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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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 Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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| deltateacher wrote: |
I was actually surprised at how many universities didn't require you to hold a BA when it comes to being accepted on to their MA programme.
I felt doing the Delta and then an MA a more natural progression. |
Many universities will allow you to do an MA without a BA, but employers will still expect to see a BA and you are never going to stop fighting that battle. Whether or not a (possibly unrelated) BA will have any bearing on how well you can do the job won't come into it. Especially in areas where adult students expect teachers to be at least as well qualified as they are. Because of that, I don't think the DELTA, is going to confer you much advantage in Western Europe. It's generally used to give you a leg up into more senior teaching positions, and the lack of a BA will be a barrier to that.
If you have extensive business experience that you haven't mentioned, then you might be able to carve a niche out for yourself teaching business English. Real-world experience can carry a lot of weight in that market.
Otherwise, you are looking for a job in an adult only language institute. That's a very small market anywhere. You want that job in Western Europe, one of the tightest ESL markets in the world. You want to find it without a BA, which virtually all your competitors will have, and which your students will expect.
I'd suggest you looked at British Council jobs, because they will value your DELTA. However, the positions are very competitive in Western Europe and would almost certainly involve teaching children.
I don't think any of the countries on your list will be any easier or harder for you than any of the others, you will struggle to find a good job in all of them. It's going to be more about finding the right school than the right country, and for that you will likely have to be on the ground knocking on doors. Lots and lots of doors. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't know about the UK, but some US universities have what's referred to as a combined BA and MA degree program (AKA a double, concurrent, or joint degree program). Generally, the student starts out in a BA degree program, yet, a year or two later, is allowed to begin taking grad-level coursework while still an undergrad. Both degrees are completed in about 4 or 5 years depending on the amount of time the student devotes to studies. |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| It's going to be more about finding the right school than the right country, and for that you will likely have to be on the ground knocking on doors. Lots and lots of doors. |
Agree 100% with this.
The other thing you might consider doing is to freelance / go it alone. For example, you might be able to provide an editing / thesis proof-reading type of service. Or open your own school targeted at a particular age range etc. I have to say, though, as soon as you start limiting the type of students you'll take (or accept if you're going to be working for others) you're severely limiting your income. Much of the ELT work in Europe is YL / Secondary level students.
The other area of growth (tho I'm speaking for Italy now and it might not be applicable to other European countries) is in exams testing. Cambridge exams are very popular here, but guess what? You need a degree to be trained as a Cambridge examiner... |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| I don't know about the UK, but some US universities have what's referred to as a combined BA and MA degree program (AKA a double, concurrent, or joint degree program). Generally, the student starts out in a BA degree program, yet, a year or two later, is allowed to begin taking grad-level coursework while still an undergrad. Both degrees are completed in about 4 or 5 years depending on the amount of time the student devotes to studies. |
I've never heard of them running concurrently, but UK degree courses are shorter anyway. So a BA hons degree is 3 years FT, and a lot of Masters courses are 1 year FT, so you can get the lot done in 4 years if you push on with it. It's also pretty straightforward to do the first year or sometimes first 2 years by distance and then transferring the credits to a bricks and mortar uni to finish off (and avoid the problems of distance degrees not being recognised everywhere).
There would also be the option of looking at countries that still offer free, or nearly free, university education to EU students. Some of them even offer stipends. |
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deltateacher
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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@nomadsoul - Thank you for the luck. I am pretty sure I will be needing it.
I am hoping that if I can get a foot in the west next September, that I can really add to my education. I really don't want to stay in the middle east to do my education. To be honest I am tired of fighting the battle against not having a BA. It's been 7 long years of fighting and I really just want to move back to the west, pick up a degree and live happily ever after.
After looking through what HLJHLJ said, am I really still going to hit a wall without a BA in Europe, even if I turn up in say 2 years time with a CELTA, DELTA and MA in TESOL? Am I still going to be overlooked as such?
As for the BE, yes my experience in this area is very extensive and I'm glad it will hopefully be useful.
If you had to choose between France or Holland as a place to land and start knocking door to door, which would seem to hold the most realistic chance of success?
Thank you all anyway for what you have written. It's been very informative. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| France is more likely than Holland; the Netherlands (I taught there for 8 years, +/-) is a tiny market with lots of competition. Timing is also important. As you may already be aware, most contracts in the region are September- June, so show up at the end of August, first of September. You might not totally write off Luxembourg - http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=104042&highlight=luxembourg |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| deltateacher wrote: |
After looking through what HLJHLJ said, am I really still going to hit a wall without a BA in Europe, even if I turn up in say 2 years time with a CELTA, DELTA and MA in TESOL? Am I still going to be overlooked as such?
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You are still going to hit the same wall. If you are applying for jobs that say 'BA essential, MA desirable', you will fall at the first hurdle. If they don't mention the BA and just say 'MA essential', then virtually all of your competitors will have an MA AND a BA, so you will still be at a major disadvantage.
It won't be insurmountable, just as it isn't now, but it will continue to make things difficult and limit your options. If you were looking to a less crowded market it would be less of an issue, but Europe is always going to be saturated.
| deltateacher wrote: |
As for the BE, yes my experience in this area is very extensive and I'm glad it will hopefully be useful.
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Assuming you mean you have extensive business experience, and not just business English teaching experience, then yes it will be helpful. If you've successfully run your own company, been on a board, or been extensively involved in submitting competitive bids or tenders for a decent sized company, those sorts of things will be valued. Highlight them in your CV/resume. |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:00 am Post subject: |
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| As I suggested above, without a degree your best bet is probably to try those countries that are, shall we say, less hardline about qualifications. Therefore, even though they might not be your first choice, they are more realistic. Another benefit of eastern Europe and Spain is that your salary will go further. And while you're there, figure out how you're going to do your BA or MA - and get on with it. |
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