Job Discussion Forums

[Voyeur]

I'd like to teach in Saudi Arabia within four to five years, though I don't think of that region as necessarily being my permanent destination. I have taught in Korea for about 10 years; however, my real qualifications are minimal. I never thought ESL would be my career, but somehow I kept re-upping each year for 'one more year'. Recently, I returned to my old career in banking for six months, and decided once and for all that it was not for me. I'm now determined to become a true ESL professional. However, even with research, the many options and possibilities are confusing--to say nothing of all the rules and requirements. I was hoping some of the more experienced posters might have some advice, or simply be able to provide some new ideas I had not considered.

Current Situation

Age: 39
Citizenship: Canadian
Marital Status: Single
Savings: Nil
Education: 3-year �pass� degree from a Canadian university (concentrations in business and philosophy), with mediocre grades
Certification: 120-hour residential TESOL cert from ~ 2002. It was legit. I have the certificate. However, I�m not sure the place I got it from is still around. Could be a problem.
References: I have some decent experience, including 3 years in ESL management. But I never really cultivated contacts, asked for and kept letters of reference for a later day, etc. And you know how ESL is�people and places simply disappear. So I think this could also be a problem.
note: should I be doing everything I can to get employment verification letters and contacts NOW, before they get any harder to get, and then continuously making sure the contacts are updated (i.e. keep updated e-mails and phone numbers for all my past employers that could be reached by a future potential employer). Is this just basic ESL common sense and procedure?

I live cheaply in Ukraine and Moldova, and work as a freelance science editor and online English teacher. This takes up about 35-40 hours a week, and generates about $1,200 a month in savings. However, the schedule is hellish on sleep, and not really sustainable for more than a couple of years.

So, I�m wondering what my next move is. I won�t return to Korea, but everything else is on the table. I�m aiming for a MA TESOL (or perhaps Applied Linguistics), but I clearly need some cash first. I can put in another year here in Ukraine and get some starter money, but after that I think I�m better off teaching in person somewhere, and just supplementing with online work. But I�m not sure what the best destination is for cash. I could, in theory, get a ME job of some kind now, but my understanding is that if you take a ME job with below-standard qualifications, you are likely to get burnt. So any ideas on destinations would be appreciated.

Also, I�m not sure if I should upgrade my BA to a real 4-year BA. Not having a legit 4-year BA definitely limits what Masters programs I can get in to. And I keep hearing that in some of the stricter countries, not even a Masters TESOL can hide the fact that my BA is not in a relevant field, and is not a 4-year degree. I have taken a lot of English courses at university, so perhaps upgrading to a 4-year degree in a relevant field is a possible first step. But it would slow me down and cost money.

Another thing I have heard is that getting a CELTA is a good idea, especially if I want to get into a MA TESOL program with only a 3-year degree.

And then we get to the actual Masters degree itself. I could *probably* get into something like the distance learning program at Monash in Australia right now, and start picking away at the MA each year. But I�m worried that even five years out, distance degrees won�t be accepted by Saudi Arabia�and let�s face it, they probably shouldn�t be. There is a ton of outside the classroom learning that goes on in a post-graduate residential setting. Those degrees are�on the whole�better, in my opinion. You get what you seat and pay for. Plus, given my mobility, I could probably just head to a fairly cheap destination like Wales and go residential. My online work, to the extent I�d have the time to keep it up, can go with me. However, with only a 3-year degree, residential programs are pretty hard to get into. The international student fees are also really high. Canadian programs ALL would require me to get my 4-year BA before accepting me.

Finally, I think that for long-term stability, I would eventually like to get my doctorate�perhaps within 10-12 years. So my plans should at least take that into account.

I know it has been a long post, but any advice would be appreciated.

[HLJHLJ]

I would suggest that your first step is to find out about upgrading your degree. You need to know what your options are before you can make the decision, and that is likely to be the single biggest factor you have to work with. Also, start hunting down those old references now. You might not be able to contact them all, but if you can at least get some reference letters it would be a bonus.

I can't see that taking a CELTA would offer you any benefits at this stage, but you could look into the DELTA as something to do in the meantime, especially if you are thinking of going residential in the UK for the Masters eventually as many courses will give you credits for it.

The DELTA is pretty gruelling, and you might want to consider doing that residentially or blended rather than purely distance learning as well. Not least because it will save you time and it sounds like you are keen to get started but also because it doesn't sound like you have much of a support system there in terms of potential mentors etc.

[Voyeur]

I just looked that up, and the DELTA will strengthen my ability to get into a MA program with a 3-year degree, stand on its own, and provide credit towards a MA down the line. I do realize it is pretty grueling though.

I've looked into upgrading my degree, and there are no shortcuts. I simply have to do the 4th year I missed. But there is more involved than that. In order to qualify for any Major, I might have to take more courses than just a year's worth because my courses are all over the place--most people spend years 2 and 3 making sure they will have the needed concentrations to graduate in year 4. Also, if I upgrade at a university other than my original, I could lose some courses in the transfer process if they aren't recognized. All in all, as far as I can see upgrading that BA is a fairly large task.

As an aside, will Saudi Arabia accept people with hybrid distance/residential degrees? I've heard stories if officials questioning people in detail about their degrees, and turning down anyone who completed even a significant portion of their degree online.

[HLJHLJ]

I don't know how the Canadian degree system works, so I don't really know what the difference between a 3 year and 4 year degree is. In England & Wales pretty much all degrees are 3 years (unless they include a year abroad or an internship, etc), and they are almost always with honours. If you only get a pass it is a barrier to further study at every level. You would need to do additional work before you'd get accepted on a decent Masters and even if you aced the Masters course you would struggle to find anyone willing to take you on at PhD level. The pass would never be forgotten.

For your Saudi specific questions you may need to post on the ME board, and of course rules can change beyond recognition in 5 years.




EDIT: sorry, I said UK, but the system in Scotland is different.

[tttompatz]

Getting a graduate level credential from someplace like Athabasca-U might be a good place to start.

U of Calgary offers some options as does Simon Fraser.

Another option would be to go back home for 3 semesters and add a B.Ed to your BA (post grad cert). It opens up a lot of doors that a MATESOL won't open for you and won't cost you any more.

.

[scot47]

No one will be interested in your BA but you would improve your chances of gettinga job in KSA with a CELTA. BS ? Sure. Welcome to the real world.

[MotherF]

I don't know about Canada, but in the US there are still some public universities where you can get an MA in TESOL or similar very cheaply because they university uses their grad students as slave labor to teach in their profit generating IEPs.
There might be something like that, in someplace like Vancouver where a lot of Japanese and Korean students want to go for English courses.

[santi84]

Unfortunately for OP, he does not qualify for any MA TESOL program out here in Vancouver (they require extensive linguistics/TESL-specific undergraduate courses).

Did I miss it? Why Saudi?

[nomad soul]

[Voyeur]

[Voyeur]

[nomad soul]

[Voyeur]

I believe Taiwan, for example, also has issues with distance degrees.

I'm a bit confused about hybrid degrees. If your post was referring to hybrid degrees, then what is the distinction between purely distance degrees and hybrid ones--of course, maybe the point is that there really isn't one. The degree is either entirely residential or it is not.

[teacher4life]

[Voyeur]

Good to know. So currently, the Middle East (and specifically Saudi Arabia) is the only place that has serious issues with distance degrees?