Job Discussion Forums

[MsDooLittle]

I've been offered a place at a UK university to do an MA English Language Teaching.

Now that I am looking at the total costs; course fees, accomodation, cost of living, a year off work etc, I am wondering, it it worth the financial investment? Is it worth the effort? What are my chances of getting a good job at the end of it?

I'd like to do an on-site course as I can see this is best bet. However I'll be leaving a good (but boring, going nowhere) self-employed teaching job. My clients/students are mostly corporate bigwigs and government VIPs. I'm not interested in management - I'd like to continue teaching adults, but somewhere else. With just a BA + TEFL cert my options are limited. I'm hoping an MA will improve my teaching skills and open doors.

Is getting an MA the best way to achieve this? Or is it an expensive way to be over-qualified? Once I've left where I am, it'll be hard/impossible to return to what I have now.

I am very grateful for all comments / suggestions / advice...

[mimi_intheworld]

I think it depends on where you want to go next. There are some countries where it wouldn't really add much. On the other hand, having an MA could garner you a higher wage or put you at the top of the pile of applicants.

So I have a return question for you: why do you want this MA?

[MsDooLittle]

Professional development.... to improve my teaching skills, be a better teacher and move on to a better paid job elsewhere. Possible locations - Oman, Asia....

Having been doing what I'm doing for eight years I am looking for my next career step. My qualifications are pretty basic at the moment (BA + TEFL) and if I leave the country where I currently am I don't see many doors opening... frankly put, I'm bored. Need new challenges. Maybe an MA would help me out of this rut?

[sojourner]

Ms Doolittle,

What exactly are your career objectives ? eg, do you want to specialise in some area such as Business English, EAP, CALL, etc - or, do you want to try your hand in the better-type language schools ? Also, which countries happen to appeal to you ?

If you are interested in EAP, it would certainly be a good idea to do a Master's in Applied Linguistics - but, at the same time , it might also be necessary to have some advanced qualification in the academic discipline that you intend to apply your EAP knowledge to !

For upmarket language schools, maybe a Master's in TESL might be the way to go - or, possibly, a DELTA instead.

In your post, you mentioned that you regard an on-site programme as your best bet. Why is that ? Do you intend to teach in the M.E., where institutions/labour dept bureaucrats in some states are reputed to be a bit wary of distance education degrees ? If you don't intend to work in the M.E. , and are worried about losing a lot of money through having to ditch your current teaching commitments, why not consider an online/distance education Master's programme - especially one that is offered by a recognised uni ? If such programmes are a bit pricey in the UK, consider those that are being offered by Australian unis such as the University of New England (UNE), Deakin Uni and Macquarie Uni. About 4 years ago, I completed an MA (Applied Linguistics) through UNE - it took me 4 years to complete, but could have been done in a much shorter period of time if I had put my mind to it ! UNE's ok, but Macquarie has not only a much better range of units (ie courses), but is also Aust's main centre for Applied Linguistics/TESL. (Some of the world's leading figures in those fields, such as David Nunan, so I've been informed, have taught at Macquarie). In any case, Master's programmes that are offered by Aust unis are considerably cheaper than those being offered by UK/US institutions.

Something to think about !

Peter

[mimi_intheworld]

Okay, if you want to go to Oman or elsewhere in the Middle East, it seems the consensus (from my admittedly limited research) is yeah, get that MA. It's practically required. As is a teaching qualification...I think. For East Asia, it could help you out in a glutted market or give you university options instead of only carrying on as you are.

Additionally, if you are interested in the professional development aspect of getting this degree, I say go for it. Learning is always good. Assuming the program in the UK is legit, of course. (I thought that was a safe assumption, but other people know more than I do.)

[fluffyhamster]

[kaw]

This was discussed somewhere else though can't remember where but if you're really looking to go the MA route - why not find one where you can do the DELTA as part of the course - you'll get your theory and a lot of practical and surely 2 bits of paper are better than one.

[MsDooLittle]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Food for thought...
Fluffyhamster, those are really good ideas but I think part of my problem is that I am not bored with my work, which I really enjoy (although I do feel I could use some PD to tweak my skills), but I am bored with where I am. So combined with the need for professional development maybe it is time to move on...
Sojourner, the aforementioned is part of the reason for doing an on-site course, plus maximising the benefit of getting the MA. The DL MAs in Australia look interesting but I can't help feeling I should bite the bullet and just do it in one go.
Kaw, part of the course I'm looking at includes advanced practical teaching (BC recognised) and a module in technology in the classroom, which I am interested in. since I am not interested in management or DOS positions (I like teaching, not admin!) I think the DELTA would be superfluous to this and this MA of ticks all boxes. As you say, Mimi, learning is good...
So my question really is, will it be worth the financial cost? How easy is it to get a good job - better than I have now - after the time/effort/investment of getting the MA?

[MsDooLittle]

Career objectives - I'd like to continue what I'm doing, which is running my own business as a freelance English/business English teacher for adults (including students), perhaps combining university with private, perhaps in Italy, Oman, Malaysia...

[Zero]

Calculate how much it will cost you to do the MA. Will you be in debt? Count living expenses and also lost income. Then try to determine what jobs you will be eligible for, and how much more they will pay than what you could make without the degree. Then you can calculate how long it will take to pay for itself.

The dirty truth is that MAs, in any field, are rarely worth the money.

[MsDooLittle]

That's the dirty truth I was afraid of... already did that back-of-the envelope calculation.... the problem is I am just not sure how much an MA would earn in the long term... and its a heck of a debt to repay!

I would need to be earning at least �30k for it to be worth it. Can anyone give a ball-park idea of post-MA earnings?

[kaw]

With an MA you'll be eligible for the better jobs in the Middle East - as a rough guess a salary of about um......... �2500 a month (have a look on the UAE forums for a more accurate picture) - housing would be provided - or an allowance and of course it's all tax free - something it wouldn't be in Italy. Most university contracts are 3 years - with options to extend if it works out.
In Oman salaries aren't as good but still tax free and decent enough to provide savings - it just depends on what's more important - the money or the place...... Don't know anything about Asia I'm afraid.

Of course, you could always do privates while you're studying - you'd be in a prime location to doing some EAP teaching.....

[Dedicated]

I have to agree with kaw. Doing an MA is most definitely worth it, and demonstrates your commitment to an exciting career. You can quite quickly recoup the initial outlay, and spend subsequent years on a much higher salary than having a BA + CELTA.

Whilst at the UK university, you can easily pick up some part-time work or private lessons (minimum �25 an hour), and universities generally recruit staff for the pre-sessional courses from the MA students (average �625 a week). There is a real dearth of qualified EAP teachers at present, as the numbers of overseas students are increasing. Once you have done a pre-sessional, you have your foot in the door, and can be offered a full-time post (approx �33,000 a year).

If you want to travel, as Kaw points out, Middle East salaries are tax free + accommodation. How can you go wrong?

Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

[Otterman Ollie]

ıI know that some employers (mine for example) will pay a 5% salary increase to M.A holders, which should take you a while to recoup the cost and the lost income you may endure. Like most of you, I get a lot of unsolicited mail from "accredited" unis that will let you get one on line based on your life and teaching(if any) experience.
They sound tempting, the cost is a fraction of what some people pay to get the "real thing" whatever that is. At the end of the day its just another piece of paper that may open a door or two for you. Btw, most M.A holders that I have met, correction, all of them don't seem to be any better at doing what passes for teaching these days, they just have a better line of jargon and bs that sounds more plausible to the naive and unwordly wise. Oh to hell with it, just buy one, there you go 500 bucks!
No one else will know, cept you, can you live with it?

[J.M.A.]

I think the M.A. is definitely worth it. You will grow as a teacher. The payoff may not be quite as linear as you initially assume either.