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rdarabos
Joined: 27 Sep 2014
Posts: 13
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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 Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:20 am Post subject: Masters with TESOL concentration, CELTA, other? |
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A basic question that I'm sure has been asked many times, but I was unable to find it from searching.
A little background: I am a current graduate student in the fine arts field. All too late, I realized there's not much of a financial future in that (lol) so I've considered new options. My plan when finishing the Masters was to move to S. Korea (or anywhere, really) and teach there anyways, so I thought looking into ESL/EFL was a good option for me.
Now, as far as options:
I am interested in doing a Masters in Education with concentration in TESOL. It's a little pricey and very time consuming. Colleges where I live (Philly) are around a two year degree, and paying about $25,000 total.
CELTA is also taught in Philly (the 4 week intensive version). This is about $2,695 or so. Obviously cheaper and faster. But do I have the same opportunities with this and not a Masters? I know with a Masters I can teach at a university in the future, but I'm assuming that market is very competitive.
Other certificates, online certificates, etc. Cheap. Fast. I'm assuming you get what you paid for.
I don't mind the graduate school route. But I also don't mind the other routes. I'm also interested in some point, after teaching abroad for a while, to be able to teach ESL in America. (Also, I am interested in more than just practical and theoretical teaching, I have a difficult time in front of crowds, so if any of these would help with that more than that would be the better option.)
Any thoughts? Advice?
Thanks for any help. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:01 am Post subject: |
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| rdarabos wrote: |
| CELTA is also taught in Philly (the 4 week intensive version). This is about $2,695 or so. Obviously cheaper and faster. But do I have the same opportunities with this and not a Masters? I know with a Masters I can teach at a university in the future, but I'm assuming that market is very competitive. |
The CELTA is no where close to the level of a master's degree. In fact, a BA nor an entrance exam is required to take the CELTA course. You can get a CELTA to go with your MFA, but you'll likely be limited to language schools overseas and won't qualify for TESL jobs in any US university programs.
| and wrote: |
| I don't mind the graduate school route. But I also don't mind the other routes. I'm also interested in some point, after teaching abroad for a while, to be able to teach ESL in America. (Also, I am interested in more than just practical and theoretical teaching, I have a difficult time in front of crowds, so if any of these would help with that more than that would be the better option.) |
Keep in mind that ESL teaching jobs in the US aren't plentiful; plus, some only provide part-time hours and zero benefits. You'd need an MA in TESOL + experience to even compete for the better positions in the US, but there's no guarantee you'll land a spot.
You say you're open to other options:
- Consider completing your MFA and subsequently obtaining teacher certification/licensure to teach art in a primary or secondary school in the US and then head abroad to work as an art teacher in an international school. For example, consider the following benefits from a UAE ad for a certified art teacher with 3 years of teaching experience: accommodation; roundtrip airfare; relocation allowance; vacation days and national holidays; health insurance for teacher and dependents; education allowance for dependents; transportation to/from work; and a salary for up to $3300 USD tax free (2-year contract). A similar ad for an experienced and certified art teacher at a private international school indicates full benefits and pays up to $4100 USD/month tax free (3-year contract).
- How about a Master of Educational Technology? See http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=108597
- Or simply get a CELTA and teach abroad for a few years. A major drawback is that you'll never get ahead without upgrading to an MA in TESOL. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:54 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Keep in mind that ESL teaching jobs in the US aren't plentiful; plus, some only provide part-time hours and zero benefits. You'd need an MA in TESOL + experience to even compete for the better positions in the US, but there's no guarantee you'll land a spot. |
This. I work in a college-preparatory ESL program at a U.S. community college with about 20 instructors, only three of whom are full-time with benefits. The rest of us are part-timers. If you're thinking about teaching ESL at either a community college or a university-level IEP, you'd do well to read up on the status of adjunct instructors in the Chronicle of Higher Education. I'm not saying don't try but, if you do, be sure to have a backup plan in the event that things don't work out.
| nomad soul wrote: |
| - Or simply get a CELTA and teach abroad for a few years. A major drawback is that you'll never get ahead without upgrading to an MA in TESOL. |
My recommendation would be to pursue a CELTA or equivalent (SIT is another good choice), preferably with a program that will grant you graduate hours that can be applied to an MA TESOL degree later, try the career out for a couple of years and, if you decide to stick with it for the long haul, then come back and pursue a masters later. |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:32 am Post subject: |
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IF you want to work for entry level wages in entry level EFL jobs in Asia then you are good to go.
If you want to get above the entry level "language school" (kindy, after school and weekends) classes then get certified as a teacher.
There ARE opportunities for (certified) teachers in the fine and performing arts in many international schools around the globe.
I would NOT invest the time and money in an MATESOL until you know what you want to do. Let your path determine the training and not the other way around.
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kyivkyiv
Joined: 08 Aug 2014
Posts: 17
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject: Re: Masters with TESOL concentration, CELTA, other? |
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| rdarabos wrote: |
| I'm also interested in some point, after teaching abroad for a while, to be able to teach ESL in America. |
If I have correctly assumed this is the key point of your post, the answer is that some kind of master's in ESL (and not EFL) is what you want.
Teaching abroad with only a certificate level qualification for a few years can be fun, but you'll also meet some of the worst possible employers. Here is a bit of what friends and I have experienced over the last 5 years of teaching EFL at the level of certificate only holders:
* Employers trying to cancel work visas/residence documents before contracts end to avoid paying for visa expenses and air tickets because you chose not to renew a contract with that company
* Expecting 50-60 hours of work per week for 20-ish contact hours at a ~$1k pay rate
* Assuming that every newly hired foreign teacher is both incompetent and an alcoholic
* Paying 1-3 weeks late, if at all
* Demanding that you work 6-7 days a week for 3-4 weeks straight because of staffing problems
* Expecting you to show up at for-profit promotional events in a costume, which you have to pay for at your own expense
* Not being able to open a local bank account because the company is cheating the government on taxes
I'm sure others could add to this list, but my basic advice is to skip the whole teaching abroad thing and change your graduate program to a MA/MA Teaching/MEd in something like TEFL/TESOL/Applied Linguistics while you still have the opportunity.[/list] |
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santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:04 am Post subject: |
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Keep in mind as well that in some places (like Canada), colleges and universities do not take overseas EFL experience into consideration as experience. 1-2 years LOCAL is a minimum here. They want you to have experience with western teaching styles, multi-L1 classes, and no support from EFL "assistants". Dont get me wrong, international experience is always accepted, but it isn't what puts you in the running.
ESL here and EFL abroad are different markets. |
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rdarabos
Joined: 27 Sep 2014
Posts: 13
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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It seems a lot of job outlooks are becoming bleak lately (except for medical and computers, maybe?).
Honestly, I've been in the art field for about ten years and have loved it. But lately while studying for the MFA things have just changed. My instructors like to keep talking about how impossible it is to survive off of having an MFA degree (some of them had to move back in with their parents, actually). I'm not positive if ESL would lead to a great career, but I think it would have to be much better than the fine arts. Plus, I don't need an MFA to be an artist.
I actually traveled recently to Guatemala to help at a small school there and fell in love with it, though I doubt the education was anything close to the idea of teaching ESL.
I have a single concern with going to get the CELTA, that being how intense and rigorous everyone says it is. I'm sure I can handle that part after having similar schedules in grad school.
I have a hard time getting in front of audiences, having confidence in front of the classroom, etc. Is this something would would be easily to break from in this program? Or does anyone have some tips and/or advice for this? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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| rdarabos wrote: |
| I'm not positive if ESL would lead to a great career, but I think it would have to be much better than the fine arts. Plus, I don't need an MFA to be an artist. |
You asked for, yet didn't acknowedge any of our advice; I hope you took time to actually read and think over each of the posts.
| and wrote: |
| I have a single concern with going to get the CELTA, that being how intense and rigorous everyone says it is. I'm sure I can handle that part after having similar schedules in grad school. I have a hard time getting in front of audiences, having confidence in front of the classroom, etc. Is this something would would be easily to break from in this program? Or does anyone have some tips and/or advice for this? |
If you're worried about teaching a classroom of students, I suggest you look into signing on as a volunteer classroom assistant/tutor with one of your local nonprofit ESL literacy/refugee organizations. It will give you a taste of what it's like to teach English but under the guidance of a seasoned ESL teacher. After a couple of months of volunteering, if you feel you still want to continue with teaching, then do the CELTA or SIT TESOL. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Or why not get a position with one of those programs that will train you to teach in their method just to try out the classroom. I've seen some in Japan, Korea, Taiwan...If you overcome that aspect and enjoy teaching, then choose your training track.
This looks interesting too
http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=33869
Give it a try first figure the rest out when you know you'll like it. |
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