Job Discussion Forums

[wayne1523]

Please answer my question to this post on the General Discussion Forum:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=1083164#1083164

[creeper1]

The value = 0

[Harbin]

[Non Sequitur]

Creeper1 and Harbin are cynical but accurate.
There aren't the gradations of job v qualification here that you might expect in the West.
The lowly FT is a commodity and the price is a simple supply and demand thing.
To get more money you really have to be a certificated teacher and go into the international schools or a visiting professor who gives the hosting school kudos.

[choudoufu]

an MA will get you an extra 100-500 rmb/month.

in other words, what's it worth?

well, an MA and 5 rmb will get you plate of jiaozi.

[JustinC]

It won't get you much more while in China but it sure will open some doors elsewhere. That's if you know you want to TEFL long-term. It won't be a lot of help back in an English speaking country, though. Sure there are roles in the UK/US/Canada etc but they're few and far between. An MA, in my opinion, only really counts in the ME, and then it doesn't always have to be a MATESOL. I've known teachers in the ME with MAs in photography and computer studies get a pay lift because of the letters.

If you're not confident you want to do this long-term then you could look into a CELTA or (if you already have that) the DELTA. You'd save some money and open more doors being a DOS. Another option would be a post-grad in teaching. Again this opens a lot of doors.

[Asiateacher]

No Value as far as I'm concerned

[El Macho]

It can open the door to work at join-venture schools and programs, meaning earning 20,000 RMB+/month while working the hours and assuming the responsibilities that go along with such a position.

An MA TESOL also can help you to continue teaching (usually adult ed or at the tertiary level) when you go back to the west.

The MA by itself won't automatically get you a cushy expat package, though�you've got to have some demonstrable skills to go with it.

This is my third year teaching in China since earning my MA, and it has been a worthwhile investment.

[Shroob]

[DosEquisX]

Going to stick with the majority and say that it has none.

If you're that qualified and want to teach for a career, why would you want to live in China in the first place? There are other places where your degree would be put to use. You'd get paid more money there and have a higher quality of life.

[Delltron]

From what I understand, if you have an MA in TESOL it will have little benefit for getting higher pay at most university jobs, but I believe it does open up doors at more prestigious universities across Southeast Asia.

I believe (last time I checked--a couple of years ago) that Seoul University and other universities in Korea, which provide much better pay and are more professional than most Chinese universities, requires at least an MA in TESOL. I would also think that places like Peking and Tsinghua would require one, though I know little about the amount of pay one would get there.

A PhD in TESOL opens up doors to universities in Japan, where you would be able to publish (I think this is also true in SKorea). But it would also depend what university you got your degree from, and whether you have published anything in the past.

[creeper1]

It's not a good idea to invest money in higher education in the area of TESOL.

Fact of the matter is that other factors including ethnicity, age and looks will ALWAYS trump any educational accomplishments when jobs are being handed out.