Job Discussion Forums

[surfdiva]

I am considering a M.Ed in TESOL from a decent grad school. I currently have no teaching expereince and an undergrad in business. I thought I'd do this M.Ed program, but reviewing the curriculum, it only has 5 classes in TESOL. CELTA seems like it would prepare me WAY more then these 5 classes (and look better on resume?). Anyone ever heard of a grad school accepting CELTA classes to fulfill Masters requirements? I wonder if I got the CELTA if any grad schools would fulfill the TESOL class requirements.... hmm

THe reason I would like to have the masters is because I want to teach univesity level abroad and here in USA. Would like the M.Ed and CELTA.
THanks for any help !!

[Gordon]

I seem to recall a small university in Oz that accepted a credit for a CELTA, but the program didn't look good.

Other than that, no credit and I've looked at 25-30 masters programs in TESOL.

[surfdiva]

Did you look at Regent University ? Thats the program I was accepted into. They are "reviewing" the CELTA program now to see if its up to their standards... CELTA is soooo much better then their 5 classes !!

Fingers crossed.. they said they could possibly accept up to nine credits *if* they thought it was of equal value to their classes.

Thanks...

[Ludwig]

So, just to clarify, then, you are "considering" a masters degree in education - indeed, in TESOL - though you "have no teaching expereince [sic]". This is with the view of teaching "univesity [sic] level" both "abroad" and in the USA.

I would ask you to consider the true worth of a masters 'degree' in education that allows you to enrol with no prior experience of teaching (and I would ask that you consider the value any future prospective employer will credit it with). If it only takes an initial "5 classes", then what could the term 'master' ever possibly mean in this instance? Most green rookies in China, for example, may well give 5 classes on their very first day!

Is this perhaps an on-line 'degree'?

Is that what you would term a "decent grad school"?

The problem you will have is that the employers - whether "abroad" or 'back home' - that accept such on-line 'qualifications', do not actually insist on applicants holding such qualifications in the first place, and, the employers that do insist on candidates holding such qualifications do not accept on-line 'qualifications'!

To me at least, this looks like one of those, 'Get your MA � tomorrow!' advertisements.

[surfdiva]

Thanks for the input.

The school is Regent University (www.regent.edu) and the school is not an "online program" type of institution. It is a tangible university with campuses is Virginia Beach and Washington DC. The program is not online. The school has all the same accredidation of any other major university. Indeed, it is not a "diploma-mill" or get your masters tommorrow type of school. I wouldnt waste my time or money.

The Regent program is similiar to most universities I've looked at for Masters degrees. THe 5 classes are for the TESOL concentration, not for the whole masters degree. And the 5 classes were not 5 literal classes as you suggested, they are 5 (actually 6) semester long courses in addition to all your education courses.

There are MANY, MANY graduate schools out there ('regular universities") that you can be accepted into their M.Ed program with no prior teaching credentials and an undergrad in another subject. People do change careers! This is recognized by universities. That is pretty much the norm with grad schools.... take the gre's and be accepted.

Coming out of undergrad without a degree in teaching leaves only a couple options to become a teacher. One is graduate school in education and the other is "alternative route" to teacher certification which allows you to teach HS, but thats only if you major in Science, Math, Special Ed, etc.. which I did not, so I have one option to teach and that is grad school.

[veiledsentiments]

Surfdiva,

If you are in the Wash DC area I would recommend that you do your MA at George Mason instead. It is certainly a more respected institution than Regency.

But, more importantly, you say that you wish to do this in order to teach university level here in the US. I just want to make sure that you are aware that while it "may" allow you to "teach" in the US, the chances of making a living at it only really exist overseas. ESL teaching in US universities pays a decent hourly rate, but there no benefits and rarely enough hours. If you want to make a living in the US, you'd be better off getting an MBA to go with your business degree.

If you want to learn to actually teach, get a CELTA. American MAs are often (usually?) not very good at teaching you to teach, which is why many of them require a BA in education to enter (since they have student teaching as part of the program). Some of the better MA programs have a teaching component - not just a couple methodology courses.

I doubt that you could find any teaching jobs in the US with merely a CELTA. But, it would be very helpful overseas. Just think through exactly what your goals are before you put all that money into a Master's.

VS

[chinagirl]

Hey Surf Diva -

I have not seen any US universities that accept the CELTA as graduate-level classwork to transfer into their program.

You might want to consider doing a certificate at a university that would not be a CELTA, but a stand-alone certificate. That might then be acceptable as transfer credit at that specific university should you wish to go on for a master's. For example -

http://www.linguistics.utah.edu/tesolcert/tesolcert.html Utah
http://www.su.edu/sas/tesol/ Shenandoah University, Virginia


I'm working on my master's right now in New York State. (I will be done next August. Whoopee!) My program has a K-12 certification component built into the master's. For any of you unfamiliar with the US system, that means that along with having my master's, I will be certified by the state of NY to teach ESL in the public schools. A teaching "certification" refers to the fact that the state will deem me qualified to teach children, having fulfilled all of the educational and course requirements, - including my semester of full-time student teaching under the supervision of a qualified teacher. A "certificate" such as the CELTA would not be recognized by the state Education Department. Not even a little bit.

For the purposes of teaching in the US, even in a university setting, your CELTA won't hold much weight. Many folks will not even know what a CELTA is. Instead, the master's is the standard. A TESOL certificate will certainly help in the international market.

For privacy purposes I won't say where I'm attending school, (the ESL community is a small one) but it's a similar situation with 5 core esl courses along with other courses that deal with broader education issues. I have seen master's degrees in applied linguistics that require more linguistics classes - for example, this one at the State University of NY at Stony Brook

http://semlab1.sbs.sunysb.edu/programs2.html#ma

but, as you can see, this delves more deeply into linguistics than it does into education, which is my own interest.

I think you may find after 5 core courses and teaching practicum in ESL that you'll have a solid foundation. Sure, you won't know everything. But saying that the CELTA is "better" than 5 semester-long courses at a university is a bit presumptuous - unless you have evaluated the syllabi, readings, and observation/practice hours that would be required of you in that university program. (I would make sure your program has a teaching practicum, as most do nowadays in the US.)

Not to push you in this direction, but have you thought about getting a public school certification? The ESL public school sector in Virginia is booming, and you'd have much more job stability.

The George Mason program looks good.
http://gse.gmu.edu/programs/descriptions/eslpk12.htm
If I were in VA, that's probably what I would've done.

The other thing I'd think about is this - you can definitely go on and teach adults if you have a master's degree that has a built-in pre-K though 12th grade certification. But if you complete a master's degree geared only towards teaching adults, and change your mind, you will *not* necessarily be allowed to teach in American public schools without doing student teaching first, and taking some additional education coursework. Are you following me? Sorry for the long ramble!

But I agree with Veiled Sentiments. You'll really have to evaluate what you want to teach, and who, and where. The job market for ESL teachers of adults in the US - frankly - sucks. The pay is low and most of the work is part-time. Teaching abroad certainly seems attractive when you are young, but will you want to be away from home when your parents are aging, or when you want to start a family? That's what led me to the public school route. I may teach adults for a bit if I need a change of pace, but I feel like at least I'll have options.

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you have other questions, feel free to drop me a line.

Chinagirl