Job Discussion Forums

gungediana · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 82

Looking through the Middle East job ads, there seem to be an awful lot of posts requiring post-Masters experience and/or previous experience in the Middle East.

I have 3 years experience (about 1 year teaching adults), but not in the Middle East.

Will my experience count for much after I complete the MA TESOL and start looking for jobs? Is it realistic to expect to get a Middle East job immediately after finishing the Masters, or better to try my luck in Korea, or even Kazhakstan or somewhere like that for a year to get some post Masters experience?

johnslat · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:23 pm Post subject:

Dear gungediana.
In my experience, many/most places discount your "pre-Masters" experience. While you probably can get a job in the ME upon completion of your Masters, you'd likely have more and better options (and better pay) with some "Post-Masters" experience abroad.
Regards,
John

gungediana · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 82

thanks John

yes, it's just a question of getting your foot in the door really I suppose. Once you have a year or two's experience then you're quids in, in the Middle East.

That's going to be quite stressful because I'll have loans to start paying off soon after graduating.

NYCESOL11211 · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 75

Hello Gungediana,

If you have read my other post, you know I am in almost the same shoes as you. I shouldn't even try to speculate about your chances with a job in the ME, but I would suggest you not discount South Korea. There are still ample opportunities for someone with a graduate degree in an ESL related field there. You might try Seoul National U, Busan U, and Yonsei U to start. Those schools won't differentiate between pre and post grad school experience, at least to the best of my knowledge.

Don't let the posters on the Korean Boards scare you away. It really can be a lovely place to live, work, and gain experience.

Another consideration might be China. While most the jobs are terribly low paying and require almost no experience, if you search around, you will occasionally find a university job that pays very, very well. Then if you have your K-12 Cert, Hong Kong could be quite a profitable adventure.

Good luck in your search!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

And that would give you something on your CV to make it easier to transition to the Middle East in the future if you so desire.

VS