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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:44 am Post subject: Re: Definitely something to consider! |
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| Ragmgar wrote: |
Well the connections will be impossible to make during my two year exile to get post masters experience,  but certifications, especially in online education could be a positive and affordable step! Thanks to everyone as always, the forum has been giving me a lot to consider as I make my next steps. |
Why is it required to leave to get experience, especially if your end goal is to get a job at home. These days many US employers are specifically requiring relevant ESL experience. I'd say it's best just to make it work in the US and spend that time building connections and gaining that specific experience, unless perhaps your debts are astronomical and you are nearly broke. Then it's off to Saudi with you to serve out your debtors' prison term.  |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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| danshengou wrote: |
| Why is it required to leave to get experience, especially if your end goal is to get a job at home. These days many US employers are specifically requiring relevant ESL experience. I'd say it's best just to make it work in the US and spend that time building connections and gaining that specific experience. |
It's not that simple. The best opportunities for networking are at state and national TESOL conferences/events and via participation in special interest groups. But if the OP wasn't an active member of these associations or never even joined, then moving forward, it will be tough to make connections that potentially lead to jobs. (BTW, I was networking as a TESOL affiliate member while still studying for my MAT.) Additionally, the OP may be from a state that has more applicants than TESOL jobs (usually adjunct positions) especially given the major drop in enrollment of students from the Mid East. That's the reality. |
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Ragmgar
Joined: 14 Mar 2011
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 2:37 pm Post subject: Yup |
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| Yea Kansas is a bit of a dry pool for ESL jobs at the moment and I have a job lined up in Japan. So I'm going to do the best I can with the situation, hopefully I can attend a few conferences during my vacations but who knows! I'm also hoping having experience and good references from teaching in South Korea, Colombia, China and Japan will make me look like a talented individual with experience with many cultures and not a wandering tramp..... |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Ragmgar wrote: |
| ... will make me look like a talented individual with experience with many cultures and not a wandering tramp..... |
I interpreted "wandering tramp" as something else. 
It's not about where you taught, but what you did. So don't overlook your professional development and continuing education as well as memberships in TESOL Int'l and JALT. |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: Definitely something to consider! |
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| Ragmgar wrote: |
| Well the connections will be impossible to make during my two year exile to get post masters experience, but certifications, especially in online education could be a positive and affordable step! Thanks to everyone as always, the forum has been giving me a lot to consider as I make my next steps. |
Connections are EASY to make during the 2 years you take to do the MA.
Colleagues / fellow graduate students, professors, thesis advisors, people you meet at conferences you attend as a participant as part of the MA process, people who attend your presentations when you bring your research to a conference, readers of your papers (on-line journal publications, trade publications (less demanding that peer reviewed journals), etc ....
It is the folks who don't make connections during their post grad studies who have problems afterward.
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