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datokate9
Joined: 29 Dec 2013
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:37 pm Post subject: Long term career question |
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Hello,
I haven't made the jump yet into teaching English abroad and the main reason is, what do I do when I come home (USA)?
As a general question, how does one utilize the years spent teaching ESL abroad, wherever you choose, into a career? Or using the training as a way to gain a Master's degree, because most of the colleges want to see at least two year's experience, which I don't have, so I can't apply. I would love to use the years abroad to enter a Master's program, and then hopefully teach ESL here in the states at a 2-year community college.
Have any of you used your years spent abroad to enter and/or complete a Master's degree, or equivalent, and made a long-term career from it?
Thanks,
Kate |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: Long term career question |
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| datokate9 wrote: |
| I haven't made the jump yet into teaching English abroad and the main reason is, what do I do when I come home (USA)? |
It really depends on what kinds of experiences, training, and qualifications you have by the point you return to the US, and how those fit into what employers want. I've known people who have taught abroad and acquired high-level language abilities that they were able to use to get a job in the US. However, if your jobs abroad are the type that don't require anything other than being a native speaker, and you don't develop any other skills or gain any additional qualifications during that time, then you'll find it difficult to use that in a country with a couple hundred million other native speakers.
| Quote: |
| Or using the training as a way to gain a Master's degree, because most of the colleges want to see at least two year's experience, which I don't have, so I can't apply. |
I'm curious about what programs you are looking at (universities and fields), as I've seen very few MA TESOL programs that require 2 years of teaching experience in order to apply for admission into the MA program.
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| I would love to use the years abroad to enter a Master's program, and then hopefully teach ESL here in the states at a 2-year community college. |
That's definitely possible. Keep in mind that the market in US college IEPs is very tight, and many programs prefer people who have post-MA teaching experience abroad, or who have worked (post-MA) as an adjunct for a couple years. That said, there are definitely some college IEPs that will hire people straight away after the MA.
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| Have any of you used your years spent abroad to enter and/or complete a Master's degree, or equivalent, and made a long-term career from it? |
Yes. |
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datokate9
Joined: 29 Dec 2013
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| However, if your jobs abroad are the type that don't require anything other than being a native speaker, and you don't develop any other skills or gain any additional qualifications during that time, then you'll find it difficult to use that in a country with a couple hundred million other native speakers. |
So pretty much it would be beneficial to learn a new language while I'm abroad to make me more employable when I get back. Which makes sense.
I'm not sure what schools said they required 2 years of experience before applying but most of them definitely want references who can speak about your teaching skills, which I would hope to get while teaching abroad. I've been out of school for some time and finding professors to write recommendations would be next to impossible.
Thanks for your insight. Wanted to see if my long-term career goals weren't just a fantasy. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 7:19 am Post subject: |
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| datokate9 wrote: |
| So pretty much it would be beneficial to learn a new language while I'm abroad to make me more employable when I get back. Which makes sense. |
Not just language skills -- to be honest, language skills are often not very useful for furthering your career back home as many people in other countries learn English from a young age, so it might be hard to compete with native speakers of the foreign language who also have 15+ years of experience learning English, when you only have a few years' experience in the foreign language. Also, learning a language to that level takes a long time. Of course, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn a foreign language when you teach abroad (of course you should), but it does mean that you shouldn't bank on your foreign language skills paving the way for a career back home. The usefulness of the language back home will also depend on what language it is.
My point is that if your long-term goal includes teaching ESL/EFL, then yes, teaching abroad will help you progress toward that goal. However, if it is something else, then teaching abroad likely won't help you at all (and, in fact, could be detrimental because of lost time), unless you use your time teaching abroad to also pick up skills that will help you get where you want to go.
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| I've been out of school for some time and finding professors to write recommendations would be next to impossible. |
When I went back to grad school, I had been out of school for about a decade. Having professors write recommendations for a 'me' that was 10 years out of date would have been silly. It was much more useful to have my then-boss and some co-workers write letters. In my experience, most MA TESOL programs want you to submit letters that can speak to your skills as a ESL/EFL teacher, or your related skills that show you have potential to be a good teacher.
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| Wanted to see if my long-term career goals weren't just a fantasy. |
My recommendation to you would be first to ask yourself whether you are sure that ESL teaching is something you enjoy and would like to do as a career. If you're not sure if you like it or not, I would recommend first teaching abroad (in any kind of context), to get an idea of what teaching ESL/EFL is like.
If you are sure you enjoy it, then I'd recommend going for the MA TESOL right now, rather than gong abroad first. This is because you most likely could be accepted to an MA TESOL program without experience abroad, and also, many college IEPs want people who have post-MA experience abroad. So, rather than working abroad, getting the MA, and then working abroad again, just skip the first step and get the MA now. Of course, it would be unfortunate to put in a couple years to get the MA and then figure out later that you don't like ESL teaching. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:45 am Post subject: |
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| datokate9 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| However, if your jobs abroad are the type that don't require anything other than being a native speaker, and you don't develop any other skills or gain any additional qualifications during that time, then you'll find it difficult to use that in a country with a couple hundred million other native speakers. |
So pretty much it would be beneficial to learn a new language while I'm abroad to make me more employable when I get back. Which makes sense. |
That's just one option. I agree with rtm; it would depend on the language and how beneficial it would be in your home country. For example, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese are certainly useful if you're returning to the US than something like Burmese. Plus, learning a language and becoming minimally fluent (written and spoken) in it can be challenging and possibly, unattainable if you don't have the time, money, opportunities for practice, or intrinsic motivation to learn.
There are other options in terms of skill building. Depending on your current teaching situation (e.g., language school, public school, university, military contract, etc.), you could get involved with curriculum design, test creation, teaching academic writing, creating materials, reviewing coursebooks, etc. Obviously, if you hope to work in a US community college, having university-level EFL experience looks better to US employers than experience teaching conversation English to children. Either way, upgrading your academic quals to a relevant MA is a smart move. Also, be aware that a specialty in educational/instructional technology appeals to many employers worldwide as well, including those in the US. It spans into training in corporate and government environments, so it's not limited to education.
| and wrote: |
| I'm not sure what schools said they required 2 years of experience before applying but most of them definitely want references who can speak about your teaching skills, which I would hope to get while teaching abroad. I've been out of school for some time and finding professors to write recommendations would be next to impossible. |
You might find "What do you look for in a BA or MA degree program?" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=95138) relevant. |
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Big Worm
Joined: 02 Jan 2011
Posts: 171
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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If I'm reading this right, then I think you are answering your own question.
You want a long term career teaching ESL in the US.
You need two years experience to get into qa masters program.
You have the opportunity to get that experience, get paid and travel.
Of course you should do this. You can use your experience to get into a grad program and move your career from there. |
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datokate9
Joined: 29 Dec 2013
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for all your replies.
Big Worm: I realized that I did, in a way, answer my own question. But I did want some insight into whether getting experience abroad would be useful in the USA. I wasn't sure if only teaching abroad is enough to get into a Master's program.
| Quote: |
| Depending on your current teaching situation (e.g., language school, public school, university, military contract, etc.), you could get involved with curriculum design, test creation, teaching academic writing, creating materials, reviewing coursebooks, etc. |
This is good to know. Thank you! |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:59 am Post subject: |
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| datokate9 wrote: |
I wasn't sure if only teaching abroad is enough to get into a Master's program.
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Your best option there would be to speak to someone at the university you are interested in and ask them exactly what experience they are looking for. We can only talk in general terms here, and you need something more specific. |
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