Korean Job Discussion Forums

pangaea · Joined: 20 Dec 2007

I want to get a Master's in TESOL and the most convenient way to do that for me is online. I just need to know how useful it will be in landing a job, specifically in an international school or at home in the US. If anyone has gotten a job with an online Master's, I would be interested to know what kind of job and which school you used. Thanks.

hugekebab · Joined: 05 Jan 2008

Nearly every teacher I've met here is doing the dirty business with an online Ma.

DCJames · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

yeah online masters are selling like hotcakes..

teacherinseoul · Joined: 18 May 2008

Schools in Korea don't seem to care. Post-graduate institutions in America would care.

teacherinseoul · Joined: 18 May 2008

Schools in Korea don't seem to care. Post-graduate institutions in America would care.

call_the_shots · Joined: 10 Oct 2008

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

An online MA in TESOL will help you get a pay bump if you already have the BA in Education plus certification in the USA. In itself, it's not something you take just to guarentee a job, unless you're planning to teach at a smaller local college, I'd imagine. The pay bump is why it's so popular in the USA -- the No Child Left Behind act makes additional education/certifications even more important. Are they accepted? YES, of course they are! About 75% of the teachers in my classes are state-certified public school teachers in the USA. They wouldn't be taking the course if it was worthless.

I can also become a certified teacher after taking the Praxis series of tests, and one more state test after my online MA is complete. Rules on this vary from state-to-state, as do what age level they allow the certification at. My home state (Iowa) requires the BA first before you can even take the online MA at most institutions. The state where I'm taking my MA (Missouri) has a different set of rules.

My current online course is extremely involved. We're studying from 3 books, a DVD of lectures, and online MyEducationLab materials and videos from Pearson. One book is about using the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) model in class. We have to produce our own lesson plans based on this model, apply them in classes, and report progress.

Just theory, my ass!

I find it extremely interesting, and am learning a lot. We also must post on discussion boards and hold topic/book discussions with our professor and other students. I'm networking with current teachers and learning a lot about teaching, testing, study, methods -- the list goes on and on.

It is NOT a cakewalk, and it's NOT all theory. Anyone who claims an MA is all theory either doesn't know what they're talking about, or is selling something else. Some weeks, I write papers of varying lengths. I've had to apply for grants. I could go on. You learn a lot.

An online MA can help you get a university job in the USA, although not a full professor position (you need a Ph.D. for that).

In Korea, it can mean a university teaching job... much the same. They call us "professors" here, but that's just an honorary term I prefer not to use in English due to cultural differences.

I don't plan on teaching in the USA -- for Korea, an online MA suits my needs perfectly.

Beyond that, what do you expect? Online MA's don't allow you the ability to crap gold bricks. They will help you get a job over the top of someone else without one. You'll need a Ph.D. to get to the next level, in any case.

Goku · Joined: 10 Dec 2008

[quote="call_the_shots"]

lionel · Joined: 07 Jan 2009

The cheapest online masters is not what you should be looking for. What you should be looking for is which masters is suited for what your post-degree goal is (within budget constraints). Spend a lot of time googling everything related to online programs, look at university rankings (make sure they are accredited in their country) and read forums where current and past students talk about their experiences.

From my own experience, I saw lots of people drop out of their online programs because they couldn't handle the workload while working full time. Make sure you're really committed before you start or you'll waste a lot of money.

Good luck.

aquaponics08 · Joined: 22 Dec 2008 Location: Korea

I finished an MS Ed in Online Curriculum Design from Cal State Hayward here in 2002. Took 5 quarters and cost a bit more than $5k. Now the same course is around $10k. I learned a lot and plan to do curriculum design when I go back to the USA someday. But I'm also becoming certified in a couple Adobe software programs.