Job Discussion Forums

klei · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Posts: 19 Location: Tucson, AZ

Just wondering: I've seen a lot of messages discussing acceptable salaries at the MA lecturer level. I'm doing a Second Language Acquisition PhD program (although I won't be done for a good, long while) and was wondering if anyone could tell me how much universities pay to people at assistant, associate, and full professor levels. I'm highly interested in working in the UAE. I've seen ads at various universities for English and Education faculty at the PhD level, but I'm curious as to how much difference in salary exists between lecturers and professors.

Also, if you happen to be aware of the average contact hours or other perks, please let me know.

I hope someone can fill me in.

Thanks,

Klei

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

The first problem is that there are very few PhD holders on this board, and most of us have no idea what they earn. Laughing

The other day someone asked a similar type of question and I searched everywhere for a paper that I had from back in the dark ages of the mid-1980's and it was for SQU in Oman. This morning I finally found it. Of course, the numbers themselves are out of date, but the differences within the ranks may tell you something. For instance, assuming that a lecturer gets X.

Asst. Prof - 124% of X
Assoc Prof - 130% Asst Prof
Professor - 133% Assoc Prof

The increments also were larger at each level for years of experience. But you would probably be at the bottom of Asst Prof at first. So, in the future when you are done with your degree, you should look at getting 24% more than a lecturer. (ballpark, of course...)

From what I have seen or heard, teaching hours for professors ranged from 9-15 depending on their level and the employer. At the minimum the benefits should be free furnished housing (or enough of an allowance to pay for it and buy the basic furniture.), yearly tickets for self and family, school allowances for any children, medical, and gratuity at completion of contract - pretty much the same as for ESL teachers. There are also usually some allowances paid... for local transportation and utilities, and perhaps shipping at beginning and end of contract.

VS

abufletcher · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:58 pm Post subject:

younggeorge · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 350 Location: UAE

I don't think it's as much as that at ZU but I could do a little research. It's a bit difficult to compare, though, because there aren't any who've risen to those dizzy heights from the EFL ranks and, in the subject areas where there are full professors, there aren't any lowly MA-qualified lecturers.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It is hard to help out PhD's who come on here when most of us have only reached MA level at best. I've never worked with anyone who had a PhD in EFL... if they got one, they immediately disappeared to greener pastures (remember them Abu Fletcher??) AUC had a Linguistics Dept, so they had a few. I would think that ZU has some PhD's in their Education area, don't they YG?

Please feel free to use a calculator to figure the numbers. Cool

But, you are correct that a full professor (few of them about in the ME though...) would come in at more than double the lowly MA in the Language Center.

These numbers also do not take into effect steps within due to years of experience. I do know of some PhDs around the Gulf who arrived with 10-15 years of experience and got salaries of between $50-60,000. Their perks were a bit better too... business or first class versus the usual coach. In Saudi, they usually get cars.

Those dizzying heights never much interested me. I don't even like high heels...

VS

crocus · Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 79

And then, of course, there are those institutions that tell you your PhD isn't 'relevant', so they put you in the Intensive programmes and pay you as an MA.

A PhD in anything to do with EFL/ESOL/ESL is a very new creature, and seems to apply only to those who gained their doctorates relatively recently (or so I believe). Pity about us old ones!

Crocus

klei · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Posts: 19 Location: Tucson, AZ

Thank you, VeiledSentiments, for the information. I figured that was why I'd never heard estimates on PhD salaries before. It does seem that everyone on this board is an MA or aspiring MA. If your estimations are correct, I'll definitely be checking out job opportunities in the UAE once I finish my PhD, but as I said, it'll be awhile.... Regardless, even 25% boost on top of lecturer salaries would put the starting Assistant Prof salary roughly level with most areas in the U.S. (meaning outside of coastal big cities). And being tax-free would make the salary compete with most anywhere.
I guess my next question is what kinds of experiece do UAE universities usually count towards the salary band? I've got several years of secondary-level EFL in Taiwan and Japan, some lecturer-level uni experience from Taiwan, and TA experience during the course of my graduate work in the US. Any ideas what (if anything) would count, or does it vary school to school?
Thanks to all posters for your help!

Klei

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

abufletcher · Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:22 am Post subject:

VS, yes I remember them well -- actually I remember thinking that if "that lot" can get Ph.D.s, well, then anyone could. So I got mine! Very Happy

((BTW, I love the way people say "I got MY MA or MY Ph.D." as if there had always been one with their name on it lying around for them to pick it up.))

Actually, one of that SQU crowd (a certain J.H.) was actually concidered for the same position I currently occupy here in Japan. It really is a teeny teeny world. I also have J.F. book on academic listening and have cited R.G's paper on pausology. Last I checked A.B. is still in Michigan but now is strictly into neurolinguistics.

Back to the original topic, there really is no point to getting a Ph.D. just to continue on teaching EFL. The point to doing a doctorate to become a "subject-area" specialist who then pursues research in that area and teaches courses related to that subject area. As such a Ph.D. in TESOL (is there really such a thing as a Ph.D. is "ESL"?) is not different than a Ph.D. is Physics. You wouldn't imagine that having a doctorate in Physics automatically makes you a wonderful teacher -- but you might have something valuable to say to future teachers of high school physics.

flutterbayou · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 244

To get back to the question of PhD salaries, I'd like to share the Chronicle of Higher Education URL with anyone interested in browsing salaries for educators:

http://chronicle.com/

It's probably the best source for announcing international MA and PhD positions.

Actually, I don't understand why the author who started this thread thinks there is a demand for EFL teachers with a PhD.

PhD's in linguistics spend most of their time researching and writing. I know one or two who are driving a cab and managing a KFC. Sad

So sad!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I would assume that the OP is trying to get out of teaching EFL and move over to teacher training. Turning out more local EFL teachers to eventually compete with us? Cool

But there are significantly fewer job openings in that area than there are in EFL in university Language Centers.

VS

flutterbayou · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 244

True, VS, but I think teacher training centers prefer trainers with MA's because the majority of their clientele are young people who just recently graduated from college. They don't need a PhD with so many highly qualified MA's around getting the job done within the budget.

Sometimes, studying towards a second Master Degree is more profitable than shooting for the PhD. Many school directors hold an MA in English or TESOL and another in Education or an MBA. It has to do with passion. If you love that academic track and can't get off the train, then you know it's for you.

But trying to market that degree means research is elixir to the soul. Did anyone find the Chronicle of Higher Education link helpful?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I'm assuming that most long timers are familiar with the Chronicle site.

Quite a few ME universities are now offering MA programs in TEFL for their students and these positions require a PhD. That was what I was referring to, but didn't make very clear. Wink

There was a thread about this not long ago...

VS

Iamherebecause · Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 6:50 am Post subject:

To go back to the original topic, at UAEU some Assistant Professors with PhDs start out on even lower salaries than UGRU - but they do get annual increments and have opportunities for promotion and substantial pay increases as well as a better housing allowance, more support for conferences, a research requirement and of course far fewer teaching hours (typically 12). There are a few jobs which require a PhD in TESOL or whatever. If a job doesn't require a PhD you are unlikely to get financial recognition for having one, and it can be very difficult to move jobs within an institution if a PhD-phile job comes available.