaving home and studying at a foreign place has its own benefits. You learn the culture, know people, the food is great, and so on. You will also have the time to do new things other than what you usually do at your home town/country. You are going to be gone for a limited number of years only. You can relocate as soon as you finish anyway. Go for it!

I'm an international student in the US, and I've been away from home for about 5 years now. To get to home, I have to travel half the circumference of earth... literally!! It can get quite nostalgic at times, but leaving home to come and study here is probably one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I hope you will make a sound decision as well. Congratulations on the offer!