Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cubanlord]

As of late, a lot of people have been asking about higher education. Several have questions regarding whether or not they should go on to a Master's or just get certified. I hope I can provide some helpful ideas.

Continuing on with one's education (i.e. past the BA/BS) entails quite an investment in terms of time and money. You will have long hours of research ahead of you as well as a good chunk of your savings depleted. Is it worth it? The answer lies within you.

Some may see it as intrinsically rewarding. In other words, people will further their education for the sake of learning. In turn, they will become better teachers. Others may see extrinsic benefits in obtaining an MA in TESOL. Advanced degrees usually demonstrate a mastery of a particular field and yield decent returns on investment (i.e. higher salaries, more prestiguous positions, etc.).

Some may not agree with the aforementioned reasons, or some may feel as if there are other reasons to continue on with one's education. The fact is, there are a multitude of reasons why one should persue advanced degrees. Ultimately, each individual will know what is best for him or her.

Conversely, some may not agree with continuing on after a BA/BS. They may feel as if the whole idea is one big waste of time and money. Some may feel content with what life has given them and feel no need to go through an institution all over again. This, too, is okay as long as people are happy with their choices.

Me, I am all for further myself in any way possible, especially in this particular field (i.e. TESOL). Since there has been an influx in the amount of people asking for infromation on MA TESOL programs, I decide to write up this little piece. Perhaps what follows this mini-article will help answer many questions people have had on these boards.

I have noticed that the same two universities keep popping up every time we discuss MA programs:

Shenandoah University � http://www.su.edu/sas/tesol - an accredited private university

And

Framingham State College - http://www.framingham.edu/dgce/me_tesl.htm (the link does not work, therefore we cannot see any information on this program . It has not been working for some time now. Try using this: http://www.framingham.edu/acad_programs.htm#grad � an accredited public college

From what I gather, there is one clearly delineating difference between these two institutions (from what I gathered speaking to a Framingham tutor at the KOTESOL conference and from my personal experiences in the SU TESOL program):

Shenandoah University (SU) takes more of a practical approach to EFL pedagogy. They require you to not only understand what you have learned, but to also apply theory to particular classroom experiences. In other words, theories and concepts are operationalized. Grand theory and practical applications of approaches are meant to go hand-in-hand.

Framingham State College (FSC) takes more of a theoretical approach to EFL pedagogy. They require you to show your understanding of the material through (if I remember correctly) 6 different assignments spread throughout the program. Theories and concepts are not necessarily operationalized. Rather, they require you to expound the theories. Practical experience is obviously given less weight (I can�t remember, but, I think they don�t require any type of practical applications such as observations, classroom recordings of your ability to correctly and effectively implement theory, etc.)

Now, it really depends on what you are doing. Either higher-learning institution will enable you to carry on to a doctoral program. However, those wishing to go on to a Ph.D. program may find FSC to be more helpful as they require a full thesis. However, if you want something more practical and more classroom-centered, then SU may be your choice. SU does require you to undergo a capstone project which includes a thesis and other work (the thesis isn�t as large as that found in FSC because there are other components of the capstone project which must be completed). Again, it all depends on you.

In sum, if you want to go the �theory� course, FSC may be useful. If you want to go the �practical� course, SU may be more useful. There are other differences (e.g. SU has several professors that teach in their area of expertise while FSC has a few professors that teach everything); however, those are the two major ones.

As certain as dogs bark, I can tell you that there are many more institutions through which one can further their education. I simply list two of the frequent repeaters on Dave's Cafe. Feel free to contribute any knowledge of these programs. Feel free to contribute to this discussion.

[The_Eyeball_Kid]

EFL Pedagogy = We Honestly Haven't Got A Clue, But We'll Turn Some Nouns Into Verbs To Make It Sound Like We Do

[Mr. Pink]

Well, the thing is if you go in person, a lot of schools have funding for doing TA/RA or marking assistant work.

In my province in Canada, the funding is usually 10-21k, so you don't end up depleting as much of your savings as you think, IF you can get the higher end funding, which many smaller schools should be able to give you.

IMO a distance MA is a waste of money. How can you do all the research you need to do while in Korea? How about the discussions that you get out of classes, or the experience of grading freshman papers, etc.

I am biased in that I think someone who does their MA by distance isn't really serious about it.

(However, if you are doing TEOSL, I guess this is the one exception, as you are working in that field. For other subjects though...how the hell is it possible considering the research you need to do?)

[cubanlord]

[Tiger Beer]

Definetely MA it. Now that I have a MA, I wished I'd just gone and done it years ago. Actually I'm thinking of a second MA now.

By the way, here are some better links to the Framingham program offered in Korea:

http://fscku.wetpaint.com <--- (This one is THE link specific to Korea)

http://www.framingham.edu/dgce/iep/programs.htm#MA

[lastat06513]

A sacrifice in time.
But zero investment in the way of money (except for the fees and books, of course)......thats the beauty of being a veteran......hehehehe



But I would say getting a degree past the BA/BS level would be a good investment in one's future, especially in the post-ESL job market because it would give the person more marketability in terms of finding a high-level/senior position in a corporation or even a lecture position on the community college curcuit, which ESL can lead to.

[Mr. Pink]

MA in TEOSL is pretty much only going to be a good investment if you wish to get into the best Korean universities, and it is going to be your career for quite some time.

I had thought perhaps you were thinking of MA in English Literature or MA in Education.

Like most things, I would say this is a personal choice. I do not want to teach ESL/EFL for the rest of my life, so I would never do this.

Why distance though? If you think it will net you a huge salary increase, wouldn't it be beneficial to just get it over with in a year at school program?

[cubanlord]

[djsmnc]

[thepeel]

Grad school is fun and a great investment. The doors that open with a masters is quite stunning. My better half did a distance ed masters in linguistics and it helped her get a great job in Korea, then Singapore (in PR) and then back home. My degree wasn't distance ed, but well worth it. It is an investment in time and money, but if you work hard you can be done your work by noon or 1pm everyday and free for the rest of the day to work, play, sleep, whatever. It is oodles of reading and writing, so if you dislike either, maybe find a professional program that will be more hands on.

My two cents is to apply for every scholarship you can find. Your undergrad institution should have listings of literally thousands of different scholarships, bursary's and similar that can help you pay for it. Apply for everything that you find and you will be surprised how much cash you can get.

Also, uni's love international experience on your CV. Hype it up. Talk about your experience and how it made you a stronger and more open man/woman. If you decide to do a PhD, teaching experience of any kind will help bump you to the top of any pile for teaching assistantships.

Lastly, you are never too old. In my program were people from 22-37, and we all found jobs we dig. It is an investment, and one that pays off very quickly.

...one more thing. Learn statistics. No matter what you study, learn statistics. If you can grasp graduate level stats, you can work in a very wide variety of fields. Understanding stats = employment. The points of contact between stats, econ, maths, and others are many. Even if you study TESOL, learn stats.

[djsmnc]

[cubanlord]

[Tiger Beer]