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wilberforce
Joined: 27 Dec 2008
Posts: 647
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 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:26 am Post subject: MA - Linguistics or TEFL??? |
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I've been thinking on doing my MA as I see having a BA is basically a dead end nowadays. Which would be better for job prospects (I am in my 40's) - to do my MA in Linguistics (which I've developed an interest in thanks to some of the non-native speaker teachers who work with me at the Gulag) or in TEFL? Advice? Which universities in the US do you recommend? I am saving up to go back to do this. I need a sea change, maybe it's a midlife crisis.
Last edited by wilberforce on Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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Here's an option... check out the American University in Cairo. They have a teaching Fellowship in TEFL. It takes two years with free tuition and you teach to earn that and your tiny stipend. They like to get experienced teachers - which in effect gives them a nearly free teacher. When I was in the program, we had the option of taking practical courses or more academic linguistics courses (which is what I did) plus you can do comprehensive exams or a thesis. I did the thesis. I was in my late 30s and I was not the oldest student in the program.
Here's the website:
http://www.aucegypt.edu/admissions/gradadmissions/finsupport/Pages/TEFL.aspx
VS |
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15yearsinQ8
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 462
Location: kuwait
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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i have a masters in linguistics from a university whose name is recognizable worldwide. my 112 page thesis was on teaching tefl in kuwait and my thesis director wrote over 10 books on teaching tefl and languages. i had to have read and critiqued all of her books and many of her publications before she accepted me.
however so many people say 'but the degree isn't in applied linguistcs...' many teachers i worked with who had applied linguistics degrees had never read any of my thesis diretor's books or never finished them.
go easy, go applied linguistics |
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wilberforce
Joined: 27 Dec 2008
Posts: 647
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| check out the American University in Cairo |
Thanks for this lead. It looks interesting. Things are going downhill where I work, so I may be leaving sooner than I planned. |
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wilberforce
Joined: 27 Dec 2008
Posts: 647
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| go easy, go applied linguistics |
I've heard just the opposite - that doing Applied Linguistics is much harder and requires a lot of research. I am not too academic although I've developed an interest in linguistics since I've been teaching with so many teachers from other countries, some of whom have absolutely impeccable English. Some of the Sudanese and Serbians that work at my place speak a lot better than some native speakers. Their grammar beats mine!!! Thanks for the advice though. I will look into degrees in Applied Linguistics. Someone advised me to go to Iowa, another person said Kansas U. I've also been told to apply to UCLA (not sure if I can handle the life there). AUC sounds like an interesting option, too.
They've just had a big chop-chop at the place where I work in Qatar. Although so far I've made it, I think I may just start applying to graduate programs earlier than I had planned. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| wilberforce wrote: |
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| go easy, go applied linguistics |
I've heard just the opposite - that doing Applied Linguistics is much harder and requires a lot of research. |
If you plan to stay in the Gulf, teaching EFL, do applied. And I agree that it is the easy choice. At AUC, the people who didn't want to... um... work too hard, took the applied track... and those of us with an academic bent took the Linguistics courses. I loved such things as Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, and such... while the applied track were taking yet another methodology course or how to use an overhead or how to run a language lab... nowadays probably computers in the classroom stuff... smart boards.
VS |
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wilberforce
Joined: 27 Dec 2008
Posts: 647
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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| If you plan to stay in the Gulf, teaching EFL, do applied. And I agree that it is the easy choice. |
Thank you for your recommendation Miss VS. I've already started applying. One or two places I've looked at take late applicants if their programs aren't full. I may go for that. The AUC project sounds good too but I think I may need to touch home base for a while to recover from all the Gulag goings on. |
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Green Acres
Joined: 06 May 2009
Posts: 260
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| Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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Applied Linguistics will get you further and perhaps be more fulfilling.
TEFL and TESOL masters are generally the direction of non-native speakers of English, though that isn't always the case.
It's more work, sure, but it's worth it in the end. No doubt about that. |
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Splitting Hairs
Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 99
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 1:08 am Post subject: |
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| If you want to teach do TEFL if you want to research do linguistics. If you like both then applied. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 1:28 am Post subject: |
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In the US, the only difference between an MA in Applied Linguistics or an MA in TESOL/TESL is the name that a university chose to give it. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with native or non-native speakers taking the courses.
VS |
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