Job Discussion Forums

[madhatter109]

Hello everybody,

This question is for people who have an MA. I'm wondering what sort of doors your MA has opened. Was it worth the time and money? I've been searching the web, but can't really figure out where an MA in TESOL stands in 2011. Where will it benefit me the most? Does it open up doors in the EU (I'm American)? Middle East? Asia?

A little about myself: I'm 26 years old and have a BA in communications. I've been teaching ESL in Asia and the USA for the past 2 1/2 years. I consider myself a good teacher, and have decided to keep this going as a career for the long term. I know it's my calling. Only problem? Kinda tired of pulling in 20k a year. I'd like to move up the chain. Perhaps University level. Maybe train teachers.


Any feedback you can give me about your MA experience and where it's taken you would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your time and advice.

[denise]

The EU will still be largely off limits to you, even with an MA.

With an MA, I would only look at universities--don't go for language school jobs unless they truly seem focused on education and not "edutainment". With a couple of years of post-MA university experience, you would be qualified for the better jobs in the Gulf (which is what I assume you mean when you say the Middle East). And you open the door to returning home to teach in universities, although full-time jobs are hard to come by.

d

[SahanRiddhi]

The door to massive student-loan debt. The door to a scorching-hot dessert full of people who hate you. The door to very few decent-paying opportunities outside of said dessert. The door to stringing together several adjunct positions in order to make $20,00 a year with no benefits, if you ever return to the U.S. The door to working alongside tedious people who want to think they�re real academics.

[denise]

[nomad soul]

Yeah, but that hot-scorching dessert is full of people! Might be tasty if those people are nuts and flakes but... Bleh!

Back to the MA question... I'd add careful upfront planning and program research to Denise's list. That is, choose your MA program wisely to fit your interests as well as the traits and training the better employers tend to want. For instance, to show you're serious about polishing your teaching skills, consider a program with a TESOL practicum and an intercultural communication component. (If your program lacks certain courses, you can always take a couple of similar grad-level classes from other institutions as electives and transfer those credits into your MA program.) If you want to establish yourself as tech-savvy, include some educational technology courses. Also, if your ultimate goal is to teach in a specific region or country, then tailor your class projects for that area. Lastly, don't focus solely on the premise that your credential has to be an MA in TESOL. Instead, consider the content of the degree program. For example, I have a MAT (MA in Teaching) with a TEFL emphasis, which has served me well so far.

[Glenski]

Listen to tttompatz when he eventually comes here to reply. Basically, for Japan an MA degree alone will not get you university work, if that's what you're thinking. You'll need publications, and usually Japanese work experience and language ability, too. MA's are becoming a dime a dozen nowadays. Look at the JRECIN site for ads for uni jobs in Japan so you can see the qualifications employers ask for.

[tttompatz]

[madhatter109]

[/quote]

What do YOU want to do? (teach, continue into academia, research, administration)
Where do you want to go? (it really is a big planet)
What are your goals beyond a larger pay packet? (this may not be the only route to this end)

.[/quote]

Thanks for all the info. What I ultimately want to do is train ESL teachers, hopefully in a University setting. Perhaps do some research and write some books. I consider myself a natural born teacher and want to continue to improve ESL around the world.

[tttompatz]

[scintillatestar]

I would recommend getting a masters and k-12 certification jointly. This way, you can work in any setting. This is what I am doing. This semester, I will teach at NYU and student teach in an elementary school. In addition, some states require public school teachers to obtain a masters anyway.

Most states will accept the K-12 ESL cert; a small few, such as California, do not allow it as an initial certification. Most do, though. In addition, you can start working at international schools after a bit of experience.

It can be hard to get enough hours in a university setting, although some adjuncts are unionized and get good pay and benefits. Community colleges are another option here.

Also many k-12 programs have pull-out and push-in programs. You might only have to work with small groups of students, reducing crowd control and classroom management issues.

[sparks]

Plain and simple (well not really). If you want to stay in academia, you will need a Ph.D./Ed.D. If you look around, a fair number of universities in the U.S. offer Ph.D.s in app. linguistics, education, curriculum planning etc. If you go for the MA Tesol be sure to show your interest in further study and stick around at your uni for a doctorate.

[scintillatestar]

If you want to teach teachers, I would still recommend the M.A. + K-12 licensing. Many universities look for instructors to prepare students to teach in a k-12 setting. Fewer people have those qualifications. Very few have a doctorate and the esl license With just the MA, you can also be a CELTA trainer or a DOS/DOE.

[MotherF]

It would open some nice doors in Mexico.

First regarding debt. For an American there is a wide variety of options in the MA world in this field. A few are ridiculously expensive, and not necessarily better. I'm thinking SIT and MIIS here. In state tuition with a teaching assistantship at a state school could get you an MA without a lot of debt. You could also do a distance MA maybe from another country, like England, Australia or South Africa, while continuing to teach in Asia.

Once you have the MA there are three job markets in Mexico open to you.

Universities, both public and private, which could include some teacher training.

Consulting work for an organization that does teacher training, such as the English Language Fellow program through the US state department, or as an academic consultant for a publishing house.

And, if you get K-12 certification as part of your MA, top tier international schools.

[naturegirl321]

It was worth it for me, hands down. I got a great job that I wouldn't have if I didn't have an MA. I'm asked to give presentations and workshops, asked to give intl exams as well.

THough like peopel have said it doens't mean you can stop learning. Get published, do workshops, attend conferences, and workshops, etc.

You could get a job in the ME as well, Asia, too. Though check the ME if you're planning on doing it online, some employers won't accept MAs if they're done online.

As for pulling in 20K a year, after taxes? housing included? Are you saving that much? Best places for making money are the ME and Korea, maybe Japan or Taiwan. Some have even said China if you don't mind doing exam work and privates on the side.

Training teachers, I'm looking into that, though I want to know a bit more about pay. I'm looking at SIT. Here's what I understand, it seems like many people get into teacher training because they work at a centre that trains teachers. I've emailed a handful of those and they say that they recruit from within. So you could try working at one of those centres, they're often language institutes as well. Or go with SIT or the British Council, since many of their centres are CELTA or DELTA centres as well.

I've taught in 3 years, 6 years total. First one had no MA, but started, second one was working on my thesis and this one had my MA finished.

[naturegirl321]