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Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that?

 
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Is a Master's program in the EU a good investment t?
Yes
50%
 50%  [ 1 ]
No
50%
 50%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 2

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WanderMan



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 31
Location: USA, Tacoma WA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:39 pm    Post subject: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

I'm a U.S. citizen who qualifies for EU citizenship as well.

I have 3 years of experience Teaching ESL, and a BA in English. I want to enhance my credentials so I qualify for higher paid jobs in some foriegn country. But the thought of taking on more student loans is depressing.

I think my EU citizenship would allow me to get a Master's in education or teaching for free, or at least for much cheaper than the US, but I know a lot of DSL jobs want degrees from US universities, so I am not sure how useful the EU degree would be.

Does anyone have any thoughts about my idea? I'm basically flying blind here. Not sure which programs would be more of less prestigious or if this would even work or be worth doing.

I'm 33 and married, my wife is an RN.
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suphanburi



Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:27 pm    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

WanderMan wrote:
I'm a U.S. citizen who qualifies for EU citizenship as well.

I have 3 years of experience Teaching ESL, and a BA in English. I want to enhance my credentials so I qualify for higher paid jobs in some foriegn country. But the thought of taking on more student loans is depressing.

I think my EU citizenship would allow me to get a Master's in education or teaching for free, or at least for much cheaper than the US, but I know a lot of DSL jobs want degrees from US universities, so I am not sure how useful the EU degree would be.

Does anyone have any thoughts about my idea? I'm basically flying blind here. Not sure which programs would be more of less prestigious or if this would even work or be worth doing.

I'm 33 and married, my wife is an RN.


Your first degree is from the US. Where you take your advance degrees at really doesn't make a huge difference (other than perhaps the US where employers tend to be very ethnocentric - not US = NOT GOOD).

Unlike your BA your masters is or should be more focused on your research and thesis rather than coursework.

If you really want better jobs abroad (in teaching) then get a post grad teaching certificate or licensure as a teacher. It will open up a LOT more doors (like international schools) than an MA/M.Ed. It is also cheaper, less time (1 year) and includes the practicum.

.
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getbehindthemule



Joined: 15 Oct 2015
Posts: 712
Location: Shanghai

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agree with the above poster that getting licensed is better than doing a Masters, in most cases, when considering the higher paid positions at IS, etc.
...and calling your wife a 'Right Nobody' makes you sound a little bit obnoxious btw Wink
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WanderMan



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 31
Location: USA, Tacoma WA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

suphanburi wrote:

If you really want better jobs abroad (in teaching) then get a post grad teaching certificate or licensure as a teacher. It will open up a LOT more doors (like international schools) than an MA/M.Ed. It is also cheaper, less time (1 year) and includes the practicum.

.


Dang it! That is pretty much the opposite of what I was hoping to hear. I was hoping I could find a way to live over seas, save money, and advance my career all at the same time.

A teaching license in the US would mean staying in America and spending money, while a year program in Europe would get me out and cost next to nothing. 😢

Obviously, thanks for answering my question, I appreciate your help. Does anyone have any thoughts on my best options at this point? Cheapest\fastest license program? some way I can leverage my eu citizenship to advance my career? Any ideas are appreciated, This Thread Has Already been very helpful.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

WanderMan wrote:
The thought of taking on more student loans is depressing.

I think my EU citizenship would allow me to get a Master's in education or teaching for free, or at least for much cheaper than the US, but I know a lot of DSL jobs want degrees from US universities, so I am not sure how useful the EU degree would be.

You'll be limited to English-medium programs/universities unless you're fluent in your target EU country's native language. Additionally, you don't mention where you plan to grow your teaching career, but top employers generally want to see education or EL teaching degrees from universities in Anglophone countries.

and wrote:
A teaching license in the US would mean staying in America and spending money, while a year program in Europe would get me out and cost next to nothing.

There's a saying about trying to get something with nothing. Unfortunately, it takes money to make money. You'll have to comprise on something, whether that means taking 3-4 years to complete a US master's on a pay-as-you-can plan; taking out a student loan; or limiting yourself with a degree from a European university.

Lastly, wrote:
Cheapest\fastest license program?

Since you're in the US, contact your state's Dept. of Education for approved k12 teacher education programs.

Also check if education assistance is available via your current job. For example, I never paid full costs for my master's degrees; employer reimbursements covered a big chunk of my tuition, while I paid out of pocket for 30-40% of the costs. Additionally, my alma mater gave me alumni discounts for my last degree along with a scholarship that covered full tuition and materials for one semester.
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nimadecaomei



Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Posts: 605

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 10:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

WanderMan wrote:


A teaching license in the US would mean staying in America and spending money, while a year program in Europe would get me out and cost next to nothing. 😢

Obviously, thanks for answering my question, I appreciate your help. Does anyone have any thoughts on my best options at this point? Cheapest\fastest license program? some way I can leverage my eu citizenship to advance my career? Any ideas are appreciated, This Thread Has Already been very helpful.


You don't need a US teaching license. You could get your PGCE in Europe. I am from the US and hold a PGCE.
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WanderMan



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 31
Location: USA, Tacoma WA

PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

nimadecaomei wrote:
WanderMan wrote:


A teaching license in the US would mean staying in America and spending money, while a year program in Europe would get me out and cost next to nothing. 😢

Obviously, thanks for answering my question, I appreciate your help. Does anyone have any thoughts on my best options at this point? Cheapest\fastest license program? some way I can leverage my eu citizenship to advance my career? Any ideas are appreciated, This Thread Has Already been very helpful.


You don't need a US teaching license. You could get your PGCE in Europe. I am from the US and hold a PGCE.


Could I get the PGCE from anywhere in Europe, or just in the UK? Is a PGCE the kind of thing EU citizens can get for free?
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nimadecaomei



Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Posts: 605

PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 9:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

WanderMan wrote:


Could I get the PGCE from anywhere in Europe, or just in the UK? Is a PGCE the kind of thing EU citizens can get for free?


Personally, I have no clue. If you could get a masters degree, I don't think it is impossible to get a PGCE. I believe there are places to study for it in other parts of EU, outside of the UK.
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yurii



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 106

PostPosted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Degrees in some EU countries can be cheap or even free for fellow EU citizens (e.g. Nordic countries) but actually finding one related to your career and taught in English would be far from easy unless of course you can give me some examples and link me the courses from EU universities that you’ve found?? I was interested in doing one in Denmark but finding one education related in English is very difficult. If you have an EU passport they will give you some money each month for accommodation on top of free education. But, as I say finding one in English and relevant will be difficult.

In the UK an MEd or Master’s in TESOL will set you back approx 6,000 pounds, not to mention your food, transport, rent costs for the year. I’m sure you can figure that for 2 people without a job this is quite a lot.

Regarding a PGCE in the UK, there are indeed generous tax free grants that cover the cost of the PGCE and living costs for shortage subjects (depending on your degree classification and subject you want to teach up to 25,000 GBP) but English isn’t one of them given that it’s one of the most popular PGCEs to do. That means paying 9,000 GBP in fees along with living costs and no salary for a year. Furthermore, PGCEs aren’t a simple case of apply (like to a master’s degree) and get on. They’re like job interviews and frankly (talking from firsthand experience) can be seriously tough if you apply to a decent university – some of the pgce interviews I did were harder than any job interview I’ve ever had. And that’s not to mention - if accepted - the possibility of being placed in a really really challenging inner city school for your placements with teenagers making every day of your placement hell and you’re literally counting down the days until it’s over. A PGCE in the UK is a difficult year.

As for a PGCE in EU, frankly that’s a pipe dream unless you speak the local language of that country. It will be obviously in the local language (with some exceptions like doing a PGDE in HK but the fees are very expensive) and designed for locals, teaching locals. Why would it be otherwise? Preparing teachers in any country for their teaching license is to train locals to teach that country’s young generation.

I don’t mean to criticise but it seems like you’re looking for some magical easy option where you spend next to nothing yet get a big boost for your career. It’s not possible and involves some sacrifice on your part. I paid about 4,500 GBP for my MA in TESOL and also got my PGCE in the UK. I think in the long-term my sacrifice will be worth it. No such thing as a free lunch as they say (unless you get super lucky!).
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WanderMan



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 31
Location: USA, Tacoma WA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Master's Degree from EU, how useful is that? Reply with quote

suphanburi wrote:

If you really want better jobs abroad (in teaching) then get a post grad teaching certificate or licensure as a teacher. It will open up a LOT more doors (like international schools) than an MA/M.Ed. It is also cheaper, less time (1 year) and includes the practicum.

.



Can you expand on this idea that a teaching certificate would open more doors than an Master's? When was in Saudi Arabia most of the good jobs went to people with Masters'. Where have you found that not to be the case?
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

WanderMan wrote:
Can you expand on this idea that a teaching certificate would open more doors than an Master's?

Supply and demand. A PGCE and teaching license offer more opportunities to teach abroad in k12 English-medium international schools compared to universities, which often require a master's degree. Primary elementary education and STEM subjects generally carry more weight than ESL, however.
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getbehindthemule



Joined: 15 Oct 2015
Posts: 712
Location: Shanghai

PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
WanderMan wrote:
Can you expand on this idea that a teaching certificate would open more doors than an Master's?

Supply and demand. A PGCE and teaching license offer more opportunities to teach abroad in k12 English-medium international schools compared to universities, which often require a master's degree. Primary elementary education and STEM subjects generally carry more weight than ESL, however.



To add to that, from my experience in Shanghai at least, many Primary schools here are adding STEM classes/activities to their curriculum all of the time. An FT with a Science degree and experience can get a nice gig.
But to get the big bucks at the better IS you need to be licensed in many cases, but not all. One must remember that you don't get the big buck for nothing in this sector. Huge workload, long hours and often some stress attached.
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