Korean Job Discussion Forums

[matt7]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking in these forums for a few months now and am in dire need of some sage advice concerning grad school.

I've been accepted into 2 graduate schools to study Applied Linguistics and cannot decide on which one to choose.

I am 29 years old and have 3 years of experience teaching English to adults and university students. I would like to teach EFL as a career and move my way up into a university position so upgrading my qualifications is of utmost importance to me. I should also note that I will be married to a Korean national as well so I will be living here for the next 10 years at least.

The programs I was accepted to are Birmingham's Applied Corpus Linguistics MA program and the Applied Linguistics program at Columbia's Teachers College. I should also mention that I am not interested in distance learning/online programs. It isn't because I think they are invalid (they are and offer many advantages) but I'm not the kind of person that can juggle work and school at the same time and keep motivated. Kudos to the people who can!

I have broken down my personal pros and cons as follows:

Birmingham

pros

-The program has a lot more interesting choices for coursework. I can lean more towards the theoretical side and have less of the "teaching practices" side (ie TESOL).

-There is a thesis option which I am interested in because I will desire to do a doctorate in the future.

-The price is reasonable. Living in Birmingham is also not that expensive. I could probably do the entire MA for $25-30,000 USD and not have to go into debt since I've been saving for the last couple of years.

cons

-Birmingham has an excellent reputation and I'm sure the program is ace but it seems to me that everyone and their uncle is getting an MA these days in TESOL/Applied linguistics etc. I don't think this degree will stand out much in a pile of resumes with MA TESOLs for a decent university position in the future.


Columbia

pros

-Living in New York would be a great experience for me. I've always wanted to be a student there.

-The name brand would help my resume and ON PAPER set me aside from the increasingly more common MA TESOLs from distance education institutions.

Now again I'm NOT saying distance ed is inferior. I'm just saying that the old guard still rules and will favour an MA completed on campus from a well known institution. In the case of Korea, they go nuts for Ivy league schools and since I'm getting married I could use the name to help get more privates at a higher price. Perhaps even start a study room.

Cons

-The curriculum is geared more towards TESOL and less on theory. There is also less choice in terms of electives.

-The thesis option requires that you complete an additional 1.5 years (so 3 years total) and get an M'Ed. This is not something I can afford nor have the desire to do at this point in time.

-Price. The whole thing with living costs will be at least $60k USD. I have savings but this will mean debt for me. Is the name brand worth it? Some say it is. Others say that this MA is hardly a Law degree or MBA that will give access to a higher return. It is therefore overkill.

I do however want to teach in universities in other countries later on so the name should help.

I'm looking for advice from some of the people here who have attended grad school in TESOL/Applied linguistics etc. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Oh and I apologize for the post length for the people who bother to read this.

[ttompatz]

From personal experience (I hold 2 masters and an ABD), the brand name on the MA won't make any difference when it comes to employment. (it certainly never has for me).

The places I applied to and/or interviewed at simply wanted to ensure that I had the MA and that is was real. The MA on your CV just gets your foot in the door (interview).

It is what you do there, in the interview, that makes the difference when it comes to getting the job.
You can have all the pretty wallpaper you want and if you don't interview well you won't get the job.
(Yes, there are exceptions: IQ over 160, perhaps the next Stephen Hawking or Albert Einstein - but I don't fall into either of those categories).

It is what you do AFTER the interview that makes the difference keeping the job and moving up in academia.

Bottom line: Do what you can afford and will be sure to complete.

.

[silkhighway]

I can't compare schools or opportunities or anything, but one thing you shouldn't overlook is if will it qualify you to work in schools in America and if you'll ever be interested in that. The Columbia one sounds like it will if you complete a thesis. A big question to ask is can you complete your MA directly and then upgrade to the M.Ed. part-time and if you have the drive to do that?

[murmanjake]

These are the two courses I am trying to decide between right now. But I would do the Birmingham as distance, and within the next year. If I committed to the Columbia program I'd have to save for a few years first. Even longer if I went for the M.Ed.

I'd love to study in NYC though. And having the M.ED would open many more doors it seems as well.

Are you gonna marry your girl before or after you go through this course? Just thinking that the distance could be a strain on the relationship, as I'm assuming toting her along would significantly increase your projected costs.

[smurfetta]

Op- Does the MA from Columbia allow you to get your K-12 certification? If it does, I would consider going there over Birmingham.

[matt7]

Thanks to all that replied.

[ttompatz]

[Space Cowboy]

From what you've written, Birmingham seems like the better choice.

If you're going on site for the MA program though, I strongly, strongly advise you to apply for a program that offers a graduate teaching assistantship. I returned to the US to do my MATESOL on campus; the teaching assistantship didn't pay much (about 12,000 over 9 months), but I was given a full scholarship and single-coverage health insurance.

There are some really well-regarded programs that offer teaching assistantships that either reduce or eliminate tuition. Even just considering highly regarded programs, you could apply to Purdue, Northern Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia State, and Washington and get plenty of financial support. Attending classes full-time while fulfilling your duties as a TA is stressful, but it's totally worth it when you emerge from grad school with little to no debt.

You can even get some solid experience from a TAship. My program allowed me to teach ESL composition courses, which provided me with as much knowledge and experience as the classes themselves. We were also awarded a one-semester teaching "practicum" in the university's English Language Institute, so I have US ELI experience on my CV as well.

The salaries EFL instructors make, even at high-level jobs like those in the ME, do not justify paying 50-60k out of pocket, and you will be sinking yourself into a position where you will be coughing up savings for 2-3 years, not accumulating it. The sense of academic slavery you feel as a TA far outweighs the crush of debt.

Hope I'm not too much of a downer. I'm really happy I completed the MATESOL. Good luck with everything!

[cyui]

I am sorry, but couldn't help to notice how you made the statement about living there for 10 years soley because you were marrying a Korean National?

Maybe the because wasn't supposed to be linked but that is what it seemed like. If so, think you need to rethink this whole EFL thing and possibly your marriage as there won't be any ESL jobs left in the next year ( let alone 10).

[PRagic]

In general, better MA degrees get you into better Ph.D. programs. Something to think about. Having said this, I know a guy at UBC on a full ride for his Ph.D. and he did an on-line MA!

Then again, I know a woman studying at Harvard. She had an unrelated MA from a lower tiered university and had to repeat another MA on the way to her Ph.D. at Harvard. But that's Harvard. Both of these people are in TESOL or English-related majors.

ttompatz is probably correct in that the name on your MA won't open up too many more possibilities in Korea. The key is to get in and knock it out. Having networks and connections and simply having ANY MA can get you started in the right direction.

And like a famous professor once told me, nobody really cares where you did your MA once you have your Ph.D.! And once you have your Ph.D., nobody ever asks you for your GPA!

[matt7]

[HapKi]

For the OP, it sounds like you are fully informed of the Birmingham procedure for the MA, but for what it's worth I thought I'd mention that it's possible for you to do the first 3 modules of the degree (1 year) in distance mode (ie working abroad, etc.), and then go to Birmingham for the final 3 modules in intensive winter/early spring classes.

As stated in the student handbook-

"After you have completed three modules as a distance student it may be
possible to transfer to our campus-based programme, depending on whether places are available. If you choose this route, you complete the equivalent of your remaining three modules during our spring term, which runs from January to the end of March. (If you do this, you will be able to choose from a number of option courses which we do not currently offer in distance mode.) You can then complete your dissertation in full-time mode between April and September, or return to part-time/distance mode and submit your dissertation later on. Alternatively, you can complete all your coursework in distance mode, and come to Birmingham for your dissertation work."

From what you have said this probably isn't the option you're going for, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyways.

[oldtrafford]

Cheers for the insight folks, I've applied to Birmingham for the long distance TESOL. From what I've read it's going to cost 7,500 grand, what's the payment method in regards to the 7,500 grand please?