Job Discussion Forums

[Coolguy123]

Does anyone have any info on studying TEFL or Applied Linguistics to learn more about teaching, in a non-English speaking country? I was considering doing such a degree in the US.

However, I want to travel. Selfish, I know, but it also seems like such programs are cheaper in other countries (including places like Europe).

Does anyone have any good resources to find out about good programs? The only people I've met have such degrees from the UK or US.

My concerns would be -

1. It would not be as respected as degree from a non-native speaking country.

2. Compatibility of credits or degrees with other universities if I wanted to get a PHD or do research in the future.

3. Issues with quality of methodologies from foreign universities.

The main advantage I can think of is gaining insight into teaching students specifically from a certain region.

I'm thinking it's time to get a degree, and I figured I might as well get one in something practical that might be flexible, rather than the English lit degree I was thinking of getting (as much as I love literature) that seems a little limiting and less in demand with less job or research options.

Any tips?

[Shroob]

You don't want to limit your future employment options. Some employers will only recognise ones that come from the US, UK, Aus, NZ, Canada etc.

There are distance learning options, but again, the same caveat applies. Some employers don't value distance learning MAs.

[rtm]

[Coolguy123]

Thanks for the really helpful points.

I guess the point about getting a degree in what you want to do is valid. However the only reason I hesitate about getting an English lit degree is that supposedly the market is saturated with people with English Lit MA degrees.

I guess I want to have something flexible, that is at least going to help with English teaching or offer better job prospects as I want to have that as an option going forward.

I figured linguistics might help with teaching more than english lit, it seems slightly more practical, although I think research prospects for both are not that great.

I guess I'm just not 100% sure what I want to do down the line but I want to do something interesting with decent prospects. I hope that makes sense.

[suphanburi]

I can say, having gained a M.Ed (TEFL) from a respected research university (Chulalongkorn) in a non-anglophone country that in my personal experience it has NOT been an issue for further movement in academia or for employment.

Perhaps the only places that may consider it an issue might be the middle east or perhaps some uneducated employers in the US (they tend to be somewhat ethnocentric - even on a good day (if it isn't from the US then it must be somehow substandard)).

I have since presented at international conferences and international symposiums.
I have had no issues getting published because of where I gained my graduate degree.
I have had no issues with employment (but I haven't applied to jobs in the middle east either (nor do I ever intend to)).
I have been offered positions in Canada and for a US research team.

The program and coursework that I undertook were delivered in English.
The PhDs who were my lecturers and mentors were well versed in their respective subjects and well respected internationally in their fields.
All of them were at least bilingual and most were multilingual.
Their teaching and their classroom methodologies were not different than my experiences in Canada or the US when taking courses there.
They were "westernized" in their approaches to teaching, assessment and research.

When I moved on to a related PhD it was not an issue because of my having a foreign "graduate level" degree nor is it an issue for doing research in my field.
I am currently engaged in exploring L2 basic literacy and the implications/impact on 4-skill language development and usage in an EFL environment.

At the end of the day it was a bonus for having done it abroad.

I gained useful insights into what I do and how I do it because I was in a multilingual, international environment.
I made some really great connections with others in my field (globally).
It got me involved in research projects that would have likely been closed to me had I done it at home.

.

[Coolguy123]

Thanks suphanburi, that's really helpful...

What about eastern europe? Does anyone know of good TESOL/Linguistics programs or reputable universities there?

[rtm]

[nomad soul]