Job Discussion Forums

[dan]

i will finish an MA in TESOL/Linguistics in May and will be looking for a job soon after. however, ive noticed that most places ask for a TEFL certificate of some sort instead of an MA. is this employers assume not that many people have them, or b/c they dont value them as much as a recognized certificate? should i now get a certification (sigh) and if so, which one? I know much this probably depends on where and what I want to teach, but any general comments will be helpful, im sure. thanks.

[veiledsentiments]

Dan,

Amal's description is not correct for all the TEFL world. I taught for over 15 years and almost every teacher had an MA, almost all of them in TEFL/TESL or Linguistics. And, almost all of these MA holders were only interested in teaching, not in managing.

I got an MA because it opens up the possibility for higher paying more professional positions in much of the world.

I think it would be safe to say that most employers would be happy to accept an MA in place of a TEFL cert. (but the opposite would not be true that often)

VS

[ls650]

[denise]

I agree with veiledsentiments. Having an MA does not necessarily remove you from the classroom. MAs are required for many teaching jobs (the more academically-oriented ones, not the conversational ones).

d

[Cleopatra]

Universities teaching EFL in Britain prefer CELTA or DELTA certs over MAs.

Although i was a tfirst a bit surprised at this, having had experience of both forms of training, I can understand why. MAs give you lots of air-fairy theory and background knowledge on linguistics. Teaching certs - though less "prestigious" - give you much more hands-on expertise about what language teaching actually involves on a day-today basis.

If I were an employer, and was faced with two candidates who had only one of the above qualifications, I would take the candidate with just the CELTA - allother things being equal, of course. I really don't think MAs equip teachers for the everyday realities of teaching. Ideally, I suppose, a teacher should have both MA and Cert, as what the MA can do is give you an insight into the psychological processes of learning (although little is really known about this) which can underpin your teaching qualifications.

Some may disagree with my comments, but that's been my experience.

[shmooj]

Cleo is dead on.

The MA/cert divide is most keenly felt between the British English and US English variants. I worked my first full time job with two teachers from the US with MAs in TEFL who knew NOTHING about TEFL to kids in the classroom. With my certificate I was way ahead of them. I then went on to get my MA in TESOL/App LIngs only to end up at the British Council where they don't even recognise it unless I am in a senior teacher position. It is CELTA and DELTA with them and, as Cleo said, for good reason - they are ratified, controlled and standardised qualifications that are intensely practical in their application.

Despite having got my MA two years ago, I'll be taking the DELTA next year. It can't hurt and at least the theory will be a doddle for me.

[dan]

thank you all for you comments. in addition to my MA I have several years teaching experience. however, in these years i have probably developed a few bad habits, especially where theory and practice seem to diverge. I have heard of DELTA, but I am not familar with what it is and what additional opportunities it could afford someone in my situation. if anyone has any feedback, i would appreciate it. thanks again, dan

[shmooj]

Search this forum for DELTA as it has come up several times. DELTA would certainly help you weld theory and practice together again.

Think about your long term professional goals though and then see if DELTA fits that.