Job Discussion Forums

[mandarinstudent]

Lately I have been milling over whether or not to go for an online MBA. I'm married to a Chinese person and we plan on staying in China. Right now I am teaching English and am happy doing it (as long as it is not teaching 5 year olds), but I am thinking of what might happen in the future. Below is my reasoning on the subject. I am hoping that some of you that have been living in China for a while can throw in your 2 cents.


Advantages of pursuing an online MBA

1. Higher wages (most likely much higher if working outside the education sector) after completion
2. I will have the ability to do something other than teach English if that market bottoms out. This results in more possible opportunities and peace of mind. The ESL market might fizzle out or become more competitive and result in lower wages if China continues its economic rise.
3. If I choose to stay in the education field, with an MBA I can become a proper professor teaching finance (in China) rather than teaching English as a second language.
4. With my 4.0 undergraduate GPA, if I score well on the GMAT I can pretty much have my choice in schools. Perhaps there are scholarship opportunities for the more expensive schools.

Disadvantages of pursuing an MBA

1. Extremely hard life for 3 years
2. What I can afford might not be the most reputable. I can't shell out $100,000 for a Duke Online MBA. With an online MBA from a mediocre school I might not be able to do anything other than teach anyway. Leaving China to go to school is not an option because I don't want to be away from Emily, so online is the only way. Seeing as I make only around the equivalent of 600 dollars a month, if scholarships do not come through, a middle of the road school is my only choice.
3. In general, online programs are not as prestigious.
4. My Chinese study will be seriously diminished. If I "only" have an online MBA and my Chinese ability is not very high, how can I do something besides teaching in China anyway?
5. Once I begin, it will be hard to stop because I will have invested time and money.
6. If I do work outside of the education sector, there is a lot more stress. Is more money worth it?
7. I really don't find the field of finance all that interesting. I would rather study Chinese. I studied finance in college out of practicality. Who knew I would end up living in China?
8. I won't even able to even think about buying an apartment for at least 6-7 years if I spend all that money on an MBA.

Advantages of solely studying Chinese and passing on the online MBA

1. Little to no stress. I can do it at my own pace without any thought of curriculum.
2. More interesting.
3. After my Chinese proficiency improves enough, there is always the option of Chinese (cheaper) graduate school. If I were to graduate from a Chinese school, prospective employees would see not only the MBA, but they would also see that I can speak Chinese well enough to complete a Masters program in China. Two birds with one stone.
4. I am going to have to learn Chinese eventually. I might as well do it now before I get too old.
5. I don't love money. With the right experience one can make over 10,000 RMB a month for part time (20 hrs per week) work teaching English. I would be happy with this pay as it is sufficient to save for an apartment, retirement, and a child's education(living in China outside of cities like Beijing or Shanghai). If these market conditions continue, an MBA would not be necessary. I can just acquire experience teaching at a university and work myself up to that level of pay.
6. Assuming I will eventually reach a high level of Chinese proficiency, there has to be some value in having a degree in Finance as well as being able to speak Chinese on a business level.
7. I don't want to be one of those people living in China and making money in China, but can't speak the language very well. I hated those people in the US. If I am pursuing an MBA that would leave little to no time for studying Chinese.


Disadvantages of solely studying Chinese and passing on the online MBA

1. What happens if the "ESL gravy train" stops rolling? What if the Chinese begin to think that it just isn't worth it to pay foreign teachers 5-10 times more than the average person? What if in the next 10 years the RMB continues to appreciate, resulting in more foreigners coming to China and driving down wages? Can I get by doing another job with teaching experience, a Bachelors degree, a TESL certificate, and Chinese speaking ability only?
2. Let's say that I go for an MBA at a Chinese University in the future. Will that be worth anything to the multinational companies if I choose to leave the education field?
3. If I choose to stay in the education field I could be left behind as more people holding American/European Masters degrees enter the marketplace. Will work experience be enough to overcome this?


Questions to consider

1. Is an online American MBA really that much more valuable than an MBA from a Chinese University?
2. Realistically, what are the chances of the ESL field becoming flooded in the near future(10 years or so), resulting in a drop in wages and a necessity to work outside the education sector?
3. Is a high stress life outside teaching worth the extra money?
4. If I do go for the online MBA, am I ready to eat instant noodles for 3 years to be able to afford it?

[latefordinner]

No answers, but I have to say that these are some damn fine questions. I've been asking the same set for a while now, but with the added thought that I'm just a little old to be going back to uni. Is the potential for increased earnings worth the sacrifice of time and energy (and, come to it, earnings from private students)? I ain't dead yet, but I'm probably looking at a finite timetable here. I'm also considering my obligation to my family. I can't very well ask my wife and daughter to live at subsistence level while I return to my post-adolescent student daze. (Well actually there is a way to do just that, but it's not one I favour)
One very big reason why I would take the financial hit and return to uni is simply to learn. When I came to China it was basically as a one year trial. Call me a <ugh!> backpacker if you will, I just wanted to see if this was right for me. Some years later, I am committed to teaching EFL. This is what I enjoy doing, and I want to be as knowledgeable and professional as I can be. I have spent a fair bit of time surfing the 'net and reading what I could find by and about Krash, the Chump and others, but that's not a substitute for the rigour of an academic education. Whether the ostensible reason is to get my B.Ed. and teach kiddies, or to get my MA in linguistics and stay at a college, the real reason would be to immerse myself in what others have found and to find ways of applying it to the crazy business that is education in China. To learn and to use what I can. That's never a bad thing.

[Lei Feng]

You can look into a Chinese/American MBA residential program here in China.

Rutgers, HKUST, Princeton and a boatload of other schools after full and part time options to study, stay in China and get an MBA.

Try google.

[Millerlong]

Don't waste your time doing an online MBA or an MBA at a school not in the top 20 worldwide. If you are in China then check out the best school to do your MBA and world famous called CEIBS (China European International Business School). A couple of years ago it was in the top 20 worldwide and I think that it still is. The school is located in Shanghai (Pudong). The program is done entirely in English.

[Itsme]

[prof]

The demand for foreign Mandarin speakers has already been filled by the ambitious graduates of American business schools. 23 and ready for the Global World. It's already over.

DaShan caught the market during Tiananmen...he suffered thru it and is now prospering.

Online MBA's? Who takes those seriously? When an Ivy League MBA will likely be soon hitting your city working for 8000/month!

[Itsme]

I thought that no one but those you informed could tell the difference between an online degree and one done on campus. Is this or isn't it the case?

Also, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the market is already filled and therefore no reason to even try.

Sure, it might not be the novel thing to do anymore but why go so far as to imply that there is no chance?

Go for it... if you really want to.

But is there real truth to the saying that those who love their jobs tend to do the best at them? Perhaps that is a more valid question to ask in this case.

[fraup]

I have an MBA from one of the "top 20" USA schools, worked in international banking, and taught business to undergrads for several years before getting my CELTA in 2003. In my experience:

- Online MBAs are valued by working professionals who need the credential to move up in their organizations. There is an emphasis on real-world applications. If you have no business background at all, the online programs are probably not for you. Also, many universities, even those that offer online MBAs, will not hire instructors with online degrees. If you want to be a business prof. at a university, you need a doctorate. Well, maybe not if you're Bill Gates.

- Any sort of MBA gives you familiarity with business jargon and more credibility in teaching Business English. You can also ease over into corporate training, a more lucrative field especially if you develop country- or industry-specific programs. You could adapt U.S. motivational techniques, for example, to the Chinese market.

And it helps, in business, to be mature. I'd guess it helps even more in China.

[fraup]

PS: You can also gain street cred in the business world by starting and running your own business. Maybe you could do a little import-export while teaching and learning Chinese, and then sell your services to smaller companies trying to break into the Chinese market.

And you can write a few articles for English-language magazines, with catchy titles: Seven Things You Must Know... Five Mistakes To Avoid When ...

You're an English teacher! You can write stuff!

[JZer]

[MyTy]

University of Phoenix is a fully accredited uni. Simply the online version of its Phoenix, Arizona institution.

The ministries of education or Japanese embassies abroad know what accreditations are valid. University of Phoenix and some other online uni's qualify.

It is also common now to get your BA online and finish your MA at a traditional uni. This is a better option because you can still say you got your MA at a traditional uni.

I recommend a combo if you're starting with a BA because it's faster and usually more real world practical. Traditional uni's teach a lot of garbage. If you have good GPA you can choose a traditional uni anywhere overseas to get your MA so why do it online.

Things are changing very quickly though. It wont' be long before online learning is standard and just as highly regarded as traditional institutions.

Traditional uni's are basically private companies. Their main priority is making money. They will soon all have many online degree programs. And then they will say, "what?. You got your degree from university of Phoenix online?". Our Harvard online degree is better".

yeah whatever