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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Sufferin' Succotash - I've just found out from the lovely University of Nottingham, I will have to pay course fees equivalent to that of an international student.
I thought I'd have to pay �4,200, but it'll be �11,200 instead. I can afford it, but I want to save cash.
Why? Despite being British, I don't qualify for home student status, because I haven't lived in England for the last 3 years. Talk about silly.
I have emailed the University of Leeds to ask what course fees they will charge.
If they will class me as a home student, should I go there instead?
Or should I study in Nottingham and stay with family? If Leeds class me as a home student, I'd save a little more away from home.
Decisions, decisions. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010 Location: In my Kingdom
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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fromtheuk wrote: |
...University of Leeds... Or should I study in Nottingham and stay with family? |
Pay more but live with family or pay less and live away from family? Your call. Maybe look at the specifics of each program and see which is more attuned to what specifically you are interested in. Certainly employers won't be splitting too many hairs between Nottingham and Leeds unless you plan on getting a job in the UK with the degree afterwards. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010 Location: In my Kingdom
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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I myself am tempted to do a MA TESOL but actually want one in an English is a Foreign Language context, from a non-English speaking country, as I plan to teach in such a context long term and so want the classes I model and do research with to be there.
I'm thinking about paying about $3000 u.s. for the year and a half MA TESOL at Payap University in Chiang Mai (absolutely fantastic and cheap living accommodations too).
http://tesol.payap.org/MA.html
The program is cheap but longstanding, established bricks and mortar regional institution in Thailand, not online nor new. I would make a concerted effort to publish an article or two, which would really boost my credentials, making up for the relative obscurity of the school. Some employers may not like where it is from but it will be easy in a cover letter to explain the value to my research to have studied in a TEFL context where teaching young learners is easy to access (try and study YL specialization in an English speaking country! You'd have to go overseas to do your thesis research if it is an applied project like mine would be.
An MA TESOL is a MA TESOL to many employers. And to some employers what matter is : Is it from a bricks and mortar school on site or is it online? To others it is: How has the MA TESOL improved your teaching? (the practical q to which my research project on YL in Thailand will help). And, of course, to some, Which country did you get your MA TESOL? (If I wanted to teach academic courses in English speaking countries' colleges I'd worry about that question, but I'm not.) |
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Highwayman
Joined: 22 May 2011
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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Bowden_PSM wrote: |
Is this a good idea? |
Depends on your age, I'd wager. OISE is tops. You can't beat OISE. |
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Highwayman
Joined: 22 May 2011
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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fromtheuk wrote: |
I thought I'd have to pay �4,200, but it'll be �11,200 instead. I can afford it, but I want to save cash. |
Do the online version for 6,500 GBP. The degree is the same. No one can tell if you went to the campus or did it from your bedroom.
I agree with you: the rule is ridiculous. The UK is strict in this way. How long would you have to go back before you'd qualify for the domestic rates? |
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Highwayman
Joined: 22 May 2011
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Louis VI wrote: |
An MA TESOL is a MA TESOL to many employers. And to some employers what matter is : Is it from a bricks and mortar school on site or is it online? To others it is: How has the MA TESOL improved your teaching? (the practical q to which my research project on YL in Thailand will help). And, of course, to some, Which country did you get your MA TESOL? (If I wanted to teach academic courses in English speaking countries' colleges I'd worry about that question, but I'm not.) |
That about sums it up. Find the one that suits your situation in terms of learning objectives, lifestyle, and budget. Do lots of research before making a decision (including emailing schools with questions) to fully compare all the options. It is a major investment of time and money. Yet people compare more laptops before buying one than they do universities. It's madness. |
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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I think they were trying it on. I queried this and they asked me to prove I was only out of the country on a temporary basis. I sent them scanned copies of contracts and they said they'd change my course fees to that of a home student.
If I hadn't spoken up, I'd be paying �11,200 instead of �4,200.
Education is just a business.
It seems not being in England 'for 3 full years before the course begins' rule has now been thrown out of the window. They know I am British and that I had stated I was abroad to teach English. I never suggested I'd been abroad for any other reason at any other time and chosen to be non-resident in the UK.
Swansea University did the same thing until I spoke up.
Call me cynical, but education is just about money nowadays. |
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Enrico Palazzo Mod Team
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:55 am Post subject: |
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Bowden_PSM wrote: |
I'm also going back. I'm headed for in-person at OISE/U of Toronto.
$13,000 CAD for 16 months. I get an M.Ed. Study under some great people.
After, I am planning to move to Oman for 4 years with my wife.
We think it is worthwhile, though doing it will deplete our savings to nothing by the time I am done.
Is this a good idea? |
In Oman, you may make 3,800 dollars a month. Of course, you will probably have to drive. In the UAE, you would be making about 4,400 US. Will your wife be working, too? I have applied to jobs in Oman. It seems like there is a lot of competition now.
An M.A. is a good idea because it will give you money. Have you thought of becoming a teaching assistant instead of depleting your wages?
Some universities in the US in smaller universities will pay for your courses if you teach English, French, or Spanish, and they will give you a stipend. |
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BreakfastInBed
Joined: 16 Oct 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:47 am Post subject: |
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For folks considering programs in Korea, IGSE is one of the best kept secrets.
http://english.igse.ac.kr/index.asp
Full tuition waiver if you are accepted. Classes in English. Gotta wait a year though, they just finished admissions for fall. |
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seoulsteve
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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BreakfastInBed wrote: |
For folks considering programs in Korea, IGSE is one of the best kept secrets.
http://english.igse.ac.kr/index.asp
Full tuition waiver if you are accepted. Classes in English. Gotta wait a year though, they just finished admissions for fall. |
Wow, I can't believe I've never heard of this place. Looks interesting. I heard Sogang University also has a program, but I can't find anything online. And what about Yonsei or any other Korean university? There must be one or two with programs with classes in English. |
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Confused Canadian
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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seoulsteve wrote: |
BreakfastInBed wrote: |
For folks considering programs in Korea, IGSE is one of the best kept secrets.
http://english.igse.ac.kr/index.asp
Full tuition waiver if you are accepted. Classes in English. Gotta wait a year though, they just finished admissions for fall. |
Wow, I can't believe I've never heard of this place. Looks interesting. I heard Sogang University also has a program, but I can't find anything online. And what about Yonsei or any other Korean university? There must be one or two with programs with classes in English. |
http://tesol.sookmyung.ac.kr/ma/index.php
Scholarships for foreigners available too. |
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SinclairLondon
Joined: 17 Sep 2010
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Carbon
Joined: 28 Jan 2011
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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Louis VI wrote: |
An MA TESOL is a MA TESOL to many employers. And to some employers what matter is : Is it from a bricks and mortar school on site or is it online? To others it is: How has the MA TESOL improved your teaching? (the practical q to which my research project on YL in Thailand will help). And, of course, to some, Which country did you get your MA TESOL? (If I wanted to teach academic courses in English speaking countries' colleges I'd worry about that question, but I'm not.) |
A grad degree from Thailand just screams quality, doesn't it? Hehe...don't know for sure, but I would think twice before doing that.
Brick & mortar vs. online: A great debate right now, but as time passes, it becomes less and less of a discussion topic.
Yes, my MA improves my teaching. However deeper knowledge/understanding helps any of us with anything, so does an MA. |
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bish
Joined: 09 Jun 2007
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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I think the terrible English on the MA TESOL at Sookmyung's site says it all, really. You might be able to wangle a job at a third rate Korean University with one of those but go anywhere else and I doubt it would be worth much at all.
The OP is doing a good course if he's studying at Nottingham, only heard good things about that course... |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010 Location: In my Kingdom
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Carbon wrote: |
Louis VI wrote: |
An MA TESOL is a MA TESOL to many employers. And to some employers what matter is : Is it from a bricks and mortar school on site or is it online? To others it is: How has the MA TESOL improved your teaching? (the practical q to which my research project on YL in Thailand will help). And, of course, to some, Which country did you get your MA TESOL? (If I wanted to teach academic courses in English speaking countries' colleges I'd worry about that question, but I'm not.) |
A grad degree from Thailand just screams quality, doesn't it? Hehe...don't know for sure, but I would think twice before doing that. |
You would, I wouldn't. I'm not looking at getting a MA TESOL to teach back home but to teach in Asia, South America and maybe the Middle East. I can easily show a potential employer the benefits of doing my graduate degree research project in an Asian country teaching EFL students, because THAT is what I do. I don't want to teach adults, and I don't want to teach in an English speaking country. So the best place to be in terms of classroom opportunities to teach and research methods of teaching non-native English students in the target range of 8-13 years old is... in an English-as-a-2nd-language country.
I am certain that a MA TESOL from Thailand will not hurt my chances to be hired in Vietnam, a location I'm very interested in. For Buenos Aires and elsewhere I'm considering, my cover letter can explain why after a CELTA and a decade of teaching in South Korea I chose to do my MA in Thailand to hone teaching strategies for young learners in a foreign language context. I am NOT thinking of doing a PhD. I am entirely thinking of the value of an MA to increase my skills firstly and solidify my job prospects in my chosen subfield and region!
For what I want to learn and where I want to be afterwards, an MA TESOL by distance or from the U.K. just doesn't cut it. |
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