Job Discussion Forums

[AjarnIam]

First of all, I am truly sorry for starting this topic, because I know my answers are probably buried somewhere in the 100's of related topics. This is a very big and expensive decision to make, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing. Q1 Generally speaking, if you take cost and convenience out of the equation, what direction would you go for a Master Degree in TESOL: Distance or Classroom learning? Q2 Generally speaking, in the eyes of future employers, which is seen as a better education/prerequisite. Q3 In what continent would you get this degree, consider the same assumptions?

I sincerely thank you for jumping on this thread and giving me some advice. I need to make a decision relatively quickly.

Thanks again.

[Chancellor]

[spiral78]

I have an MA TESL/TEFL from the University of Birmingham (the English version, not the Alabama, US one:-).

Mine was a distance, research-based degree, but I know people who did the course on campus.

The diploma is exactly the same - it doesn't make any distinction, though employers can obviously tell from your CV if you were on-campus for a year or more or somewhere else, working.

While I think a few countries don't accept distance degrees, here in Europe they are respected, as they are in all of North America that I'm aware of. I worked at a Canadian university where 6 of us had distance MAs from well-known institutions. No problems at all with respect.

There are advantages both ways:
On-campus, you get to know the professors and your fellow students in real time - there is simply more contact.
However the drawback is that most teachers aren't working while they study on campus, and a distance degree allows you to apply theory to practice and study its effects.

[AjarnIam]

Thanks for the comments. I did a TEFL course about three years ago in a classroom setting and we graded on our ability to put together lesson plans and teach them to our peer students. Peer students were expected to act like typical students, interrupting the teacher, forgetting their homework, and generally not understanding key points. Teachers were expected to respond to these circumstances and deal will troublesome students. It was an incredible learning experience for me and I'm fearful that I would potentially be missing out on situations like this if I did my MA by distance.

Chancellor how can I determine from a typical university website if it is a regionally/government accredited school?

[mozzar]

In the UK, look for a .ac.uk ending, or go to the times.co.uk and look for the university listings. It should be a similar process anywhere in the world. Just cross check your information with a few websites.

[Chancellor]

[natsume]

[Chris_Crossley]