Job Discussion Forums

[Budda]

Greetings ESL Cafe,

I'm not sure if this question is more appropriately put in this General section, or the Newbie section. I apologize in advance if it needs to be moved.

I am a relatively recent graduate with my MA in TESOL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (used to be the Monterey institute). At the moment, I have about 3 years of teaching/tutoring experience within North American higher education that I can brag about on my resume, and am searching for a full time job teaching ESL.

My top choice would be to teach at the community college level, as I have frankly been impressed with the community college system in California. I have been noticeably less impressed with the University system, and legitimately feel bad for the international students studying within ESL programs at California universities (this is a bit beside the point, of course, and I'm sure the environment varies school to school. I'd be happy to explore this point a bit more if anyone is interested).

Anyways, I've been applying like a mad man to schools (CC and university alike) for a full time ESL teaching job. I suppose I only have to play the waiting game for now, but an idea has occurred to me.

I am considering in investing further in my education, to help supplement my ESL teaching education and professional experience. Before someone brings this up, I already know that the ESL job market in North America is not doing well. I've read the other threads available on these forums, and I am painfully aware that, even with my Master's degree from a top US institution and years of experience, a full-time job might not happen.

The options I've been considering are as follows:

1.) Supplement my ESL background with an education in business and/or business law. I'm currently under the assumption that business English may lead to more numerous stable positions, and may make me a more desirable job candidate.

2.) Pursue a PhD in Educational Psychology. I've been thinking about the option for a while, but a number of family and friends have discouraged me from following this. Frankly, I enjoy the idea of researching a topic closely and becoming an expert in a field. I've spoken to the Center for Engaged Instruction at the University of California Irvine, and the office manager claimed that university learning centers (which oversee the instructional quality at the university across disciplines) are growing around the country, and my background working with international students could be quite valuable. I am opposed to a PhD in Applied Linguistics, unfortunately. I'd rather not go into why, but I suppose I'd be happy to discuss the point further if anyone asks.

3.) Retrain completely for another discipline. I love teaching, I love working with international students, and I love the freedom that the academic calendar of higher education offers me. However, my priority #1 in life is providing for my family, and I would quickly leave the ESL profession if I could more efficiently provide for my family doing something else.

4.) Maybe someone on this board can give me some good ideas on where to go? Perhaps you can direct me to a resource that I can refer to, that can help me to make an informed decision?


I deeply deeply appreciate any and all responses you can offer to me. I'm sorry about the long post, but I'm not sorry enough to do a TLDR .

Thank you, and I look forward to your responses.

[nomad soul]

[Budda]

Nomad Soul, Thank you so much for your constructive and useful suggestions.

Teaching overseas is something I haven't thought of for a while, and it actually occurred to me again this morning . That might actually be a viable option, as my wife is a Chinese national with my same degree, and I believe there is demand in the Chinese market for someone with my credentials.

I'll definitely look further into the academic disciplines you mentioned, and into the further certifications.

A quick question about your legal and corporate experience--do you believe that gaining legal/corporate experience would behoove someone like me, who's still young and looking to make myself more marketable in the ESL field? Which direction would you recommend someone take, in that regard?

[nomad soul]

[rtm]

For full-time college or university positions in the US (in almost any field, including ESL), you need to be flexible on location and willing to move wherever you get a job. I've known recent MA TESOL grads from places not as good as MIIS who got jobs but had to move half way across the country for a job in, e.g., Idaho.

Gaining education in business or business law could help if you earn a qualification (e.g., a certificate or a degree), but would be better if you have real-life experience in those areas, as nomad soul said. Also, business English isn't, in my experience, a particularly hot area in college/university ESL programs in the US. You'd probably be better off with something in curriculum development, ed.tech., or educational assessment (which could be part of your ed psych training).

A PhD in ed psych would allow you that chance to pursue deep knowledge of a topic, but I'd only recommend pursuing it if it's mainly for your own interests, as you wouldn't be guaranteed any better job opportunities after you graduate. That said, you might be better off posting questions about ed psych PhD job outlook on the grad student section of the Chronicle of Higher Education's fora. Whatever you do, do NOT pay for a PhD degree.

Pursuing more teaching experience abroad could also help your chances of landing a job in the US in the future. Most intensive English programs prefer people with teaching experience abroad. It would need to be college/university EAP teaching, though.

[dragonpiwo]

I'd get out of TEFL.

However, if you are going to stay, I'd have a look into becoming a competency assessor. Another option might be to go down the road of soft skills training and become a consultant. Plenty of both here in the UAE earning a good crust.

[nomad soul]

Ditto rtm's comments. Overseas TEFL university experience is valued for EAP positions here in the US. But don't just teach while abroad -- build your professional development by attending seminars, leading in-service teacher workshops, participating on curriculum and assessment committees, mentoring pre-service teachers, learning and incorporating new technology for teaching or learning, starting a special interest group, facilitating student extracurricular activities, and so on. These experiences will help your CV/resume stand out for positions in the US.

Additionally, if your main goal is to work in higher ed in general, focus on transferable skills and acquired knowledge that fit other areas of education and learning. That would include the experience indicated above as well as further education in fields like curriculum/instructional design, learning technologies, library science, student personnel/guidance, leadership, etc. Versatility is key.

[Budda]

[nomad soul]

[Budda]