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Advice regarding Online MA TESOL, or Traditional University
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:01 pm    Post subject: Advice regarding Online MA TESOL, or Traditional University Reply with quote
I have spoken with a few online schools, and have done some research. I am not sure I can trust what they say, so I wanted to ask all of you.

1. If I take 1 year of a Masters online, can I finish at a traditional school, and transfer those credits? If there are even some traditional schools out there that I can do this with, that would be great nfo.

2. Would an online Masters degree be valuable as far as getting a job, or greater earning potential?
(I am interested in China, S Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico, and South America).

Thanks for any help.
I have a BA in Sociology from a major University in the States. I had a low GPA, but I have been in the working world teaching tennis for 20 years.

I am currently selling clothing on ebay, and trying to get my new career teaching English across the globe.

Thanks for any help getting me there.
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santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nellychess, long time no see!

A low GPA and no teaching experience will not get you into any MA program, will it? If so, I'd be very wary about taking it.

Sounds like you are putting the cart before the horse if you don't have TESL experience yet. You are approaching your 10th anniversary on this site and still haven't taught yet. I have no idea why you would pursue an MA at this point.
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi
I had a job lined up in China at a University, and the Province rejected my application at the last step. I was asked to send a fake Certificate. I backed out.

I'm trying to do it the right way. Would an online Masters degree help me?

Wouldn't I be better prepared to teach?

Wouldn't I be more hirable with an online MA?

I don't know, that's kind of what I am asking.

The online
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The place I talked to is called Ashford University.

I can't find anything on here about it, so maybe it isn't good
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santi84



Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 12:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't know anything about Ashford but every reputable MA TESOL program I've explored expects experience, referrals, and high grades.

Have you not applied for other jobs? Do you not have a TESL/TEFL/TESOL yet?

An MA in TESOL makes zero sense if you havent taught ESL before.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 3:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
nellychess wrote:
I had a job lined up in China at a University, and the Province rejected my application at the last step. I was asked to send a fake Certificate. I backed out.
....

The place I talked to is called Ashford University. I can't find anything on here about it, so maybe it isn't good

You were smart not to take that job at that university in China. You also might rethink attending Ashford. Although they're accredited, they're another for-profit university that's had some legal issues with the US government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_University). That's not good if potential employers decide to do an Internet search on it.

I didn't have any teaching experience when I decided to go back to university for a career change to TEFL. But if you're set on getting a master's degree, consider an MA in Teaching (which I have) or MA in Education. If it has a TESOL emphasis, that's good. If not, get a CELTA to go with your degree. Try some of the faith-based, accredited US universities; their degree programs are sometimes easy on the budget. Just be sure that a degree is what you want since it's a huge investment in time, money, and energy.

Frankly, I think you should just get a CELTA and head abroad because it's unclear what your specific teaching goals are. You'll definitely need to have an answer to that question for your statement of purpose for grad school admissions, if that's still the path you want to take.
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 4:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks nomad. You bring up some good points. I am willing to put the work in, and aquire more student loan debt if there is value in getting the online masters. I can research to find the best one I suppose, but I'm wondering if it will get me better jobs, and or provide for better earning potential. If an online masters isn't more valuable to have than a CELTA then I won't do it. If it's worth a lot, I need to seriously consider it.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
nellychess wrote:
Would an online Masters degree be valuable as far as getting a job, or greater earning potential? (I am interested in China, S Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico, and South America).
....

I'm wondering if it will get me better jobs, and or provide for better earning potential. If an online masters isn't more valuable to have than a CELTA then I won't do it. If it's worth a lot, I need to seriously consider it.

A couple of suggestions:

- Check out current job ads for the countries and teaching situations you're interested in to see what qualifications/experience employers are actually looking for. Start with the job openings listed on the Cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/).

- Post on the region and country-specific forums for advice on how far an MA might take you. Make sure to include your nationality, sex, current education, age (could be a factor), and any foreign languages you speak (likely important for Japan and South America). Also, indicate that you have zero TEFL experience. No need to keep mentioning your experience as a tennis coach; it's not relevant to TEFL.

I don't think an MA is right for you. You're still not clear about your career interests/goals; "getting better jobs" and "providing for better earning potential" aren't teaching goals. That also won't cut it for admission into graduate school.
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