Job Discussion Forums

[GabeKessel]

I have an MA in TESL and have been considering getting a doctorate but have heard that it may not be such a good idea as, allegedly, there are not that many jobs in the US for people with that kind of PhD. I am now working in Oman but one day I may have to go back to the US to work.

So, I would like to know:

Do you think it is worth my while?

What kind of job could I get in the US if there are jobs with that kind of degree?

Can one get a different PhD ( a non-TESL one) based on an MA in TESL?

If so, what PhD would be most useful in getting a job back home?

All thoughts on the matter would be most appreciated.

[PAULH]

[Chris_Crossley]

Have you considered a "professional" doctorate in education, the Ed.D.? In the UK, where I am from, I have noticed that, slowly but surely, more and more universities are offering this degree as an alternative to the traditional Ph.D., as it would usually involve having doctoral students who are professional educators and would probably take them up to 5-6 years to complete the doctorate. Supposedly, anyone getting an Ed.D. would be able to aim quite high in the educational management hierarchy.

Having said that, I would imagine that, for TESOL (as it can be called in the UK), there are hardly any bodies in the UK whose claim to fame could be considered anything like the "cream" of the "profession". Imagine if there was a TESOL organisation in the UK where the top people have doctorates like the Ed.D.! (Anybody know of one?!) Then again, at my current school, there are two members of the teaching staff who have doctorates, "only" two because another doctorate holder left in the summer after just a year to go back to England.

A "different" doctorate could be in applied linguistics. If you have done enough theoretical and/or applied linguistics modules within a master's degree programme, I guess that it is always possible to apply to a Ph.D. in that particular discpline. With a doctorate, of course, one could even try for a postdoctoral fellowship followed by a university lectureship, if possible.

This is something that I am aiming at, albeit in the long-term. Realistically, I'm looking at the middle of the next decade (say, about 2015) before I could get that kind of job!

[Jizzo T. Clown]

Most of the doctoral programs I've looked at here in the US aren't related to TESOL. A lot of them are focused on one aspect of linguistics, for example, Sociolinguistics or Second Language Acquisition. Also, most (if not all) programs require proficiency in at least one, and usually two languages other than English. This is because you may have to conduct research in other languages.

[ls650]

[dmb]

Wouldn't having a PHD in Tesol mean you could tutor on MA Tesol programs.