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Iloveamma
Joined: 26 May 2013
Posts: 68
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 Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 6:38 pm Post subject: Will an MA in Drama ELT do anything? |
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I am trying to plan the next few years.
I already have a BA in Theater. I know it is possible right now that I could get hired teaching Drama there. I did teach part-time Theater for one full school year to 4,5, and 6th graders.
But I had access to lots of resources on how to plan lessons.
It was quite a few years ago, but I feel shaky on being able to plan my own lessons.
I wonder if an MA in Drama for English Language teaching will actually get me anywhere in China? Will I be able to jump to a higher pay bracket?
I wonder if I can try to set-myself apart. I also would love to start my own business with it... It is something I have wanted to do in Europe for a long time actually.
Would this MA be at all valuable in China?
My other idea which is unrelated to ESL is to get a degree in MORALS AND VALUE/CHARACTER EDUCATION...to facilitate teaching values to kids. I wonder if this would be at all useful in China? Does anybody know? |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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I'll PM you a link to an IS that has drama on its curriculum.
Given the huge $$ difference between bog standard ESL and the IS market, I'd urge you to check the IS area thoroughly.
There was a thread a few years ago about getting from FT to entrepreneur which may be worth locating.
Getting privates in dance and drama may possible. FTs rely on privates to get by but the IS area pays so well I don't think there is the economic incentive. Personal aspirations are another thing of course.
Best
NS |
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Relevant
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Posts: 39
Location: In the wind....
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| Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Non Sequitur wrote: |
I'll PM you a link to an IS that has drama on its curriculum.
Given the huge $$ difference between bog standard ESL and the IS market, I'd urge you to check the IS area thoroughly.
There was a thread a few years ago about getting from FT to entrepreneur which may be worth locating.
Getting privates in dance and drama may possible. FTs rely on privates to get by but the IS area pays so well I don't think there is the economic incentive. Personal aspirations are another thing of course.
Best
NS |
I second NS. All the things you are talking about do not apply so much to the range of positions for ESL teachers in China, and so may not be appropriately valued. For a niche subject like Drama, you may need to avoid this market and go straight to the International Schools. This is much higher paid, but as a result requires higher standards of qualifications. Officially, you will need to be a certified teacher, and not just have an MA, but this could be waived depending on the level and desperation of the school. The only way to know is to try, I suppose.
Have you considered becoming a certified teacher and gaining experience before making the move to China/Asia? This will broaden your opportunities to teach in your chosen field greatly. |
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The bear
Joined: 16 Aug 2015
Posts: 483
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| Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: Will an MA in Drama ELT do anything? |
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| Iloveamma wrote: |
I am trying to plan the next few years.
I already have a BA in Theater. I know it is possible right now that I could get hired teaching Drama there. I did teach part-time Theater for one full school year to 4,5, and 6th graders.
But I had access to lots of resources on how to plan lessons.
It was quite a few years ago, but I feel shaky on being able to plan my own lessons.
I wonder if an MA in Drama for English Language teaching will actually get me anywhere in China? Will I be able to jump to a higher pay bracket?
I wonder if I can try to set-myself apart. I also would love to start my own business with it... It is something I have wanted to do in Europe for a long time actually.
Would this MA be at all valuable in China?
My other idea which is unrelated to ESL is to get a degree in MORALS AND VALUE/CHARACTER EDUCATION...to facilitate teaching values to kids. I wonder if this would be at all useful in China? Does anybody know? |
As you already have a BA in Theatre I'd think an MA in Drama for ELT would be a little bit redundant and may even rule you out of some jobs.
Others have already said, the real money is in international schools where home teaching qualifications are valued. |
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Iloveamma
Joined: 26 May 2013
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 1:56 pm Post subject: Re: Will an MA in Drama ELT do anything? |
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| The bear wrote: |
| Iloveamma wrote: |
I am trying to plan the next few years.
I already have a BA in Theater. I know it is possible right now that I could get hired teaching Drama there. I did teach part-time Theater for one full school year to 4,5, and 6th graders.
But I had access to lots of resources on how to plan lessons.
It was quite a few years ago, but I feel shaky on being able to plan my own lessons.
I wonder if an MA in Drama for English Language teaching will actually get me anywhere in China? Will I be able to jump to a higher pay bracket?
I wonder if I can try to set-myself apart. I also would love to start my own business with it... It is something I have wanted to do in Europe for a long time actually.
Would this MA be at all valuable in China?
My other idea which is unrelated to ESL is to get a degree in MORALS AND VALUE/CHARACTER EDUCATION...to facilitate teaching values to kids. I wonder if this would be at all useful in China? Does anybody know? |
As you already have a BA in Theatre I'd think an MA in Drama for ELT would be a little bit redundant and may even rule you out of some jobs.
Others have already said, the real money is in international schools where home teaching qualifications are valued. |
Why would this rule me out for some jobs do you think?
Thanks for writing. I did not get any notice of replies. I guess I forgot to select that box.
So International Schools are where the money is and a regular teaching qualification is what I ought to do.
Correct?
Why would an MA in Drama English teaching be redundant? I do not know how to teach English with drama at all.
And like NS said, would it not be feasible to start my own business? Is that difficult there to do? Let's say I got hired first year as a trainer or something at a training school like EF (not EF, but example). Then worked towards trying to build a client list for English Drama. How hard would that be?
For legal/Visa rules, etc? I will look for the old post. Thanks. |
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Wicked Stepmother
Joined: 01 Dec 2016
Posts: 49
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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Just an FYI...
From Cambridge English:
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Teaching courses and modules discontinued from December 2016:
Following the review of the assessment services which we provide, TKT: KAL (Knowledge about Language), TKT Practical and Young Learner (YL) Extension to CELTA are discontinued from December 2016. This means that you can no longer register for them.
TKT: Young Learners is an alternative qualification to Young Learner (YL) Extension to CELTA. |
Also, Trinity offers a Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate (TYLEC). |
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Iloveamma
Joined: 26 May 2013
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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WOW..great advice there. And thanks for the links. Yes, if I were to come to China, I would use that pay to get a qualification....like an online teaching certificate or something...But I have to stay in a clean place...I get a good feeling about Shenzhen ..even though I think it also has pollution.
Thanks again! |
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The bear
Joined: 16 Aug 2015
Posts: 483
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| Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 7:00 am Post subject: Re: Will an MA in Drama ELT do anything? |
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| Iloveamma wrote: |
Why would this rule me out for some jobs do you think?
Thanks for writing. I did not get any notice of replies. I guess I forgot to select that box.
So International Schools are where the money is and a regular teaching qualification is what I ought to do.
Correct?
Why would an MA in Drama English teaching be redundant? I do not know how to teach English with drama at all.
And like NS said, would it not be feasible to start my own business? Is that difficult there to do? Let's say I got hired first year as a trainer or something at a training school like EF (not EF, but example). Then worked towards trying to build a client list for English Drama. How hard would that be?
For legal/Visa rules, etc? I will look for the old post. Thanks. |
International schools are definitely were the money is. However, having your own business can be very lucrative but it's not easy in China. Especially for foreigners.
Sure you can teach on the side, but eventually you'll need to find a Chinese partner you can trust - most often a spouse - if you want to be legal and legit. There's a lot of horror stories about people being cheated, not just by local Chinese partners but by government workers.
This will take years to understand, meet the right people, and get everything above board. Even then you're shaky at best.
I'll be the first to admit I don't know the ins and outs of the drama market in China, but my thinking is that an MA in Drama for English Language Teaching sounds quite narrow. My thoughts would be to do a straight 'TESOL' MA and market your drama experience with the BA, if that's the route you want to go.
Additionally, most true international schools will ask for a teaching licence, which the MA doesn't give. So if you were thinking of going down this route it may be a dead end. Certainly harder without a teaching licence. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 7:20 am Post subject: |
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| The bear wrote: |
| My thinking is that an MA in Drama for English Language Teaching sounds quite narrow. My thoughts would be to do a straight 'TESOL' MA and market your drama experience with the BA, if that's the route you want to go. |
Or an M.Ed. |
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Iloveamma
Joined: 26 May 2013
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 9:36 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| The bear wrote: |
| My thinking is that an MA in Drama for English Language Teaching sounds quite narrow. My thoughts would be to do a straight 'TESOL' MA and market your drama experience with the BA, if that's the route you want to go. |
Or an M.Ed. |
It sounds narrow...okay. I am glad to hear your advice. I so much appreciate all of you taking your time to reply.
I know all about cheating...I lived in India for many years. There you can do lots of things under the table...even buy property which is illegal...everything that is illegal is still done. But it does not sound like China is the same.
Not that I would do it...but it sounds like there is lots of red tape to get around in China which I would not try to navigate on my own anyway. I am not planning for a Chinese husband...Smile
My interest in this MA was to ultimately start my own business. Somewhere. There is a drama academy which is teaching English which has 5 locations or something in Beijing.
When I saw it, my interest got sparked for that MA. But probably it would be better just to keep it real and get an MA TESOL or something.
Thanks a lot for your advice!! I will refer back to this thread I am sure. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 3:11 am Post subject: |
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| Iloveamma wrote: |
| nomad soul wrote: |
| The bear wrote: |
| My thinking is that an MA in Drama for English Language Teaching sounds quite narrow. My thoughts would be to do a straight 'TESOL' MA and market your drama experience with the BA, if that's the route you want to go. |
Or an M.Ed. |
My interest in this MA was to ultimately start my own business. Somewhere. There is a drama academy which is teaching English which has 5 locations or something in Beijing.
When I saw it, my interest got sparked for that MA. But probably it would be better just to keep it real and get an MA TESOL or something. |
You certainly have lofty goals.
The reason I suggested you pursue an Education MA (one that covers curriculum design) is because it will help you gain an understanding of learning and provide you the foundation you need to design and implement the curriculum for your program. That makes it more marketable and versatile than an MA TESOL. You can easily add a CELTA or other valid TEFL qualification to your M.Ed. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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I think OP is getting ahead of him/herself.
Get that first job and get your 'OMG' moments out of the way.
With your quals you could fatally disable your China career if you went for anything other than an IS gig.
Chinese are very status conscious and getting well-paying privates will be far easier if you can tout yourself as the 'drama teacher from Name IS School'.
Cover your 9-5 day job and do it well.
Best |
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JeremyDay
Joined: 11 Apr 2016
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2017 2:32 am Post subject: Yes |
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I feel that way also. The first year is a bit of a throw away. Especially if you aren't a certified teacher. By all means, pick a city you like. But just get an ESL job at this point. Since you have theatre teaching experience, I wouldn't be scared to apply to those jobs as well.
Teaching Nomad was a pretty interesting experience. I had a short conversation with them. Perhaps someone else can chime in on their reliability. I think you could benefit from having a representative/recruiter.
I came over using a company called ESL Suite (I'd have to double check). I'd be willing to recommend them as well. In the end, they were helpful and led me in the direction I wanted to go.
By having a job in China, it proves two things. One, you can get to China (paperwork and certification wise). And two, you have the patience and fortitude to stay in China for a year.
Focus on location and getting into the age group you want to teach (primary, middle, high, or adults)... Also, get two or three offers and be willing to negotiate.
If you had 2 or 3 years of teaching already, maybe I wouldn't suggest it, but if you tell a school that you are already teaching in China... they are quite happy to hear it during the interview. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2017 4:33 am Post subject: |
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Not sure that an IS would be too bowled over by previous work as an FT in the public area or worse still and EF or Disney.
The next major start date is 1 September so wherever you are headed OP you should active now. |
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