Job Discussion Forums

[Fred Brown]

I am 51 years old with a BA in Liberal Arts. I have spent the last 20 years teaching English in Taiwan, Korea and Japan � the last seven years teaching university level students at a private language school in Sapporo.

Things are getting tougher all the time in Japan, and the recruiting agencies keep bringing in thousands of new college graduates every year to compete with for fewer jobs and less money. Even with a MA in TESOL, in Japan, at my age, with all the competition, I wouldn�t stand a chance at a good university job.

I realize that I quite missed the boat 15 years ago when I was in Korea working at a university. My friend went on to start a distance master�s program, and has been working his way up the ladder at universities in Korea and Hong Kong ever since. He�s quite wealthy now, pulling in almost 80,000 dollars a year in Hong Kong, with three or four month vacations and all.

Anyway, last year I quit my job in Japan and am now back in the U.S., doing nothing.

I may just go back to the Far East, but I would really rather try to make, and save, more money in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Gulf.

Getting a MA in TESOL would take at least a year or two of time and money � I would first have to establish state residency for a year in the U.S.

Getting a CELTA would obviously be much faster and cheaper.

Considering my age and experience, does anyone have any insight or suggestions?

Would I really be able to get a much better job at my age, one with the good salary and even paid vacation, with an on-campus MA in TESOL? Would it ever pay off as opposed to the much more immediate CELTA?

Thanks!

[Richard62]

When calculating the salary employers normally take into account the experience accrued after the last degree was conferred. So it could very well be the case that a BA holder with 20 years experience would get a higher salary than an MA holder with no post-MA experience.

[nomad soul]

[Fred Brown]

Thanks for the advice. At the least, it seems that my age might not be the end of it all just yet, and that I might still have a shot at something decent with either a CELTA, or preferably an MA.

I understand that ideally I should have both the MA and two or more years post MA university experience for the better offers, but by that time I really will be getting on in years. Oh how time flys.

Anyway, I guess I will put off the Walmart application for at least a few more weeks, while I try to sort this out.

Thanks again!

[nomad soul]

Your concern about your age is understandable, Fred. But here's an idea to mull over: Get a CELTA in order to get into a better-paying teaching situation while you complete an MA online. BUT instead of a TESOL-related masters degree, go for an MA in Instructional/Educational Technology or Online and Distance Learning or Instructional Systems Design or something similar. Since you already have teaching experience, this will make you even more attractive to employers in both the academic and corporate worlds where instructional designers, e-learning specialists, training managers, etc. are highly-desired. Moreover, you'll have more job options as you get older because you could do this type of work in the US or just about anywhere internationally.

[Fred Brown]

[rainbowprof]

Ha ha . I hear you Fred. Too true. Once you have a CELTA in hand (takes 4 weeks I guess), you should try mass canvassing the ME. It's always a surprise which ones bite. I believe it's sometimes just a matter of timing. Perhaps some uni or college thinks they have all bases covered, suddenly they have an unexpected vacancy and they call in a person at the last moment- which might just be you. Then, foot in the door, you make a start. You could get another 10 years of work over there tax free!! And dive some of the best locations in the world that would be right on your doorstep on your weekends off. You just never know...

[Grendal]

[mcubbin]

Interested in this topic, and would appreciate similar advice. Experience as further education and university lecturer (art and design, computer graphics and multimedia) and secondary teacher (art and design), 17 years teaching f.e and uni and 5 years schools, all in the UK. Teaching certificates for both secondary and further education, B.A Fine Art, B.A Computer Graphics and MSc Applied Computing and hope to complete a full time CELTA course this summer. No ESL experience and I am 55. What are my chances of getting a decent paying job in Saudi and where should I be looking, my thoughts are that I should be looking for some way of pushing the I.T qualifications with the CELTA in the hope that it will compensate for the lack of ESL experience. All advice appreciated.

[nomad soul]