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karinb
Joined: 05 Feb 2006
Posts: 33
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 Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I should clairfy.. I don't mean the actual classes. The practicums, or internships that are requirements and have credits attached and therefore cost money will sometimes be waved for people who have experience working as esl teachers. |
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sweetup
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 8
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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| 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 $$ on your degree. Best of luck! |
Thanks karinb. I've done a bit of research too and my findings agree with yours. There seem to be some ways to save $$. I visited three California public uni campuses in March. All three did offer to waive a couple of MA courses--repetitions of completed BA coursework. It's not inexpensive, but I think it is possible, like you said, to save some $$. If only we could all be as focused as Ted Karma! (see reply above) That debt-free dedication is inspirational. |
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sweetup
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 8
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you all for replying. There are some gold nuggets of info throughout. My curiousity re. overseas MA programs is peaked. Yet another option! I love options. |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| sweetup, there is Temple near Toyko, if you want to try living in Japan. You could also do the TEFL M.A. program at Woosong in Korea but I am not sure whether it is a good idea to earn an M.A. in TEFL from a university in an non-english speaking country. The program does have American professors and I am sure would be enough if you were going to settledown in Korea but if you return state side it might not be a great idea to have you TEFL M.A. from a Korean university. |
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Chris_Crossley
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1797
Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:07 am Post subject: I taught TESOL for 4 1/2 years, then started the MA |
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I started my MA in Education (Applied Linguistics) by distance learning with the UK Open University with four and a half years of TESOL experience under my belt. I am currently undertaking both a full-credit module called "The Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide" (or TESOLW, for short) and a half-credit module called "Innovation in e-Learning".
I always knew that I would want to do an MA, but I had to wait until such a time that not only did I consider myself ready to take on this graduate-level study, but that I also at least had the funds to pay for each module of the degree, since the university allows students to pay only on a modular basis. The total cost of the degree, which I aim to finish by October 2007, will be 4,870 GBP (about 8,700 USD).
Although I am doing this degree while I am in China, I don't intend to stay here forever! The whole idea of my doing this degree is so that I can get a well-paid job back home in the UK, although I know that there is no absolute guarantee of that happening. Unlike a job, though, a master's degree is permanent once it is awarded. |
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sweetup
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 8
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| What great feedback. This information is definitely not readily available through the conventional university channels. I feel as if a window has just been opened. It's nice to get a breath of fresh air. Cheers. |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 9:29 am Post subject: |
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| sweetup wrote: |
| What great feedback. This information is definitely not readily available through the conventional university channels. I feel as if a window has just been opened. It's nice to get a breath of fresh air. Cheers. |
Somtimes universities only tell you what is in their own best interests or else it has been so long since they were out in the real world, they really just don't know. |
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Chris_Crossley
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1797
Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:15 am Post subject: What (they say) is in their own best interests |
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| Gordon wrote: |
| sweetup wrote: |
| What great feedback. This information is definitely not readily available through the conventional university channels. I feel as if a window has just been opened. It's nice to get a breath of fresh air. Cheers. |
Sometimes universities only tell you what is in their own best interests or else it has been so long since they were out in the real world, they really just don't know. |
What is in their own best interests = Money, especially from international students
(Yes, I'm a cynic!  ) |
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The_Hanged_Man
Joined: 10 Oct 2004
Posts: 224
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
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| Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Another option would be to earn a K-12 teaching cert and find work in an international school. International schools along with university TEFL positions generally form the best overseas teaching positions. A BA without any extra certs for the most part will leave you with language schools, ALT postions, and privates; all of which have some serious downsides. |
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Chris_Crossley
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1797
Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: I'm a qualified school teacher but still worked for EF! |
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| The_Hanged_Man wrote: |
| Another option would be to earn a K-12 teaching cert and find work in an international school. International schools along with university TEFL positions generally form the best overseas teaching positions. A BA without any extra certs for the most part will leave you with language schools, ALT postions, and privates; all of which have some serious downsides. |
I possess a UK university Bachelor of Education degree with Qualified Teacher Status (gained way back in 1995!) amongst my qualifications, though I have never yet taught at an international school abroad. Even with that qualification, I still (!) ended up teaching for EF English First in China for two years before moving on to a Chinese government-run primary school for another year and thence to my present establishment as of February last year.
It describes itself as a "training centre", even if my job is to prepare Chinese university graduates for postgraduate taught study at a British university after a pre-master's programme lasting a mere 35 weeks. Still, it is the best job that I have had so far in my 4 1/2 years in China and I have signed on for another year - four months in advance! |
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