Job Discussion Forums

[sweetup]

Hello,

I�m sweetup. Nice to be posting with you all. I�ve spent some time perusing the forums, especially this Newbie forum. I believe my question has not been posted in the recent past. This first query is long (winded ), so buckle-up.

Overview: I�m at a crossroads. I love travel and have traveled/lived abroad. My BA is nearly complete (see details below).

Main Question: Should I return to the uni for an MA TESOL in fall 2007 OR dive-in and forget higher ed?

Background: B.A. in English Lit, minor in Linguistics, and TESL Certificate�graduate June 2006 from a U.S. university. The TESL Cert included a practicum�a couple dozen hours of public high school ESL class observation and tutor/TA. Also, I�ve taught a half-dozen original lesson plans. And I volunteered at the local Literacy Council for over a year (one-on-one w/ adult learner). In addition, I�m a seasoned traveler (3rd Wrld/1st Wrld/RTW). I love to teach, I love to connect with people, and I�m excited about teaching overseas.

Timeline: I�ll be ready to make the next move after Feb 2007.

Choices: I am focusing on two main options.
A) Grad school, beginning Aug 2007. MA TESOL Program, 2 years.
B) No grad school. Start teaching English overseas sometime after
Feb �07. Perhaps begin w/ S. Korea (per advice on this forum).

Considerations:
1) Debt. I support myself and have paid my own way through uni. Consequently, I have accrued student loan debt for the BA. The MA degree means additional debt (estimated total: tens-of-thousands). Considering an increase in debt is intimidating.
2) Payoff. Intimidation is not a deterrent. I will gladly take on the extra debt if the grad degree will substantially enhance the quality of my overall teaching experience in years to come (and if it equals an amount of increased income that balances the extra debt). If it is a worthwhile investment in the future, I can handle the debt issue.
3) Experience. Does anyone know MA TESOL programs? I�m not sure if this is relevant, but the MA program I�m looking into includes many hours of teaching time. To my understanding, the program is designed to provide the student with both education and experience (I�ve interviewed the program advisor in-person).
4) Goals. At this point I don�t want a teaching career in the U.S. I am very interested in the possibility of living overseas permanently.

Questions:
Have I done enough (TESL Cert, some class/teaching experience) to optimize a launch into overseas work and forget the extra cash for the MA? OR does the MA payoff despite the price tag? Is the MA, ultimately, a worthwhile investment in my future?

Whew! Thanks for sticking through this with me. I�ve asked for lots of input from folks I know here, but most everyone I�ve talked to has little-to-no overseas experience. Of course, the majority have voted for choice A). Whether they�re educators (pro-university) or family/friends (pro-stay-close-to-home), their advice certainly does not encompass the full-range of possibilities.

Your input is highly valued. Thank you again.

[Gordon]

I wouldn't start an MA until you have taught a few years first. You will get more out of the degree because you will have some experience to back up what you're learning and you may not even like EFL so you'd be wasting your masters. Get your feet wet and then start a masters.

Is an MA worth it? Only you can decide that. If this is a career for you, then yes, but you won't know if it a career until you've taught a few years. I always find it strange when people say they want to teach English overseas for the rest of thir life when they haven't started teaching yet.

[sidjameson]

Agree with Gordon. Go to Korea or Japan. Work 2 or 3 years. Pay off a lot of your debt. If you then want to, go back do the MA and get back into debt.
Then with an MA things will look very bright if TEFL is what you want to do.

[younggeorge]

This is going to get repetitious - I agree with the first two.I'd just like to add 2 points:

1. Many MA TESOL programs won't even accept you until you've got some experience under your belt.

2. Once you're sure you want to stay in this profession, you can do the MA by distance and keep from getting back into the student loans trap.

[tedkarma]

I agree, but only somewhat.

Part of the issue is that the qualitative experience of TEFL overseas is significantly different when you have a graduate degree.

If I didn't have a graduate degree, I most likely would NOT still be in TEFL. I don't particularly enjoy language school work (mostly from the benefits and time off angle) and would not enjoy a life of it. And, to a large extent that is the avenue for people with only a BA/BS (not always - just usually). I do like teacher training and I do like university/college work.

So, I might suggest just a year overseas - to see if you find living overseas tolerable/enjoyable (not everyone does) - and not so much to evaluate whether you like TEFL or not (though it will give you a good indication). Very long hours and very little vacation time can burn you out on TEFL very quickly. Keep that notion in mind when working in the entry level jobs that you will start with.

My usual advice to people who want to stay in TEFL overseas is to get a graduate degree as quickly as possible - primarily to improve their quality of life.

DO avoid the student loans trap.

[JZer]

[mlomker]

It's a tough field if you have a lot of debt. Everyone says that saving $1k/month isn't difficult in Korea, Taiwan, or Japan. Your credentials sound pretty stellar compared to most of us!

I'm looking at graduate programs and spending $40k really isn't difficult. The problem with masters degrees is that none of them are subsidized by your state. It's possible to find undergrad tuition at $5k/yr but the cheapest grad program start at $10k. It's a big difference.

If you aren't shooting for public school licensure in the US then there are some great distance education options--including a couple attractive programs out of Australia.

[denise]

I agree with the folks who've said to teach for a couple of years before thinking about an MA. You can make a more informed decision then as to whether or not this is a viable career option for you. And the MA program itself will make more sense if you've got some experience to go with all of the theoretical stuff.

As far as payoff... financially--not likely! There are a few countries that pay decent salaries, so it really depends on where you want to go. An MA will get you better jobs with more reputable schools/universities (so you may end up doing a different type of teaching than any pre-MA teaching) and better LOCAL salaries, but even an MA will not make you rich in this field. It will make you more professional and open more doors, though.

d

[sweetup]

Excellent input. Thanks all. I'll probably swing a trip next Feb/Mar. Maybe to work or maybe just to check it out. Time to start surfing the Korea forum!

[sweetup]

...regarding MA options. So, Ted Karma, how do you avoid the student loan debt? Are grad degrees more affordable overseas (like mloker mentioned the Aus programs)? Or more affordable online? Are these types of degrees as readily accepted by employers (compared to the traditional uni degree)?

[karinb]

I'm not really qualified to offer advice as I am in somewhat the same position as you (just graduating w/ BA + debt and researching what my choices are). However, from my own research on MA TESOL it seems that it is quite common for people going into tesol to already have teaching experience/ or are making a complete career change. Furthermore, some universities will waive some courses (usually practicums) if you have teaching experience, so you can actually save some $$ on your degree. Best of luck!

[chrispy]

I agree with a lot of what the first few replyers have said. It might be better to wait a few years before going into an MA so that you could gain more experience and make more money in the meantime. An MA is definitely worth your time but I would dive straight into the overseas labour market first to see if this is what I really want to pursue.

[tedkarma]

[JZer]

[Gordon]