Korean Job Discussion Forums

[guyventer]

Hi,

I am looking into getting a masters in TESOL with the eventual goal of landing a university job. There are a few things I would like to find out about when applying for a uni job:

-Are MA degrees from certain countries favored? For example, would it be better to have an MA from the US than an MA from Australia? Are there any particular universities which are favored?

-Does it matter whether the MA is obtained through distance learning as opposed to on campus?

-How about this degree:
http://www.framingham.edu/graduate-and-continuing-education/graduate-programs/international-education-program/teaching-english-as-a-second-language.html?

Thanks for your help,

Guy

[Adventurer]

One of my co-workers got the Framingham MA. She said it was intense. You have to be quite committed to it. She completed it. I don't know about an M.A. from Australia versus the U.S. The Korean universities seem to simply want an M.A. from one of the countries under the E2 umbrella. I received my M.A. in the U.S.

[guyventer]

Thanks for your reply Adventurer! May I ask what master's program you completed and what it was like?

[nathanrutledge]

An MA program is an MA program is an MA program.

Let me put it this way - if you're an idiot, going to Harvard isn't going to change that. You get out of the program what you put into it.

Personally, I'm halfway through a MA in Applied Linguistics through UNE in Australia. It's been a lot of work. Lots of reading, lots of discussions, short answer assignments, annotated bibliographies, etc. Lots of the stuff is really up to the student. You want to pass - read the material, do the work, you'll pass. You want to pass with honors and top of the class - you better be putting in a lot more work.

I got a new job and being in a MA program definitely helped. There was no discussion about the quality of the program or the university name. That being said, make sure you're taking an accredited program, not some degree mill.

Also, there is a thread on here from ages back about online vs. in person. As I said, if you're an idiot, you're an idiot and being on campus isn't going to help that. I'd put my knowledge from distance education up against most anyone who did it on campus and feel confident.

Good luck in your search!