Korean Job Discussion Forums

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

It's funny. Today, I just had an issue with this and perhaps found out why one of the recruiters in the Mid East turned me down.

I was talking with another recruiter with many positions there, and there was some confusion about what was meant by certification. I asked him to keep my in mind for other positions like international schools, and he said the problem with that type is they require you to be a licensed teacher in your home country.

I said I was and had that on my cv. I had written:

Certification
English Language Arts (grades 6-12)
ESOL (K-12)

He assumed that meant some certificate from an online program that is getting so common whereever you look.

I had to change it to make it more clear I meant a fully licensed teacher in both those areas --- which I had put in the cover letter...

I'm not one of those people in the K-forum that thinks all expat ESLers in Korea should have to have a TESOL certificate (of any kind) to get a job in a hakwon or public school.

I don't mind either way if the public schools require some kind of TESOL certificate. But in general, I don't think the kind of language teaching they typically require in hakwons or public schools requires a real or papermill degree in TESOL. I think anyone with a college degree, who has taken a foreign language, stands a fair chance of learning how to teach well enough to meet the demands of either after about 6 months. (I also think someone with TESOL training still takes a few months to get the hang of it once they start full time teaching.)

The overseas market for EFL couldn't fill most of the slots if it raised the bar on specialized degrees and teacher licensing.

But I don't think online quick programs leading to a MA in education is of equal value to the program I went through.

I've been to other graduate school programs too, and I don't think you could get the same value online and at long distance. Not having a college library to do the research would be a major problem. The in class interaction is also one of the most important parts of a college education - especially in graduate school.

I don't know anything about Canadian accredidation requirements or what reputation online degrees taken half way around the world have in Canada or Australia.

If you get one of these online, 8 month, long distance MA degrees, and you decide to apply for a Phd program in a regular university, what are your chances of being accepted?

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Charlie Bourque · Joined: 27 Jun 2010

I think I need to clarify.

What I suggested was an MEd, which is very different than an MA Ed. The MEd is a professional development program for those who already possess a BEd. It is not an MA in the traditional sense. The MA Ed usually has a thesis (6 courses + thesis) or course work (10 courses) options.

The MA Ed is usually for people wanting to go on to PhD studies, whereas the course work MEd is for those wanting more administrative positions within a faculty. The MEd is usually undertaken by people who want to boost their salary or be more competitive when applying for faculty head positions. The MA Ed is more for those looking to pursue pedagogy as a field of study.

There's lots of info on both on the uottawa website.

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

I saw this today that brings things back to the OP:

http://www.seekteachers.com/job-detail.asp?job_id=3813

The United Arab Emirates are looking to hire 100 experienced teachers for an expansion in a program --- but --- they won't accept qualifications from Open University.

I didn't know about OU before this thread and don't know about it now...