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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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 Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject: Californian Master's (in English) Looking for High Pay |
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Surely this has been answered, so if someone wants to forward me to the right post, that would be fine.
About to finish an MA at San Diego State University; have a BA from University of California at Santa Barbara; have lots and lots of loans; have no stamps on my passport (although I have heard they're not stamping anymore...you know what I mean--I NEED TO TRAVEL!). I also need to make money. Mid-East seems like a really neat place to live. I'm open to any ideas/suggestions upon where to look for jobs (countries as well as websites).
Thanks in advance!
Warm regards,
Orin
PS: I would love to be able to surf, if possible, but I understand the coastal weather is much more intolerable. Suppose the sooner I could get said job, the less picky I'd be.  |
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omanized
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
Posts: 152
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Not much chance of employment in the higher paying Gulf - your Master's is too green and it appears you have no experience. In 3-5 years, you will be more eligible for a university position in the UAE or Doha where the money is pretty good but the cost of living is getting ridiculous and so the net gain is pretty average.
Sorry for the bad news........
omzd |
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:34 am Post subject: wow |
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that certainly is some bad news.
well, any idea where i -could- work/make the most money with this green machine of mine?
thx!
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windstar
Joined: 22 Dec 2007
Posts: 235
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:46 am Post subject: |
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| Korea, Japan maybe Taiwan too. Not ME. |
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| windstar wrote: |
| Korea, Japan maybe Taiwan too. Not ME. |
was really hoping to go anywhere other than that area...
think i could at least get a job there quickly?
Last edited by orinlouis on Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:57 am; edited 2 times in total |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:31 pm Post subject: Re: Californian Master's (in English) Looking for High Pay |
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Entry level teachers (or most jobs) can't expect to step right into the 'big bucks.'  Do you have any classroom experience?
VS |
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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not expecting the biggest bux, but still trying to survive (and avoid korea/japan).
i've subbed and taught one college class (freshman comp) at san diego state u.
sure, i'm green. i know this. what can i do about it?
TIA |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:55 am Post subject: |
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If neither your BA nor MA provided supervised substitute teaching, I would suggest that you get a good certificate like the CELTA. Many MA programs are heavily theoretical and good practical training can be crucial. (just a Freshman writing course with half of them native speakers is unfortunately not much preparation)
Considering the past practices of the agents hiring for the Ministry of Higher Education in the villages of Oman, they may hire you, and you would likely be paid enough to pay those bills back home and survive in Oman - somewhere between $2-2500 a month tax-free. (they would provide tickets and housing)
BUT... I worry about sending someone with so little experience either in teaching or living abroad to these jobs with so many difficulties. Seriously, they can be enough to drive experienced overseas teachers to run for the border. You need to be highly adaptable, relaxed about difficult management, flats with cockroaches, and a new dress code.
One factor is to not apply until your degree is completely finished and you have documentation. In the meantime, read everything you can on Oman and its culture... teaching Arabic speakers... and the pros and cons of these colleges scattered around Oman - on this board.
VS |
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:48 am Post subject: |
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wow! thanks; muy helpful.
agree that i am certainly lacking in training/experience (even if over half of the class were not native speakers).
strangely enough, there is a CELTA center in san diego--quite convenient. wrote them, and will keep you posted. problem is (as always) cash. course=$2,400...about $50,000 more than i have right now. suppose if i could be fairly sure the CELTA would get me a high(er) paying job and fast, i could find a way to do it.
how much would a dinky online tesol cert help? prolly not at all, huh?
know of any other options (countries/programs) that might pay less, but still enough to pay back some loans? also looking for something that might take me sooner than later...
thanks again for the excellent help. was ecstatic imagining traveling to the mid east, then you (and others) took that away (appropriately), now i see some glint of hope again.
just need to get out of here asap! ready to see! only obstacle (other than lack of experience) is loans.
orin
ps: of course with no experience, i cannot be positive i'm ready for extreme culture shock (i.e. oman), but feel as if i am. been living w/roaches for a long time, don't drink/smoke/use drugs, very physically/emotionally healthy, not religious, glad to wear whatever they want me to...what else...?
guess i'm not looking forward to more roaches, but the experience i'll gain dealing with them will make me a better person. need some world view and now.
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sliderama
Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 90
Location: al reef
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:44 am Post subject: |
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I'd suggest to try to pick up some teaching work in Cali right now to get some experience under your belt. There are wads of language schools there. Some of the schools in Cali even have a branch in the ME (ELS e.g.).
Check out surfersofdubai website for surf info. Oman would be the best bet for surf.
you would qualify for work in many countries (Japan, Korea ...) but with no experience you would be starting at the bottom, but your M.A. might, just might get you into a college/university (Korea especially), but a TESOL/CELTA would definitely help also
hope it's of some help...
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:26 am Post subject: |
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willing to complete a celta/tesol, but i just wonder how much it would help. it's a large chunk for me; not something i can just do unless it will produce pretty dramatic results. of course, i do not expect to be treated as royalty, but would at least like to know i'd be getting my money's worth.
like to circumnavigate the cali teaching bit, if possible. i'd rather just get going, even if that means starting at the bottom somewhere else.
thx for the help, all! 
and thanx for the web link. already seen it, and ready to go! other than the dangerous undertow and large sea creatures, seems decent. |
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windstar
Joined: 22 Dec 2007
Posts: 235
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:46 am Post subject: |
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| Here in Oman, if you don't have BA in EFL/ESL, or MA in ESL/EFL Linguistics etc, CELTA is the only way to get through the system. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| orinlouis wrote: |
| how much would a dinky online tesol cert help? prolly not at all, huh? |
Pretty much nailed this one.  What you are lacking is good practical training. Real classroom management, lesson plans, actually figuring out what to do to teach particular points, what to do for that last hour when what you planned went too quickly... or just didn't work. The CELTA gives you a base of classroom experience that employers know and accept. It might not get you more pay (since an MA pays better), but it will get your foot in the door when an employer looks at your CV (what the rest of the world calls a resume) and hears crickets.
To put things in perspective, a "Freshman Writing" course in the Gulf will be full of very low level English. Take the absolute lowest level of basic English in that course you taught... and he will be your star student in Oman. The rest will be truly struggling and your job is to figure out how to pass them. They won't all have managed an equivalent to 500 on TOEFL, perhaps none will be that high. Many, if not most, will be around 400 or less.
The majority of EFL classes in the Gulf are preparing students to get to this class. Teaching basic sentence structure, paragraph development... a whole semester can be spent getting them up to composing one paragraph.
If it were a perfect world, you would get the CELTA and spend the year after completing your MA teaching Freshman Writing part-time at your uni and part-time at a language school nearby doing elementary and intermediate classes. Then you would really be ready for prime time... most anywhere in the world.
VS
(BTW... you said that your MA was in English... is this ESL or Literature? If it is Lit, you must get that CELTA!!) |
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orinlouis
Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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yes, MA is in lit...
looks like i'm (prob) doing the celta.
ho, boy...
hope you're right!
thank you.
best,
o |
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desertrat
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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The Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Manpower Oman will no longer approve ANY teachers who do not have min BA, CELTA/ TEFL and 2 years experience. Sorry dude. Youre gonna have to do some teaching, somewhere somehow. And you may find a job w/o the CELTA but it's be awful and probably with some shady pvt institute.
So suck it up get some experience and then you can come over here and earn good money. You dont have to have the full two years but you need something! Sucks to be a new grad, doesnt it? Good luck |
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