Job Discussion Forums

[Vasiliy]

I have a masters degree in general linguistics and I'm currently trying to get into teaching ESL. Is there anyone on this forum who had a similar career path? Could anyone suggest how to proceed in this situation? I would greatly appreciate any advice people could offer. Thanks a lot. Vasiliy

[cheriberry]

Hi, Vasily. I am just finishing up my Masters in Linguistics and am in the same boat. I also have my TESL though, which is part of my program. With you M.A. you can teach in most places. It's lack of experience that will make your choices a bit more limited, but having the M.A. will help where that doesn't. Basically, check the job boards here at Dave's if you want to work overseas. Are there any particular countries where you want to go or are you looking in the U.S.?

[Vasiliy]

Hi cheriberry,
thanks for replying. Curently I'm not looking to move overseas. It does seem like all employers are looking for some experience. You mention TESL as part of your program - is that an exam or some courses that you took? Do you know if it's possible to get a US job having only masters in linguistics on your resume? Or if not, what do you think should be the quickest route to finding a job?

Btw, In addition to my masters I have passed the NY state TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) exam, which is a prerequisite for teaching ESL in public schools, but apparently there's still a lot I have to do in order to get any kind of certification, even a temporary one.

[AsiaTraveller]

You might try some of the community college districts in New York State. They will look favorably on your M.A. and your having passed the state exam. You might be asked to teach freshman composition or remedial writing (to native speakers), in addition to ESL. And there is always the occasional English department that has an Introduction to Linguistics course for you to teach.

K-12 schools, however, wouldn't touch you for ESL without full teacher certification.

Most importantly, do look into obtaining one of the ESL/EFL certifications: TEFL, CELTA, or Trinity. The latter are fairly standardised worldwide and are offered throughout the U.S. The TEFL (or TESOL) certification is simply a generic program offered through private language institutes as well as through colleges and universities. Any good certificate program will give you the grounding in the theory and practice of language teaching. It will also give you the opportunity to plan and teach a certain number of hours in front of a real class (observed by your trainers).

Don't do an online program to get certified.

Where exactly are you? Feel free to click the PM button to send me a "private message."