Job Discussion Forums

[MarkieP52]

So I've decided to go for a Bachelors and while I have heard that the actual degree does not matter (at this point I'm thinking of China) I don't want to walk into a situation with a Bachelors in Home Economics obviously. So would a degree in English or in Teaching be the better option?

[mimi_intheworld]

Solve the problem, do both: get a Bachelors in secondary education, emphasis in English.

[artemisia]

I think getting a degree does matter quite a bit - for China, too. You could do what the above poster suggested but you might also want to consider what you think you'll be doing long term. I assume you haven't done teaching before so is that likely to be TEFL or secondary school teaching?

If you think TEFL is something for the short term and are not interested in being a school teacher, then think about English Literature with possibly some linguistics papers and /or combining that with a TEFL certificate such as CELTA or Trinity College. Later you have the option of an MA in Eng Lit etc. and possibly pursuing a uni route of work through assistantships.
I'd also suggest talking to Faculty of Arts advisors at whatever uni you plan to go to as they'll hopefully be able to point you in the direction of a number of course combination options.

[MarkieP52]

Both would be the smart choice :p I'm in it for the long term for sure, but would be lying if I said the thrill of adventure wasn't a part of it right now, that's just my youth talking though and I can see myself teaching for years. Do you think it would be possible to get one, look for jobs, then maybe get the other one either online or in whatever country I end up in?

Also I am taking an online course to get my TESL through LinguaEdge....but in the future I'll probably go for one of the more prestigious ones.

Thanks for answering my nooby questions.

[artemisia]

[Prof.Gringo]

[denise]

Hey, I'm a happy liberal arts grad! Of course, I never actually used my BA in any job...

Thinking long-term, the way to make a successful career out of EFL is to get an MA/DELTA (don't know much about the latter) or get a credential and experience n your home country and then work in international schools. If you think you'd like to go for an MA later on, then the first degree shouldn't really matter. You will see an occasional ad that requests English degrees, but they're not the norm. If I were to do a survey of my 200ish colleagues and ask what their first degree was, I would get quite a range of responses.

I agree with Prof. Gringo--a degree and a TEFL cert. (shop around and find one that is widely recognized) are a good start. Then, if you find that you do want to stay in the field, you can look into further qualifications.

*** UNLESS you want to teach in international schools--then a BA in Education/BEd + a license would be the way to go.

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[artemisia]

[Prof.Gringo]

[artemisia]

I agree that many in ESL have got involved by default which is probably partly why there seem to be so many who are bitter about it, especially if they've got stuck there. However, this OP wrote specifically about teaching as something that would most likely be a part of future plans. That�s not to say other areas shouldn�t be considered but pursuing a subject just because it�s likely to lead to employment has drawbacks. For a start, if you�re not really interested in what you�re studying or find it difficult, you�ll either drop out or continue but probably at a lower standard than those who have a real facility for it. Secondly universities and colleges may produce a large number of graduates in engineering or business etc. who can�t find jobs because there is a glut of graduates out there looking for the same thing.

I would describe the Liberal Arts as educationally enriching as they often produce graduates that know how to think, question, analyse, research and come to conclusions. When I taught company classes, I quite often had small groups of departmental leaders or one to one classes with managers in banking and finance. They frequently commented on their recruitment drives to get interns into their companies from pools of recent graduates. They said they were often disappointed at the standard of recruits who couldn�t put together a basic letter or assess and come to decisions. I�ve read business articles from time to time that have made similar claims about companies looking for graduates who have these abilities as well as the communication skills to express themselves effectively.

Some degree courses, such as engineering will, at least in the long term, always offer a wide range of employment choices and probably a high salary to go with it. That doesn�t mean everyone will be able or willing to choose this as a career. I certainly hope not anyway. IMO, the world would not be a richer place for it.

[LH123]

While a BA in TEFL (or something similar) might seem attractive, I would hesitantly argue against it. A first degree can be delightfully vague, one doesn't have to devote oneself to specificities until much later in life. How about a BA (Hons) English? There's nothing wrong with that.

If, later on, you want to devote yourself more...well...devotedly, then there will always be an M.Ed Applied Linguistics waiting for you.

My point is that, with a Bachelors Degree, there is no shame in keeping it simple.

[denise]

I agree with the previous 2 posters. For a BA, I'd say study what interests you. If your interests happen to coincide with careers that are in high-demand and/or well-paid, or if your interests are more vocational, then your job search might be a bit easier. If, like me, your interests are completely impractical, well... you have the rest of your life to get further qualifications, go back for re-training, change careers, etc. Pursue what interests you.

EFL is an easy field to get into--the absolute lowest-rung jobs will hire people with a pulse, half a brain, and/or white skin (I know this last one sucks for a lot of people!). You couldn't get into medicine, engineering, law, etc. with any ol' random degree or four-week training course. On one hand, this leads to a lot of... um... weirdos in EFL, but on the other hand, it allows people a chance to try a new career. For those that like it, higher qualifications and better jobs can actually lead to a stable career--although this is more difficult in most of our home countries.

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[Enigma2011]

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[naturegirl321]