Job Discussion Forums

[Soulfly2]

Hi all. My first post here- and I have spent several hours going over the forum.

I'm about to graduate with my MA in Applied Linguistics- next May. The job situation here in southern California is not good- due to budget cuts and the fact that you have to work part time at several community colleges for years (with no health insurance and little pay), hoping to land a full time position. So from what I've read, teaching at a university in the UAE seems a great option.

Here's my qualifications:
BA Linguistics-; MA Applied Linguistics (in May)
Two ESL teaching certificates from my university (San Diego State)- basic and advanced
Two and a half years teaching ESL writing classes as a graduate student at my university (a class or two every semester)
Currently teaching ESL to a small group of Afghan international students studying Engineering at the university- which should continue until I graduate
Have been grading TOEFL tests for ETS for about a year


From what I read HTC seems to be a good place to start over there.
Do I have a good shot at getting a job there? I'd like to apply to several universities, could someone recommend other places to apply?

Lastly, since I'm graduating in May and would like to go as soon as possible after, when should I start applying? January?

Thanks a lot!

[helenl]

by all means apply - you may get in. Most tertiary employers (including HTC) require the masters plus at least 3 years post grad experience - and there are lots of applicants with those minimal qualifications.

There are several threads in the past 6 - 12 months from folks like yourself - if you do a quick search you can find more details.

It never hurts to apply, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Soulfly2]

Bummer.

But yeah I'll try. All the posts I've seen about qualifications seem to be about people who have experience but not the Master's- I seem to be in the opposite situation.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Christ! Apply now, so I can drop my overtime...altho, I don't work for he "HTC"...

NCTBA

[ckhl]

Most tertiary employers (including HTC) require the masters plus at least 3 years post grad experience

I "got in" right after finishing my MA, but this was a long time ago, the mid 90s. Many were hired without an MA but were "urged" (ie required if they wished to get another contract) to work for their MAs once there. Another era? I had sufficient "pre-grad" experience, however, and a CELTA, which in those days was callled an RSA Prepatory Certificate in Teaching English to Adults. I was relieved when I joined the HCT that I didn't have to slog over an MA as some of my collegues were while working full time. It was done.

[Iamherebecause]

Of course, if you have relevant experience gained before you started your Masters that will count. I know people with shiny new Masters degrees who recently got jobs in the tertiary sector here, but almost without exception they were mid-career people who had pre-masters tertiary excperience.

[helenl]

and those with pre master's experience should apply - but they should also be aware that they are in competition with those with the "desirable" post grad experience - so their CV might be considered after the latter. That said, there's a lot of good to great teachers who don't have the Master's and unfortunately, in the GCC paper means a great deal, not the ability or experience one might have.

It's not fair, it's not even good sense, but it is what it is.

[Sunny Dawn]

Why not start substitute teaching in S. CA and do the Praxis tests (or the California equivalent) and get a Teacher's Certificate and apply to Teach Away?

If you feel comfortable doing Early Childhood education, the ADEC contracts are not ideal, but it does appear that the program will continue next year.

I'm in a similar situation, and this is what I'm doing. I will note that a lot of states now require specific coursework in elementary education before they will certify you, but there is a "back door" in some states through what is known as an "Alternative Certification" available to substitute teachers already working in the system.

In some states, including my own, it gives you a "Provisional Certificate" which qualifies you and gives you slightly higher pay for the substitute teaching you do. At least in Maryland, this "Provisional Certificate" is what every teacher who is not working under contract at a specific school is issued, making it certainly good enough to apply to Teach Away with, since they are not luring many U.S. teachers who are already under contract in their state's public system.

[Soulfly2]

Yeah, I only want to teach adults. But I have decided to stay in socal for a little while to get more experience. I figure I'll stay another year or two and then apply, even though I really don't think that I'm completely inexperienced. At the university, I teach the same classes that people with Master's teach, they just pay me less because I'm a graduate student.

We'll see what the future holds- but I am very determined teach in the UAE. I'll get there.

[helenl]

Adults - then don't bother with HCT, ZU, UAEU - they may be in their 20s but their maturity level in 90% of cases hasn't left 8th grade.

However, if you are flexible and can adapt to lack of maturity in an adult body - you can still be successful

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

God Bless the returning mothers that I teach! ... ...

NCTBA

[helenl]

Those are the other 10% I didn't mention

And aren't they amazing, a full course load, kids (and even infants at home and perhaps 4 or 5 other children - not counting hubby of course ), the inlaws and her own family obligations - makes me tired thinking of it.

[veiledsentiments]

I also found that they were very often a good influence on the others. Useful to cut down on the "whine" index.

Maybe I'm just the patient sort, but while the entry level was reminiscent of middle school kids (for all of the good and bad reasons), I found that the time period was also one of rapid maturing. Yes, we end up teaching them a new set of manners and rules along with SV agreement, but by the end of the first year, many of the students were unrecognizable from the silly little things that arrived in August. (and that goes for both males and females) And by the end of their second year, content teachers have a much easier job. As we've all said many times here... it is the classroom that keeps us there in spite of other employment negatives.

Wait... what was the topic of this thread again? Do we digress? Again?

Oh yes... this situation also means that older mature teachers will have an easier time dealing with the age group. Not sure how old soulfly2 might be, but I don't think of HCT as an "entry level" job in Gulf teaching for someone in their early 20s.

I can see two possible problems for you, Soulfly2. First off, to start next August/Sept, you need to apply now... BUT... they will not recognize your MA until you have it in hand. Some employers who require an MA will not even look at a CV with the MA in progress. Second, some employers don't count the teaching that you do while you study. I had a Fellowship and taught 10 hours a week every semester... no employer recognized that time. I was considered MA+0. That said, the fact that your experience has been in writing is good and you need to sell that in your applications.

My suggest is that you *must* attend the TESOL conference. Unfortunately this year it is on the other coast, but a face-to-face interview can often be the thing that helps overcome the thinness of one's CV (the term used rather than resume). http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/convention2010/

VS

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[Soulfly2]

I'm 29. I was in the navy, so I had a chance to visit the UAE, which is why I'm not really afraid of culture shock. Also, it couldn't possibly be as bad as being locked up on a ship a month or so at a time, but I am afraid of the heat a little bit. It was brutal over there.

As far as the maturity level of the students. I've read the posts. The ones about Saudi Arabian students are nightmarish. I've definitely ruled Saudi Arabia out. But in my 'limited' experience teaching I've taught many students from middle eastern countries, some immigrants- other international students, and they really seem to respond to my teaching style. I'm not a touchy feely teacher at all. In fact I read an article on the describing the type of teacher that middle eastern students respond to and it basically describes me- hence my desire to go. Well, that and the money- and the interesting experience of course.