Job Discussion Forums

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

I have both B.A. and M.A. in English. I think this is very immature of some people (no offence intended) to ask for 'is it necessary to have a B.A in the field I want to work?'.

Imagine, I suddenly take a job as a dentist because it's well paid. I don't know a thing about it but I start it anyway because I attend several weeks of seminars. Or suddenly become a lawyer or a plumber. Why is it people think that teaching English IS SO EASY that everybody can go for it?

Everybody should do the job they are qualified for.

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

As a someone with a BA in English, I fail to see how it (or an MA) would make you a better EFL/ESL teacher than someone with a BSc in Nursing. My undergraduate English degree was four years of literary studies. I learned a whole lot about 19th Century American Non-Fiction, British Fiction Post WW2, Shakespeare's Histories and Colonial and Post-Colonial Discourse (as well as a bit about Cinema and Modern Art Movements, not to mention Social Psychology and Organizational Behaviour)... but I sure didn't learn much about the construction of the English language and/or how to teach it! The degree program gave me many opportunities to write, but the feedback I received from my professors was mainly about the content of my papers, not the mechanics.

I'm teaching IB English 10 right now to students who are about fifteen, and a lot of them are much more skilled at manipulating the written word than my fourth-year university classmates were. They also consisently demonstrate amazing language awareness, and are fantastic at teaching new concepts to one another. These kids are seven years away from having degrees (at the earliest), but I could drop any one of them into an EFL class and they could teach it better than your average university graduate who just received a degree in Kinesiology.

If you want a bachelor's degree that will actually help you teach EFL or ESL, get a Bachelor of Education degree and choose your electives very wisely. If you can, follow it up with a targeted MA or MEd. My BA in English, my CELTA and I worked alongside teachers with BAs in International Development, International Business and Psychology, and it was entirely the CELTA that gave me an advantage over them (okay, maybe my sunny disposition helped...). Bachelor's degrees that don't relate to teaching EFL/ESL should be looked at as visa/immigration requirements, NOT as something that will make you a better teacher.

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

That's a pity, then.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

hollysuel · Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 225 Location: Connecticut, USA

American English pilot · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Philippines

Hi all.
I'm not a newbie as I've been teaching for 11+ years. I began as a volunteer in the states and have been teaching in the Philippines (mainly Koreans, but also Filipinos and Chinese) for the past 7 years. I attended university, but never matriculated. I studied TEFL at UC Berkeley in 1995. I've even written my own English pronunciation/American accent training textbooks. I've done alot of different stuff in the ESL world, but would like to expand beyond the Philippines if possible.
I am a bit confused though! Some posts have stated that you DON'T need a degree to teach, some say only for SOME countries and others mention a "working visa". Some have specifically mentioned Europe, China, Japan and even Korea as not needing a degree, just experience.
All the job posts I've found or inquired on DO seem to need a degree.
So...whats the reality?
Do you need a degree in Asia? If not, what countries don't require it?
Could you please explain what a "working visa" is and how to get it? Are there any other 'work arounds' for someone with my background here in Asia...especially considering that this is where I live?

Thanks all in advance!

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Well as a non-degree holder, I can say that you don't need one here. I am in La Paz, Mexico and getting hired was no problem, getting the FM3 is no problem with the job offer. If you don't have a degree however, you do need to have a TEFL or TESOL or CELTA cert at least.

American English pilot · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 35 Location: Philippines

Cangringo...thanks, eh!
Anybody from the Asia Pacific region? Not just the 'usual' haunts...what about East Timor, etc?
Thanks!

ElAvilaMahoney · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 17

Kymro · Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 244

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

johnslat · Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 9:55 pm Post subject: To a degree, I disagree

Anyone who's been in this field for a fair length of time can cite anecdotal examples of degree holders (right up to Ph.Ds) who were terrible teachers and high school grads who were fantastic.
I've certainly seen examples of both of the above.
However, I also think that they are the exceptions to the rule, the "rule" being that teachers who have degrees in the subject(s) they are teaching are much more likely to be better at doing it than those who don't.

Speaking of anecdotal evidence, some of my colleagues at Santa Fe Community College are non-native speakers with advanced degrees, and their English, especially their knowledge of grammar, is far better than not only "the average native speaker with a degree in a subject other than English", but even better than many native speakers with degrees in English, English Ed., TESOL, etc.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

A BA is getting to be the minimum for many countries for work visas. It's what the HS diploma was in our parents' day. You can fight it, just realise that some countries don't want people without BAs.

Kymro · Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 244