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Is a Dip TEFL considered the equivalent of an MA?
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Teacher in Rome



Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:08 pm    Post subject: Is a Dip TEFL considered the equivalent of an MA? Reply with quote
I'd be interested to hear if the two qualifications are considered as interchangeable, and if so, whether a Dip TEFL and 10 years' ELT experience would get a well-paying job in the UAE - in a decent institution.

I've spent time in the Middle East, and I'm relatively comfortable with the culture. I would only be looking for something for a couple of years or so, and I would welcome any comments or advice.

Many thanks!
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sorry, but no chance with the majority. The Middle East is one of the places that likes those academic pieces of paper. If they say that they want an MA, that is what they want. BUT... if your 10 years are teaching Academic English (preferably reading and writing) to Arabic speakers, you might want to send off your CV and see what happens.

There are a few places that hire BA plus cert teachers. For instance the Higher Colleges of Technology in the Emirates or Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. You would have more choices in Saudi Arabia.

VS
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Teacher in Rome



Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Many thanks for your helpful advice. I appreciate it!
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turtlepi1



Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
veiledsentiments wrote:

There are a few places that hire BA plus cert teachers. For instance the Higher Colleges of Technology in the Emirates
VS


This is true, but is likely (maybe) to become much less common.
HCT is having their programs accredited by the US next year and they will be forced to stay closer to their own guidelines for hiring.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
HCT has always hired BA + certs + experience for English teachers, so that would be following their guidelines. Other disciplines may have different requirements. (you are in IT, right?)

VS
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blues clues



Joined: 28 Jul 2004
Posts: 61
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:48 am    Post subject: MA and HCT Reply with quote
If this is true that HCT is so interested in MA's then why is it so many of their teachers have fake degree's or tell them MA is pending and are hired to work for them..I can't imagine they do background checks or there would be a few less "Phonies" working there. By the way, good for them! If they were able to secure a job without the proper credentials, hats of to them.
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turtlepi1



Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: MA and HCT Reply with quote
blues clues wrote:
If this is true that HCT is so interested in MA's then why is it so many of their teachers have fake degree's or tell them MA is pending and are hired to work for them..I can't imagine they do background checks or there would be a few less "Phonies" working there. By the way, good for them! If they were able to secure a job without the proper credentials, hats of to them.


A little bit bitter are we?

All I was pointing out (and I guess this being an ESL board I should have stuck to that faculty as VS pointed out) is that in the Faculty of IT hiring those with only a Bachelor's degree will be more difficult to hire because it won't only be HCT reviewing the information. They will undergo audits from the certifying body as well. I think..(a Bachelor degree can only teach CD, not HD (Higher Diploma) or Bachelor courses *at least on paper*.)

Will it change anything. I don't know. Do people have fake degrees? Maybe. When I was in Korea were there people with fake degrees...for sure. There was a huge incident at one of the universities just before I left. Japan, probably. Other schools in the Middle East? I would wager a bundle on it.

And a Master's in progress at least shows some initiative to get accepted in a program. Something some teachers I have met in my travels could use a bit of. Does a Masters make you a great teacher? Not in of itself, but a commitment to higher learning should be a prerequisite to all educators.

Don't get me ranting about the number of expat "teachers" that are in it for the money.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
it appears that Blues Clues didn't read carefully as we were talking that HCT has NOT required MAs in English, though probably now most of the teachers have them or are working on them.

One thing I know is that HCT is the only job I ever had in the Middle East where they actually did check my credentials. They required written confirmation from the universities where I claimed degrees that didn't pass through my hands. Not just copies of pieces of paper that I could have created on my computer.

VS
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John M.



Joined: 11 Mar 2005
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 7:28 pm    Post subject: HCT Reply with quote
I've heard the same complaints time and time again about HCT. ARe they all that wonderful to work for? I possess a "legitimate" Master's., but haven't ever recieved so much as an email to say they'd received my application, much less an interview. I've also heard the same as B.C. Seems some people have been working on their degrees for as long as they've been working at HCT , say...uh, 3 years. Rolling Eyes
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Normally they are very good at sending you a response saying that they are not interested. Not that you ever actually learn why... and I know dozens of teachers with MAs and years of experience who never got any further than that. And dozens more that failed the interviews for usually obscure reasons. That has naturally led to a great deal of sour grapes from those who could never make the cut.

When I worked there a small minority had MAs in the English department. I understand that MAs are more common now, but still not required. You neither need one nor need to work on one to be a teacher there. It will get you slightly higher pay though.

Are they wonderful to work for? Depends on your point of view, capacity for bureaucracy and affection for meetings. I have to say that the group that I taught with in my time there was the most professional, hard-working, and helpful group of teachers that I ever worked with. I can not think of one of them that I wouldn't be happy to work with again. The teaching was great fun and rewarding in many ways, but the top heavy management structure did get on my nerves at bit.