The holidays are only a week away, and relatives will be celebrating Chanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa with their families. We buy presents and wrap them, or send gift cards for their use. What about an alternative gift that they can really use?

An ancient Chinese proverb states: Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. Giving your family and friends money or gifts is an excellent way to show you care, but how about giving them a very unique gift instead - the opportunity for a better job?

Many people with foreign degrees work in low-paying jobs in the United States. Persons with a Bachelor Degree or higher may be working in minimum-wage jobs because they haven’t started the process for obtaining the U.S. equivalency of their educational credentials through a foreign degree evaluation. Your assistance may be exactly what these persons need in order to get established in a good job or career.

If you need more information about helping someone get a foreign credential evaluation, visit www.thedegreepeople.com. The experts at Career Consulting International are committed to helping you, your family member, or your friend, get the most from their university education. Learn more about the requirements for educational evaluations today.

If you are considering having foreign education credentials evaluated for U.S. equivalency, you may wonder how many credits you are likely to get for each subject. Is there any consistent way to determine this? Do evaluation agencies simply assign a random number of credits to a course?

Although the process may at first seem impossible to figure out or understand, Career Consulting International uses a strictly defined formula to determine how many credits each class is worth. If the number of semester credit hours received by the foreign degree student is listed on the transcript, this number is often used. Many universities in other countries, however, require students to have fewer or greater numbers of contact hours to gain a semester hour of credit, so this must also be factored in.

Some countries, such as those that were once part of the former Soviet Union, require an extremely high number of hours for their courses. Some classes require more than 300 contact hours! In this case, the international equivalency is determined by converting these contact hours to credit hours.

The process of foreign academic credentials evaluations isn’t arbitary, but it can be time-consuming and complicated. Evaluation agencies such as Career Consulting International, however, are committed to offering their applicants the best service possible, and are usually willing to explain how the degree equivalency was reached. If you have questions about your evaluation report, discuss them with the person who completed the evaluation; it is their goal and service to help you.

If you are considering attending university in the United States, or have been thinking about emigrating to the United States, you may require a foreign credentials evaluation. This will help to ensure that your foreign degree or diploma is recognized as a valid educational document.  If you are able to get these documents before leaving your home country, this can save you a great deal of time and trouble.

Important documents to keep on hand for submission to a foreign credentials evaluation agency such as Career Consulting International include copies of your passport, driver’s license, and marriage certificate. Transcripts or mark sheets, as well as degrees or diplomas, from your native country are also important.

Women who are submitting their foreign credentials for evaluation often wish to include their married name on the educational evaluation. In order to do this, they should submit a copy of their U.S. state-issued driver’s license, their passport with their married name, or their marriage certificate. This will greatly facilitate the credential evaluation process.

The process of locating foreign evaluation services can be difficult. One of the best ways to find a reputable service is to check with an immigration attorney or official translating service. These agencies often work with companies on a regular basis and know which companies will offer the most timely and accurate immigration evaluations.