Job Discussion Forums

Voyeur · Joined: 03 Jul 2012 Posts: 431

I don't get it. Are some people getting an MA TESOL along with a US teaching certification? Typically you get a B.Ed and a teacher's cert and a Master's in your subject area, or maybe you just get a non-B.Ed bachelor's and a M.Ed along with your teaching cert, or so I had heard.

Where do you require a US teaching cert to teach ESL (MA TESOL + cert)? Is that program for teaching ESL at US schools to say immigrants or Spanish speaking Hispanics who don't know English or something?

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

Voyeur · Joined: 03 Jul 2012 Posts: 431

I'm aware that you can get MAs in subject courses (Chem, Math, English (for English speakers like English Lit, etc.)), but I was unaware you could get an MA TESOL with teachers cert--or at least that this would be some kind of standard offer--obviously one could self-engineer that.

It's unclear to me why one would want the two things together since rarely does one teach ESL in a US school, unless of course I am underestimating the need for ESL teaching to immigrants and non-English speakers in say California public schools etc. And I wasn't aware that you would need to be a fully licensed teacher to teach ESL at a US public school, but I can see that being true.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

Voyeur · Joined: 03 Jul 2012 Posts: 431

Interesting info. on what seems to be a bit of a hybrid career path, i.e. MA TESOL and a teaching cert. It does seem like this combo is geared towards a fairly specific path: teaching ESL in one of the established English-speaking countries. Typically, if you want to teach overseas you won't require that combination as the MA TESOL tends to take you towards the universities (for which a teaching cert is not required, or even necessarily helpful) or towards some kind of DOS position (which again doesn't really require a teaching cert).

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Didah · Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 8:48 am Post subject:

Greetings,

There are also bridge programs at the high school level to bring up the Chinese students' academic English to go on and study at high schools or colleges in North America, UK or Australia. Many of these programs also offer an AP or IB tract. Some even have U.S. accreditation.

Many of these programs are now aligning themselves with private schools in the Untied States to offer a dual high school diploma. In these programs, students improve their language skills as well as take other courses through English-medium instruction.

As pointed out in an earlier post, it is true that the Chinese high school bridge programs are not as demanding for teachers as an international school where they follow the U.S. common core curriculum and have mostly students from expat families working for foreign capital companies or diplomats.

Like fat_chris, I did both the master's degree and teaching credential. I find teaching far more enjoyable and rewarding overseas in most all the places that I have been with the major exception of the tragic kingdom.

Good luck

Voyeur · Joined: 03 Jul 2012 Posts: 431

Interesting info. I take it the teacher's cert is what is absolutely required for these bridge programs, with a Masters (not necessarily in TESOL I take it) making you even more attractive.

Can one actually teach ESL in these bridge programs, or do you teach content in English? (Or some kind of combination-- perhaps officially content, but ESL as needed to shore up language weaknesses.)

I'm interested in these 'hybrid' cases which seem to call into question the neat division between the teacher's certification track and the ESL track, the former requiring a teacher's cert and the latter benefiting from a MA TESOL.

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

Didah · Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 8:19 am Post subject:

Greetings,

The high end programs require a teaching credential even to teach ESL to bring students up to academic English. Then, students move on to core English Language Arts classes some in an AP or IB tract. Other classes are taught in English medium instruction. In the dual diploma programs, students also take math, science and Chinese in Chinese.

There are a couple of bridge programs that I saw on the eslcafe job board that did not require a teaching credential. One is from a company called Earlybirds. They seem to pay better than the university with a fairly light workload. The other program is a joint program with Aston and a private school in San Diego called Balboa School. If you are interested in bridge programs, these would be worth looking into to get your feet in the door.

I have seen a dramatic increase in these English bridge programs in China. Their is a high demand for certified teachers for these programs. I am also seeing some leeway with the ESL components. There are just not enough credentialed or certified high school teachers for the student demand. In the joint venture programs with private schools in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, a teaching license may not be necessary. I personally think for the next decade, this is where the ESL/English teaching growth will be in China -- as long as the standards for teachers are kept high and there is more demand for teachers in this field than there are teachers to fill the slots, the money should remain competitive.

Omniscientfool · Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Zhangye, Gansu

MA in Int'l Affairs (i.e. a non-related MA) gets me a whopping 500 yuan extra per month. Neither it nor Peace Corps training (both as a trainee and trainer) nor being fluent in Chinese substituted for a measly TESOL certification at one particular small, Shanghai uni. Pretty annoying, but I guess it speaks well for the rising level of professionalism in PRC TEFL.