Job Discussion Forums

[hennagaijin]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently an undergrad pursuing my degree in Foreign Languages in the United States. I speak near fluent Japanese and have experience studying abroad there in my high school years and frequently go back to visit. It is my dream to live there upon graduating, more specifically in Tokyo (I just love it and there is no where else like it in the world).

Upon looking into programs I'm very interested in the MTESOL program at Temple University in Tokyo, however, I have a few questions:

1. I notice on the web site it says one must have a BA in English, Education, or Linguistics. I'm going for foreign languages at the moment. Do you think this would do? Or are they strict about this?

2. Given the high cost of tuition, does anyone think it would be too difficult to be working in Japan your first year at an eikaiwa while balancing studying/going to classes? Is it just too much? Also, would it be economically wiser to spend a year or two saving first?

3. Also, though I haven't decided exactly how I'm getting to Japan yet (I'm thinking of just "winging it" and bringing over about 5k and trying to set myself up around Feb./March), I figure that while the eikaiwa that hire overseas may be the easiest way to get your foot in the door, since you are not always guaranteed a location this wouldn't help me wanting to attend graduate school in Tokyo right? Since I'm not even sure if I would be placed there? Just verifying this.

There's other questions I have, but this should be enough for now.

[Glenski]

1. Ask Temple.

2. Difficult? Yes, to say the least. Too difficult? Depends on you. Things to consider:

a. How much free time do you think you want? Studying will cut into that.
b. Other than the 1-2 days off per week that you get (consecutive or not), will your free mornings and free time after 10pm be conducive to studying or sightseeing?
c. Can you study hard enough and avoid new-found friends?

and the biggie...
d. How much do you have to pay in student loans? (Obviously, the answer I would suggest would be the one you posed, that of saving up first, but we don't know your financial situation.)


3. Are you planning to come in 2010 or another year? As for being placed in Tokyo, your assumptions are right, but how about doing the degree online? You're not going to have a work schedule anywhere near conducive to your daytime studies if you had figured on physically going to school and working in eikaiwa at the same time.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

If they accept English as an undergrad, then they should definitely accept foreign languages (especially since foreign languages is usually through the Department of Linguistics, in most universities- when you approach them about it, maybe you could stress that connection), but check with them.

Do they not have any sort of experience requirements? Normally, before being allowed into any masters degree in TESOL, there is a requirement of at least a couple of years of experience teaching English.

I believe it is possible to do their masters degree from Osaka as well (or at least somewhere in Kansai).

Off-campus masters degrees are also very common (probably more common than on-campus degrees in Japan), if you aren't anywhere near Tokyo (or Osaka, if that is an option). Off-campus degrees in this area are more common from universities in the UK, Australia and (to a lesser extent) New Zealand, than the States, though (but I'm pretty sure that there are a couple at least from there). There are a couple available from Canadian schools that seem to be just starting up.

Within ten years, I think it's likely that there will be many more programs in TESOL available off-campus from good North American schools that can try to compete with the British and Australian schools- right now Linguistics departments at universities in North America are very definitely losing money because many of the potential graduate students in Applied Linguistics/ TESOL are doing their masters degrees off-campus from schools in the UK or Australia. With the prevalence of the all-course masters degree (they are actually more common than thesis masters degrees in many academic areas in Canada) then there may be a lot more Ed.Docs opening up (ones that don't require a thesis to enter. It's really sort of an odd situation to begin with- science majors don't even have a Masters level to go through. They do an undergrad and then apply directly to the doctorate. The masters is an alternative exit prior to completion of the doctorate).

One final note: an off-campus masters degree is not going to be 'easier' than an on-campus one. They are the same degree offered with the same cohort, and the university discussion boards are for both on and off-campus learners. With the availability of university course-specific discussion boards and on-line journals through the library system, there are a lot of things about doing it off-campus that make it better than the traditional on-campus (so long as the profs post on the discussion boards and are available to answer questions etc) because the learner is so often in a different culture.

[hennagaijin]

[Glenski]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[G Cthulhu]

[womblingfree]

MTESOL? Not sure what the syllabus would be, does it involve a practicum? My worry would be that it's very specific if looking for work in other areas outside of EFL/ESL.

[womblingfree]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[womblingfree]