Job Discussion Forums

[Jaime1]

of importance and salary when getting a job

Masters in English
Masters in Education
Masters in TESOL

?

I think a Masters in English would be more versatile if you didn't want to teach forever. Which is best though while you are teaching? Are they all just as good as one another?

[Paradiselost]

If you get a Masters in Education, you may be able to teach English and other subjects (more versatile) while a Masters in English kind of "locks" you in that specific subject. If you had a very specific motive for a particular field and had a certainty that you could get a job in such field then it would be reasonable to specialize. This would be the case for the Masters in TESOL.
Note that in Thailand, if you had a degree in education and a teaching certificate from your home country, it would automatically land you a teacher's license, now out of reach for most teachers because they lack the aforementioned "magic" combination.
Try to look at the schools with the most stringent requirements (international schools, private universities, Middle East institutions) and you'll see what requirements they want for their money.
In my humble opinion, a 120 hour internationally recognized TESOL certificate (the ones with observed practice) such as the CELTA, would cost you less than the Masters in TESOL and you could concentrate in the Masters in Education. That combination should land you in a very good school with decent wages. Try to get the teacher's license as well.
Good luck.

[Jaime1]

thanks for the thoughtful reply

[Master Shake]

An MA in English has the advantage of allowing you to teach university level English (not TEFL) courses here in the USA. The pay is not that great for these jobs, but it would be a refreshing change to teach Shakespeare or Hemmingway after the disorganized, game-show-host fluff that tefl in Thailand can be.

MA in Edu (and teaching cert) would allow you to teach a variety of subjects (not just English) to students up to university level. Good if you really like teaching kids and teens and have a passion for science, math, etc..

Personally, I would stay away from the MA TESOL. As Paradiselost wrote, a CELTA is much cheaper and opens most of the same doors. MA TESOL also commits you to teaching TEFL. But one advantage is that you could teach TEFL (or TESL) here in the USA which you can't do with a CELTA (don't ask me why )

[Jaime1]

I think the M.A.in English would be more versatile if I go back to the U.S. It seems you can do a lot more with it.

[ThaneKerner]

One more for MA in English. I'm doing an MA in English myself soon...probably with a specialty in technical writing. Teaching overseas may be drying up, so you may want to get something that allows you to teach in your home country. With the rumblings of 'required health insurance', the rumour Obama may take away our tax exemption, the increasing regulations in the countries where we teach, and the fact some of these places just don't want us around are certainly influencing my decision. I know, as much as I don't like to admit it, that I have to assume I'll be back in my home country, the USA, for good within about 5 years. The TESOL well is probably gonna dry up soon and it won't be worth the aggravation or the expense to keep doing this outside the homestead. It's almost there now in places like Thailand and South Korea. Ya gotta get apostilled CRCs (SK and Thailand) and take special classes (Thailand) to be a teacher in some places already. In Thailand, a border run as a tourist will get you only 15 days (minus a day or two lost, as usual), making those no longer worth the trouble. Ya gotta go to a place like Singapore and fly back if you want the month-long. And it's only gonna get harder.