Job Discussion Forums

[Forward 5]

Hello all-
I've searched the ME forums and although I've found very similar postings of the same type of questions as mine, each background was unique.
Since the questions were largely the same- I thank the moderators for such patience, time and again, and again, in answering them all.
And now.... more of the same;
I'm currently enrolled in a dual-degree Information Science/History MS/MA program in NY- when I finish by next winter, I'm NOT going to work at Starbucks with a graduate degree and be a scrub while watching America go downhill.
I do have a BA in English (Phi Beta Kappa even) but again, with no TESOL certificate or experience.
First- is the Oxford seminar a valid teaching certificate?
Secondly- will my MA degree(s) be of benefit to some extent?
Lastly, should I go for what I can get in the UAE right away to get some experience since many ME jobs now prefer those with middle east experience?
Versus, say- starting in Korea and having the 1-2 years ESL experience but without the preferred ME exposure?
Of course, school loan debt being a huge factor- there are no guarantees in general and certainly not in expecting to get enough right away to pay school loan debt in the ME with no experience, right?
I was thinking maybe I should just take the "safer" bet of Korea (universities?) for school loan debt while racking up the experience?
I do realize, there's no "get rich quick" for going straight to the ME.
Also, quite simply- "if it were easy, everyone would be doing it" still applies.
I'd like to pose one last question too; which ME country would ultimately be the best for a decent/tax free income in the longer term?
I'm willing to be in it for the long haul, hence my BA in English-plus I have a 45 hour online TESOL (crap, which I learned $500 later and after the fact as pimped out by the Univ. of Arizona) as it was my intention toward TESOL intitially but libraries called me away.
As for me, I'm 36 and also a 10 year Air Force veteran of that helps as well.

[Pikgitina]

I've never met or heard of a single teacher in the Middle East - or more specifically, the Gulf - who started their teaching career here. I'd say the least I've heard of is about 5 years of experience, regardless of whether it was pre or post MA.

If you're sincere about being in it for the long haul, I'd say do a CELTA (you can do one in NY) right away and start teaching either where you are or anywhere else where you can find work. I recommend this course for several reasons, one of which is that it's an industry-standard, entry-level course that will give you many of the essentials needed for standing up in front of a class and teaching it. It's a month long, very intensive, but worth it IMO.

I'm not sure whether your MA would be appropriate for an ESL position in the Gulf, however, you could apply for content faculty positions instead - once you have some teaching experience that is. Unless of course you have no desire to teach what you're studying right now.

After two years or so of teaching ESL, and if you're still in it for the long haul, I'd say take the next step and do the DELTA. (If you're not sure what CELTA and DELTA are, google's your friend. )

Best of luck!

[spiral78]

[Forward 5]

Thanks for the reply.
Although I'm digging further into the details and unsure of the specifics- there's an MA TESOL program offered here that's 35 credits (not bad) that may also accept some of my grad. classes in my current MA such as research and since my History MA focus is on culture, it may take some of those etc... I'm checking into that.
Will a TESOL MA help me to get a decent job with minimal experience rather than battling every step of the way with a certificate while gaining experience?
Also, I qualified for an extra year/two semesters worth of veteran's assistance past my first 2 years for my initial MA/MS which can pay for half my tuition, nice. That's certainly an incentive.
I wasn't aware that I could teach with an MA/MS.
I realized I may have the credentials, maybe- but in academia only the PhD's talk about teaching.
I could (theoritically) wrangle an MA in TESOL, get that going first (since it's a safer bet for job-prospects) and look around for library job, preferably worldwide. The more I'm talking my way through it, it sounds logical but requires major planning, of course.
I would LOVE to teach in a library, especially book history. Yeah- that would be awesome and I'd certainly be willing to teach English overseas until a job like that came along.
Thanks again.

[spiral78]

I've got MA TESL/TEFL. It definitely opens a lot of doors - the Middle East for sure. I expect you've already read that they usually want related MA + two years of experience, preferably with students from the ME.

It also opens things up elsewhere - even if you choose to start out in Asia, the related MA can get you university jobs, much preferable to the newbie-level stuff you can get with unrelated MA + basic certification.

It's true that most people do the MA after a couple of years of teaching (helpful to be able to apply theory to practice) but it's not necessarily mandatory.

If you can get the related MA without too much hassle or expense, it's certainly worth pursuing.

[spiral78]

[Forward 5]

I have intermediate French language skills, reading/writing/speaking but that only goes so far.
I mentioned the idea of first going with an MA in TESOL because I know there are jobs overseas in American University libraries which are available but they're few and far between, NYU at Abu Dhabi for example.
Instead of struggling as a library assistant, and waiting for those overseas university jobs to become available, I could be pro-active and live abroad while doing something else until the librarian jobs came open. The catch is, of course those university librarian jobs require experience. I would be getting zero librarian experience while teaching EFL.
I guess that's about where I am; there's no real win-win like everyone wants. There's always sacrifices to be made.

[nomad soul]

Forward 5, your goals are a bit confusing. Do you want to be an English language teacher or a librarian? These are two separate paths---each with specific qualifications. Pikgitina and Spiral have already provided info on the preferred TEFL qualifications for the Mid East; however, for most well-paying library jobs at the university level, you'd need a Master of Library Science. Additionally, what do you mean by teaching book history in a library and have you researched if there's a market in the ME for this?

[Forward 5]

I'm currently enrolled in a dual degree MS/MA graduate program for information science and history.
Information science is the MA for a librarian.
There are American universities in the ME that do hire American librarians.
I'm not trying to confuse anyone with my interests, ideas and/or goals.

[Forward 5]

Thank you all for the helpful input and feedback.
Hopefully I'll have more details and a better idea about the TESOL MA program here soon and whether any of my current grad. credits can transfer toward it- plus anything else that can help cut down the total time and money spent.
If I can shave it down to a year then it's worth the time and effort. Hard to beat a useful MA for 1 years work.
This is a great forum with great people and a real benefit to the field. Thank you guys.