Job Discussion Forums

[bluetortilla]

Hello folks,

I want to get a Master's degree in comparative linguistics/language acquistion. I live in Japan and I am already fluent in that language. I'm not considering Japan because it's so expensive and frankly, after many years here, I'm looking for a change. I would like to study Chinese next and imagine mainland China to be the best bet but I'm also considering Taiwan, or even a Southeast Asian country if they have a good department. Ideally, I'd like to get an English teaching position at the school I would be studying at. Is that common at all? And which countries offer the best chances for a scholarship? One last thing- are there reputable universities outside Taipei? Taipei seems extremely competetive as far as work goes. Also Guangzhou or south is ideal for me. Is Guangzhou a good place for study and jobs?

Thanks,

BT

[mlomker]

I had raised a similar question in the past and consensus was that getting an English degree from a non-Western school wasn't recommended. If you want to pursue an MA while working then a distance-ed degree from England or Australia would be the most cost effective.

A number of teachers have simply moved to Australia for a year and then gone back to Asia. The programs are reasonably priced when compared to the US.

[Justin Trullinger]

THere's a thread in the General Discussion forum about Aston University in Birmingham, in which a lot of posters chimed in with really good info about distance programs.

I would probably recommend a distance program, or a low residency program that allows you to spend summers on campus...

Mostly, a degree from a non-English language university won't go to far as an English teacher.


Best,

Justin

[Glenski]

Go to www.teachinginjapan.com and find the link on the first page for The Continuing Education section. Good stuff there from someone who has done the distance degree thing.

[JZer]

There are a few schools from the US that have campuses abroad. Some have better reputations than others. The two that I know of are Temple in Tokyo and Framingham State College in Poland. I think Framingham State College now has a program in Korea.

[Gordon]

I would not recommend getting a masters from a non-English speaking country if you want to ensure employers will accept it. Your options are limited here in Japan. You can either leave Japan to do it on campus, do it by distance or attend Temple or Columbia university in Japan.

[bluetortilla]

Wow. This is all quite surprising to me. I realize that I need an English teaching post to live on, but after 20 years of English conversation (I'm 43 now), I'd like something a little more challenging. As I mentioned in my first post, I want to study compartive linguistics (Chinese, Japanese, and English). In other word, I want to be linguist, not a teacher (though I will do that for work). What I didn't mention is that I have no intention of staying in or studying in Japan, and I'm well aware of the job situation for foreigners in the university setting there.

So getting your Masters and even Ph.D in an Asian university means nothing? That's quite odd, though not surprising. After all, what better place to study Chinese than China? Has anyone tried a masters in Asia? Maybe I'll be the first. What have I to lose?

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

BT

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

In that case, your best bet would be to do the degree in your home country at an on-campus university (because, as you point out, the job options for foreigners at universities in Japan, [and in other Asian countries, for subjects other than English] are pretty slim. You would probably be looking at trying to get a post in a university in your home country). I assume you already have an honours degree in Linguistics (or East Asian Languages, in your case), because that will probably be a requirement for that kind of a graduate degree.

[Glenski]

[bluetortilla]

[bluetortilla]

So I guess what everyone seems to be saying here is that one needs a masters in TESOL from a Western University in order to get English teaching jobs in Asian colleges and universites. Any other academic prusuits in Asian universities would be more like a hobby. Is that correct?

Hmmm...Don't really fancy studying TESOL much (I've already been to a couple hundred workshops), but two years in Australia sounds enticing. I suppose then you could prusue a Ph.D at a university in Asia, though (from what I'm hearing) it wouldn't matter much.

That's OK with me, maybe I could use my language skills in other areas. (???)

By the way, isn't studying a second language a requirement for a TESOL degree? I already have the First Level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and I spent two years at the Japanese Language Institute at Sophia Univeristy, Tokyo. I assume that requirement would be waived for me but could I elect to study a third language? I'd really love to study Chinese next- anyone know of an Australian university that offers TESOL and Chinese courses? Thanks.

BT

[Glenski]

bluetortilla,
If it's so boring at your own school, have you figured out why? If it were me, I'd offer a variety of courses, even if it meant taking some training courses to improve my own abilities. Business English, for example, or proofreading.

[bluetortilla]

Glensky,
I know where you're coming from. Yes, I've done it all. Proofreading, translation, interpretation (yikes), senmongakko, jobs at colleges, elementary schools, et al. Tried business but just not cut out for it. I think my passion now is to country hop. Save as much as I can, and maybe buy a little hut somewhere someday. Just don't know anymore. Just know that Japan is getting tougher and tougher and with an aging population, I don't see it getting much better. I'm not jaded really, just looking for possibilities.

Hokkaido must surely be beautiful, but too damn cold for me! Yes, I'm kind of a whimpering wimp I know.

BT