Job Discussion Forums

[Crab]

Valleygirl - congrats on your subsidized MA and sorry to hear that your disorganized co-worker may get the job. I can only imagine what working with someone like that must be like

I recently left TEFL after 9 years as a teacher (ESL and EFL) and 18 months managing a university English Language Studies program.

I left for a variety of reasons (the need for a change, family, a lack of instiutional support, a pervasive feeling that ELT can be, in my opinion, lacking in legitimacy at times).

What I can say is that the experience gained in my ELT career provided set me up very well in my second career - I still work internationally in the education field.

I have no regrets about my work in TEFL or the personal and professional opportunities it provided. However, by the end I was in need of a change.

The change that I found was a good one as I am happier than I have ever been professionally.

Good luck!

[JZer]

[Gordon]

Valleygirl, it seems that all of the univeristy positions in Canada now require a masters (I assume that job was in Canada). I hope to return to Canada in a few years time as raising my kids here in Asia is not ideal.

[valley_girl]

@Gordon...I teach at a university in Canada and don't yet have a Master's. At least two of my colleagues also don't have their Master's (although one is about to start hers in the near future, as am I). There are other qualifications beyond Master's degrees that are considered here, not to mention good old-fashioned teaching ability, which is sometimes overlooked in the quest for paper qualifications. The position I applied for recently was a "head teacher" position in my department and I understand them wanting someone with a Master's for that position as it is a supervisory one. Nonetheless, I'm sure I could have done a pretty good job of it, as I have been handling many of those responsibilities for the past six months in the absence of a head teacher or manager.

In any case, I'm looking forward to having my Master's degree in 2 years' time. With an MA in a related field (I'm planning on doing a degree in Applied Linguistics) and my teaching experience (in two Asian countries and at two Canadian universities), I'm sure there will be many options available to me. You may think the market here is glutted insofar as ESL jobs go, but in reality, I believe there are plenty of opportunities for qualified people who are in the right place at the right time.

I wish you luck in your job search when you return, but I have a feeling you won't need it.

[Gordon]

Thanks for the kind words. Have you noticed that universities in Canada are asking for masters degrees more and more BUT if you are already a teacher there, you are already grandfathered in so to speak?

[valley_girl]

No, I wouldn't say that people are being "grandfathered in". Most uni jobs are still contract positions (semester to semester) and I think any kind of "professional development" is only going to be offered to full-time permanent staff.

From what I have seen, there is a high rate of "turnover" in this field, even in universities. People with Education degrees end up getting offered full-time jobs in schools for the same money or more money (and summers off), so they don't last too long. People with Master's degrees end up applying for management or DOS positions either at the school they teach for or another school, so they don't last too long either. Finding and keeping people who can teach linguistic and academic skills (EAP or EUP) is a bit of a challenge these days. If universities are going to require Master's degrees of their language instructors, they need to start offering more full-time positions and better pay.

[Gordon]