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z3371538
Joined: 06 Sep 2011
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 12:38 am Post subject: MA Tesol grad in need of advice |
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| Hey all! I am about to graduate with my MA in TESOL from the University of New South Wales in Australia. I am an American. I have two years work experience on the JET program. I am willing to live in most countries except Saudi Arabia. Any places that have good jobs? I was leaning towards Korea, but the paperwork is crazy! |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 1:17 am Post subject: Re: MA Tesol grad in need of advice |
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| z3371538 wrote: |
| Hey all! I am about to graduate with my MA in TESOL from the University of New South Wales in Australia. I am an American. I have two years work experience on the JET program. I am willing to live in most countries except Saudi Arabia. Any places that have good jobs? I was leaning towards Korea, but the paperwork is crazy! |
You won't get anything spectacular for the first year or two AFTER your grad.
Most decent jobs are found by networking.
Decent jobs can be found in almost every country in Asia if you take the time to look.
clarification: decent jobs means reasonable class hours, some level of independence, good savings potential (US$15-20k per year) after deducting a comfortable living out of your wages.
The paperwork for Korea is a bit stiff if you are looking at an E2 (language teacher) but easy as pie for an E1 (visiting professor). The hard part is finding a job without being in the country first - the same as most countries if you are looking for something more than entry level EFL teacher.
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z3371538
Joined: 06 Sep 2011
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:19 am Post subject: |
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I was thinking of applying for EPIK and getting a job at a school for a year. Since I have a masters and 2 years work experience, I will be at the top of the pay scale. Then networking at KOTESOL and the like and getting a job at a university.
How does JET work experience work on EPIK? Does it count as full time? They call me an assistant language teacher on my letter of employment. |
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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:26 am Post subject: |
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| I did two years on EPIK - but a long time ago (97-99). I think it's probably a good way for you to get a foot in the door, so to speak. I reckon your two years on JET will count as f/t, but dunno for sure. Working for EPIK is hugely variable depending in the particular school/province you end up at, but whatever happens the money is fairly good and after a year you can switch to another employer in Korea ... if you want to. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:25 am Post subject: Re: MA Tesol grad in need of advice |
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| z3371538 wrote: |
| Hey all! I am about to graduate with my MA in TESOL from the University of New South Wales in Australia. I am an American. I have two years work experience on the JET program. I am willing to live in most countries except Saudi Arabia. Any places that have good jobs? I was leaning towards Korea, but the paperwork is crazy! |
Paperwork is pretty much crazy anywhere. Some places in Asia just require a CBC and apostillsied degree. That's really not bad. I hear in the ME you need more and that some countries don't accept apostillisations; you have to go through the embassy instead, which can be a pain if you �'re living in one country, your family's in another, and your universities in another.
tttompatz has got it right, it's all about networking. Try going to IATEFL or the equivilant. tesol.org has some good jobs.
You might luck out and get a uni job now. Dave's is always a good place to start. Higheredjobs.com is good. chronicle is good too.
Hopefully job titles shouldn't deter employers from getting a job. FT teaching experience usually varies from 15 to 25 hours a week, so if you did that, then you're good to go. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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A little piece of advice.
A freshly minted MA degree, even in TESOL, plus a couple of years as an ALT in Japan does not put you at the "the top of the pay scale". More experience with that degree, and certainly with several publications under your belt, and perhaps even with more years behind you (especially in certain Asian countries), will be what puts you up on that pay scale.
I don't know how Korean unis determine their teachers' qualifications, but just a degree will not cut it in Japan. That is just one example of how different countries do things. Moreover, even if you luck out, as tttompatz wrote, and get a uni job in Korea, it will likely not be considered with equivalent status in other countries. Very likely not.
Yes, JET ALTs' work is considered FT. But, don't overrate it. It's still only assistant teaching.
Finally, your wording is pretty subjective here, so I would like to ask something. When you wrote:
Any places that have good jobs?
... how do you define "good"? |
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Concepcion780
Joined: 10 Aug 2011
Posts: 32
Location: United States
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| I think he/she meant at the top of the EPIK pay scale |
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z3371538
Joined: 06 Sep 2011
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
A little piece of advice.
A freshly minted MA degree, even in TESOL, plus a couple of years as an ALT in Japan does not put you at the "the top of the pay scale". More experience with that degree, and certainly with several publications under your belt, and perhaps even with more years behind you (especially in certain Asian countries), will be what puts you up on that pay scale.
I don't know how Korean unis determine their teachers' qualifications, but just a degree will not cut it in Japan. That is just one example of how different countries do things. Moreover, even if you luck out, as tttompatz wrote, and get a uni job in Korea, it will likely not be considered with equivalent status in other countries. Very likely not.
Yes, JET ALTs' work is considered FT. But, don't overrate it. It's still only assistant teaching.
Finally, your wording is pretty subjective here, so I would like to ask something. When you wrote:
Any places that have good jobs?
... how do you define "good"? |
I ideally, once I have enough work experience under my belt, want to try to get a job at a community college or university in the United States. I know the market in Japan is really competitive. I am not even going to bother to try to get a job there at this point. I am attending JALT in November, but I doubt that my qualifications are good enough for anything outside an eikaiwa job. I never once said I was entitled to be at the top of the salary scale. I just said I was curious what was the best job for an MA graduate.
I am willing to live anywhere outside the middle east. I just want solid work experience that will assist me in the job hunt in the US later on. I would prefer a decent steady income, but I am willing to sacrifice that for good solid work experience.
What journals are good for a starting graduate student to get published? |
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wiganer
Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 9:08 am Post subject: |
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| z3371538 wrote: |
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I am willing to live anywhere outside the middle east. |
Have you ever been to the Middle East?
A MA TESOL graduate looking for work with EPIK - which is basically an assistant teaching programme for novice teachers, shows a lack of direction and ambition if you ask me. Did you really spend all that money so you could waste a year with EPIK? |
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JimJam
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 69
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| wiganer wrote: |
| z3371538 wrote: |
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I am willing to live anywhere outside the middle east. |
Have you ever been to the Middle East?
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Regardless of the social reasons for not wanting to go, is the market for MA qualified teachers still any good in the Middle East? Other boards seem a bit pessimistic... |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| z3371538 wrote: |
| I know the market in Japan is really competitive. I am not even going to bother to try to get a job there at this point. I am attending JALT in November, but I doubt that my qualifications are good enough for anything outside an eikaiwa job. |
Don't sell yourself short. A master's in TESOL and 2 years in public schools with JET can get you into something better than eikaiwa, IMO. Better, in this case, I will define as ALT from a dispatch agency or direct hire situation. The reason I use the word "better" is that it will look stronger on a resume to say you had any work at all in the public school system than eikaiwa. See below for an additional point on this, though.
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| I never once said I was entitled to be at the top of the salary scale. I just said I was curious what was the best job for an MA graduate. |
Actually, you wrote the following:
I was thinking of applying for EPIK and getting a job at a school for a year. Since I have a masters and 2 years work experience, I will be at the top of the pay scale.
So, did you actually mean (as Concepcion780 wrote) the EPIK pay scale? If not, then the way you write is very confusing.
| Quote: |
| I just want solid work experience that will assist me in the job hunt in the US later on. I would prefer a decent steady income, but I am willing to sacrifice that for good solid work experience. |
I do not know what American community colleges or universities require of their ESL teachers. I'd say find out and go for it. If they don't want experience from certain countries (or certain markets within), then avoid them.
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| What journals are good for a starting graduate student to get published? |
I have a list of a hundred or so. Some journals are very field/topic specific, so it can be hard to tell you which ones without knowing what you are researching. Other journals cover a broad area of interests. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| wiganer wrote: |
| z3371538 wrote: |
| I am willing to live anywhere outside the middle east. |
Have you ever been to the Middle East?
A MA TESOL graduate looking for work with EPIK - which is basically an assistant teaching programme for novice teachers, shows a lack of direction and ambition if you ask me. Did you really spend all that money so you could waste a year with EPIK? |
Though, those two areas are better than other places as far as pay goes: Korea and the Middle East have good salaries.
In Peru, for example, he could make $700 a month, with no flights, no housing, no visas. In the ME or Korea, he'd probably make at least 3 times as much, have flights, housing, and visas. It's all about perspective.
| z3371538 wrote: |
| What journals are good for a starting graduate student to get published? |
Any journal is usually good  Some are better than others, send your work to the best and the good and see what happens.
Last edited by naturegirl321 on Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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