Job Discussion Forums

[moot point]

Who would be further ahead financially; the MA-holding university teacher or the international school teacher?

I'm at a crossroads. I've completed my MA but can't decide to also get my teacher's certification or whether it would really be worth it.

My feeling, however, is that an MA TESL is limited in the number of lucrative jobs so will most likely seek a PhD sometime later in my career.

Gaining teacher qualifications and seeking work in international schools expands the horizon to live and work (and save) in so many more countries.

I'm curious how the two compare in the UAE. It would help me make up my mind whether to go now and work at the university-level or to enrol in a DipEd (PGCE) now and look into teaching international students later on down the road.

[nowasta]

MA level university/college teachers are generally paid more in the Middle East. A couple of the very best int'l schools come close but you do earn quite a bit less for the most part. That being said, some are supposedly excellent with well trained administrative staff, nice facilities, good housing, good students etc. I would think that in other regions such as Africa, Asia and South America, however, the int'l school teachers would be making much more than a typical language teacher. As such, I would do the ESL thing in the Gulf and fall back on the k-12 stuff for teaching in other parts of the world.
One word of caution about the int'l schools...some are really good and some are pretty shady. In this part of the world you would want to avoid the large corporate schools as well as the private ones that are predominately for locals (non-expat) kids. Stick to the genuine American or British Int'l schools.

[younggeorge]

nowasta's got it about right. You'd be financially better off at a university here but that might not be the same elsewhere in the world. On the other hand, the number of well-paid international school positions with all the benefits might not be that great around the world either. Also, in many international schools, EFL/ESL is a side-issue for which teachers are recruited locally on inferior conditions or else it's something that's done as a second string by subject teachers. If it's EFL you want to teach, you're probably better off sticking to the tertiary plan: if you can teach another subject, international schools would be a good option.

One possibility is a distance PGCE while you're working at a uni. A colleague of mine has done just that with a course from the University of Sunderland, who actually sent someone out to observe him teaching so that he has a valid teaching practice component in the course. I dread to think what the fees were, but at least he was earning a decent salary at the same time.

[moot point]

Thanks younggeorge. I had a look at the UofSunderland's website but immediately encountered programming errors.

It is probably a permature reaction, but experiencing such technical inadequacies on first encounters with a university (or anything for that matter) really turns me off. It's kind of asking for a brochure and pages 29-42 are missing. It doesn't look good.

[Afra]

There are other ways of doing a distance PGCE. Both the British Council and Stafford Associates in Dubai host various distance qualifications including PGCEs, I think. Check out their web sites.

[veiledsentiments]

I tried to answer this one last night, but the phpBB's were having problems. But, fortunately others came on and said pretty much my opinion.

One detail came to mind when talking about which is best... university vs int'l schools. There is the obvious detail of better pay at the universities. There are also a few other big advantages - shorter teaching day, fewer contact hours, longer holidays, little or no parental intrusion, usually less contact with management.

In general, the only reason to go with International Schools (and as said above, there are very few that are decent employers) is because you may love teaching kids and hate teaching university level.

But of course, once you return home, the only option that provides an actual job that 'might' pay the bills is in K-12 schools.

VS

[moot point]

VS, I must say I'm just thrilled that you responded to my post. You are so active on this board and just full of pertinent information about the area. It's nice to finally have an active discourse with you.

BTW, have you ever thought as working as a consultant for job-seekers in the Mid-East? You've certainly proven your knowledge of the area and what schools expect and likewise what potential teachers can expect.

Anyway, I'm happy for the quick responses from everyone. Making a move to the mid-east, however, is not an easy one. But I am encouraged by the support from you folk to introduce me to other options into completing a PGCE through distance-learning. What the heck, I say, let's give it a go!

[veiledsentiments]

Thanks for the kind words Moot Point, but I just give away what little knowledge I have on this board... rather my retirement 'hobby.' I don't think that there are many who would be willing to pay.

Good Luck with whatever you finally decide to do. Come on back with your questions whenever you're ready, and plenty of people are here to try to help out.

VS

[Gordon]

[veiledsentiments]

Really?? I guess I will be waiting for the bahsheesh to pour in... (small unmarked bills please...)

VS