Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

I could very well be wrong (hey, it HAS happened), but my impression is that getting a Ph.D may actually close more doors to jobs than open them.
Being "overqualified" can be a drawback.
Regards,
John

[007]

[johnslat]

Dear 007,
You could be right (Hey - I did say I could be wrong). But at least here in the USA, we have a glut of Ph.Ds, especially in the humanities:

"The general trend in the humanities is that there are several hundred applicants for each position. Many, many more PhDs graduate than there are jobs, and the number of unemployed PhDs obviously rises each year. There isn't a lot of movement, since profs retire later than many other occupations and, once tenured, have a guaranteed job for life. There are a few exceptions in the humanities, like history of the Middle East or sub-Saharan Africa, but otherwise it is most definitely oversupplied."

I think that while there are admittedly more candidates with MAs, there are also a lot more job openings for them. But that's just an impression. I wonder if anyone has done any research in the subject, especially with reference to positions in the Middle East.

Regards,
John

[spiral78]

Not speaking for the ME, but I was under the impression that, in our field, being published was more useful than holding a Phd. Assuming an MA qualification.

[scot47]

I would be more impressed by someone who had achieved competence in Arabic or Farsi than by someone with a PhD.

[ChrisV]

[ChrisV]

[veiledsentiments]

[Miss TESOL]

The Chronicle of Education careers page ( http://chronicle.com/jobs/ ) regularly lists posts for doctoral degree candidates in linguistics/applied linguistics. The competition for these posts is not nearly as competitive as with other humanities posts, say for example, literature positions which tend to attract hundreds of applicants.

The linguist list, www.linguistlist.org , also lists available positions including applied linguistics posts. This is where I landed my first post-doctoral position.

I'd say go for the PhD. Don't let groupthink or small-minded language institute managers convince you that the MA is a terminal degree in language teaching. As another poster has already said, a PhD will open many doors in other countries.

The important thing is to have a good thesis topic, something which you'd really like to research further as opposed to a pet project of a lunatic advisor. Some programs in the UK, once you've established your research agenda in residence for a year or so, allow you to return overseas to continue working on both your career and your doctoral thesis. It took me three years in residence, and that was a pain in the purse, but it's been worth it in the long run nearly 10 years on. Can't complain about the security of tenure, the joy of regular sabbaticals, or the independence allowed for creativity in teaching and research.

Good luck.

Miss T

[ChrisV]

@ MissT

Thank you very much for that post. It's nice to get encouragement and those links were very helpful.

Cheers,

Chris