Job Discussion Forums

[angeles]

Hi everyone,

I wondered if you could offer me a little advice, as I can't seem to find the exact answer I am looking for via the search function.

A little about me:

UK national, unrelated BA and MA, CELTA, 3 years EFL experience.

I want to develop my university teaching career and I am contemplating doing a MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics and am considering my options. In future, I would like to find a direct hire university position somewhere in Asia, or maybe in the Middle East.

I understand that a full-time campus based course in the UK is my best bet, however I really don't want to go and live in the UK for a year as I think it would be to expensive and would prefer to continue working part-time outside of the UK.

Therefore, I am contemplating either a part-time distance MA TESOL from a UK institution or a full-time MA Applied Linguistics from a non-English speaking country like Spain (taught in English). In both cases I could continue to work part-time.

My question is this: Which option would be preferred by a Asia/Middle East university employer - a part-time distance course from UK institution or full-time campus based course from a non-English speaking country e.g. Spain?

Thanks so much for your help in advance!

[nomad soul]

By "Middle East," I assume you mean the Gulf. If so, be aware that the governments of Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia do not accept degrees that include online/distance coursework. The UAE, however, has no issue with distance coursework as long as it was completed at an accredited university. That said, you'll need at least 3 years of post-MA TESOL, university-level teaching experience to qualify for positions in the UAE. Moreover, effective 2018, the country's public universities are slated to begin phasing out their foundation year programs---that includes the major employers.

As for completing the MA via on-campus from a non-Anglophone university, you may be limited to those teaching positions where a foreign degree is acceptable. Some Gulf employers expect native speakers to hold degrees from their home country, while others state it's a requirement. Either way, you'll still need at least a couple of years of relevant, post-MA teaching experience to compete for the better jobs.

Others can comment about Asia, although it would be helpful if you indicated which countries you're targeting.

[angeles]

Thanks Nomad Soul,

I have been an avid reader of your helpful advice on this forum for a while now. I am familiar with the points you raise regarding the Gulf countries.

I think if I were to be honest, I would like to find a university position in either Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam or even somewhere like Cambodia.

I think what I am really asking is whether doing the MA Applied Linguistics in a non-English speaking country is a terrible idea or not when it comes to finding decent university EFL work in general?

I hope that is not too vague a question to answer!

Thanks again.

[Xie Lin]

Hello, angeles,

You might find sifting through these previous threads useful and of interest:


http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=107080

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=107491



There are a number of other partially applicable threads as well, but these are a good start.

.

[spiral78]

If you take the ME out of the equation, the distance UK degree would probably be more valuable. As a European (occasional)employer, the Spanish degree wouldn't carry much weight.

[nomad soul]

[naturegirl321]

My first MA is from Spain. The reason I choose Spain is because the university I was working for had an agreement with this university. While I did learn a lot, 16 classes plus a dissertation, getting documents is a pain. It took a year! to get my diploma in hand. When I got it I found out that some of my information was wrong so I had to have them issue me another diploma. Took another few months to get that.

Transcripts? They didn't know what they were. They have my "transcripts" on the back of my degree.

I decided to get another masters from Australia. My degree from Spain is legit, don't get me wrong. Some of my courses transferred to Australia which was nice.

However, some places only want degrees from English speaking countries. You also may have to pay for your degree to be translated to English. ALL my courses and my dissertation were in English, BUT my diploma itself is in Spanish. And like I said, getting transcripts just isn't going to happen.

Please, please, don't pick something solely based on price. My degree from Spain was very affordable. I got a 50% scholarship due to the agreement with our unis, but I went back to school and got another MA because I knew that my one from Spain could cause me problems. I spent more time and money.

Also, due to my name and the fact that my MA is from Spain I get prospective employers asking me, so HOW did you learn English?

I do understand the online vs on-campus debate. There are lots of posts about that. Long story short, it depends where you go. Middle East, some places will accept it, some one. Even in the same country, some employers will accept it, others won't. Department of Higher Ed vs Department of Ed. You'll have to check out the ME forums. And there are ways around it I believe. Getting documents from the university saying that the online courses are equivalent or something.

I would recommend the UK one due to the fact that even though it's in English, Spain is not an English speaking country and dealing with paperwork is a nightmare.

[nomad soul]

[naturegirl321]

[johnslat]

Dear naturegirl321,

"Thank you! But I'm actually writing!"

I'm sorry - could you say that again, please?

Regards,
John