Job Discussion Forums

[MikeySaid]

Can I?

I've got a BA and a crappy online tefl cert plus two years down experience here in Mexico. What I am wondering is this...

upon returning will I be flipping burgers and taking out loans to get a Master's degree or is there work for people without an MA?

[Glenski]

Lots of people teach ESL/EFL around the world with only a bachelor's degree. You won't get ahead much without something more (whether it's a master's degree, PhD, or just supplemental training/certification). What are your goals?

[denise]

I've seen ads for private language schools that don't require an MA. Community colleges and universities generally require them, though.

Seriously, flipping burgers might be better for you financially--I have seen job advertised that paid as little as $12 per hour, and those were WITH MAs.

d

[naturegirl321]

small town colleges might offer you a job. Never hurts to ask.

[fladude]

I doubt a college would hire you. I think in Florida that State colleges can't hire you without an MA/ PHD or in some cases other various graduate degrees (JD/ME... etc....). So I'm doubtful that you would get much going there. Where you probably could land a job pretty quickly is teaching at a high school in Texas or one of the other border states.

[Marcoregano]

[jillford64]

Mikey,

Getting a decent job (full-time with benefits) will be hard without a masters. But as Marcoregano said, there are private language schools that do hire TEFLers (well it would be TESLers in the US) without a masters. In addition, adult education programs (if all you want to do is teach and not go into management) hire without a masters. Each private school or adult ed program will have their own requirements, but a few years ago when I was actively looking for a job teaching ESL in CA, NV, and CO, I found private schools and adult ed programs that only required a bachelor degree or a bachelors degree and TESL certificate. The adult ed schools at least did not seem to be too picky about the kind of certificate, especially if you had experience.

The problem is that these jobs will almost never be full time so you have to cobble a few jobs together, usually driving between several different schools each day to make any kind of a living. Depending on where you are, it may or may not be possible to find enough part time jobs to make a full time living. In Los Angeles and Orange County it is possible (at least a few years ago) and the people who do it call themselves "freeway fliers" because they are driving between jobs two or three times a day. Here in Las Vegas it would be difficult to find enough work to make a full time job without having a masters or K-12 certificate.

The pay compared to the cost of living is much lower than in Mexico, especially compared to a good job at a Mexican university. The two adult ed schools I applied at paid much better than the languge school jobs I've seen, but they only gave you 8 hours a week.

Jill

[Orpheus]

I know of a couple of places that you might be able to check out around here; don't really know much about them, but I'll give you what information I have. Send me a PM and I'll get right back with you.

[paddyroyal]

I started at a community college and got a lot of good experience. The problem, as others have mentioned, is that is doesn`t pay well. I worked my way up to $20 an hour after four years. If I wanted to work 20 hours a week, it meant separate morning, afternoon, and evening classes, and they didn`t come easily.

Even in the time I was there, I saw the hiring become more competitive as the market tightened. I`ve noticed far fewer job postings this year on the TESOL website.

I did a lot of tutoring, but to make money, I think that generally solid academic skills are needed. Most of my private students were visiting scholars and professionals since they were the ones who had both an investment in improving their English AND the money to pay for private classes.

[MikeySaid]

Ultimately...

I don't know what the heck I really wanna be.

That's not true. Slightly true, but I've the feeling that my ideas will always be shifting a bit. Being married to a Mexican woman whose anthropology career will likely be stellar, we anticipate heading from one side of the border to the other once in awhile. That is, chances are good (not 100% though) that we'll be in tempe and she'll be studying a PhD come August. If that's the case, I need to pursue a Master's/Credential program so that I can teach in the US and continue professional development. Otherwise, with a Bachelor's in World Languages and Cultures (essentially a Hispanic studies degree and fluency in Spanish), finding related work will be nearly impossible (or so I gather based on my previous job search in the US and current postings online).

Because we're not committed one way or another to just one of our countries or even necessarily staying in either of them only, it is important that I be qualified to work in any part of the world. Unfortunately, that means pursuing education in areas like non-profit management could make it hard or impossible to work down here in Northern Mexico.

That said, I want a Master's in something like sociolinguistics, teaching foreign language, TESOL, that ought to give me the quals to teach in the USA, Mexico, the Middle East, South America, Asia, etc.

The point is... I don't want to flip burgers and have a two year hole on my CV while getting a bigger degree. I even tried to get that kind of work in the US last time I was there and nobody would touch me. Some asked for 6 months warehouse experience...

[spiral78]

There are reputable distance MA programs...would something like that fit?

[denise]

Just one thought: having a gap in your CV to get an MA is OK--it's not really a gap, after all. Two years sitting around doing nothing would be a problem, but working towards an advanced degree is a fine reason not to work full-time for a couple of years.

d

[fladude]

I'd strongly suggest getting a teaching cert while you work on the MA. At your age getting the MA makes sense, especially if you are married to a PHD who will be working at colleges. But the thing is getting a job at a college isn't always a guaranteed thing (in fact it's tough). So even if she gets a job, you may not. That's why I'd become a certified teacher. Teaching high school may not be the job you always dreamed of, but it is a job. You should be able to get certified as an English teacher, an ESL teacher and probably a Social Sciences teacher too (and I would recommend all getting all three if you can for maximum job flexibility).

[MikeySaid]

so a master's in linguistics and a credential? or just a M.Ed?

i know theres lots of med credential/cert programs out there.

[MikeySaid]

actually, if i can work as a spanish and history/social studies teacher at the high school level and maybe do some coaching, that would be fantastic.