Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Eglayzer]

Hi all,

I graduated with a BA in anthropology which is my passion. After working in Korea for two years and traveling all over Asia (which was a blast!) I entered a PhD program for anthropology in the USA. I have been here for one year and have been a successful academic student. However, my department is apparently not well funded and I did not get funding for my second year.

I already have some debt built up, not an insane amount, from my BA and first year in grad school but to continue on in the second year would mean a $30,000 or more loan. At the end of my second year I might be able to have my masters degree finished (still researching this) at which point I could bail on the program in the funding continues to not be there but I am not sure if that kind of debt is worth it for an MA in Anthropology. It would allow me to teach at the community college level in the US, which I am not at all opposed to, but would it help me abroad? Could I get a Uni job in Korea or somewhere else with it?

So, looking for some general advice. I would really love to get my PhD in anthropology but I am just not sure if I should stay with my current institution if I am racking up this much debt this quickly. I am considering returning to Korea but it seems like a step backwards and I am worried about the long-term career prospects as an ESL teacher there. Should I get a TESOL before I return? Should I just stay in my school and get my PhD despite the huge debt?

Any advice from long term ESLers in Korea would be really helpful or from anyone who has had to make a similar decision.

[Zackback]

Just come back to Korea now. That debt after the second year is going to kill you.

[ren546]

Don't come back to Korea until you have at least an MA. You will look back and regret it.

Or, if you're really desperate, ask if you can take a Leave of Absence from your program. They'll just stop the clock and you can leave for a year or two until you figure things out. Your department will have to approve, of course, but since your funding was cut, I'm sure they will understand.

[PRagic]

I agree with ren546. In for a penny, in for a pound. You should at least stick it out there until you have your MA in hand. As you noted, that would qualify you to teach at the community college level in the U.S. With your experience in Korea under your belt, the MA might also open the door to a university ESL position over here.

Hind sight it 20/20, but funding is something you should have looked into before even making formal application to your university. Having said this, you went straight into the program with the intention of picking up your MA on the way to the Ph.D. This puts you at the bottom of the list for funding. Those coming in with their MA, and those at the completion point, will be funded first because your department will actually be able to let these people teach, and work as RAs or TAs. First year grad students aren't ready to do any of the above. The upside is that if you knock out one more year and get your MA, you may indeed be in a better position to get funded.

You could also put feelers out to other universities and look for funded opportunities to continue along to your Ph.D. Your current university will understand that you need to follow the funding trail if they can't come through.

And, hey, I know a guy over here in a tenure track slot in archeology. So it's not like there aren't positions over here for people in your field. Good luck to you.

[Eglayzer]

Thanks for the replies so far.

To answer some questions: Most anthropology students enter PhD programs without a masters so I am not on the bottom of the list for funding. I am a first year and I do have a TA position. The department told me that first and second year students are priority for funding from TA positions because they dont have as many outside the department funding options until after they get some years of experience in applying for it and have their masters. However, many anthropology departments at other universities do no even have a "masters on the way to a PHD option." Its all or nothing, so I was both careful to find a department that sounded like they would support me for a bare minimum of years and also that had the option to leave after a certain time should it not work out. I got unlucky to not get any outside funding at a very bad time in my academic carrier where I have to decide if spending money for a minimal MA is worth it.

I just calculated what my payment would be if I take out those loans and its to the tune of $850 a month!

[Eglayzer]

Taking a leave of absence is a great idea and I may ask about that. The leave of absence would also allow me to establish residency in this state which would significantly lower the amount of the loan should I need to take them out in the future.

[Eglayzer]

Sorry for the multi posts but I had one more quick question.

Would an MA in anthro really make me competitive for a uni job in Korea? That alone might be worth it because the thing I liked least about Korea had always been working with the young students. I preferred my older students so adults might be even better.

[PRagic]

The MA would at least provide the basic requirement for university slots in Korea. Having said this, positions at the great places to work are getting tougher and tougher to come by, and the competition for them is intense. In general, these programs tend to recruit and hire people with MAs in related diciplines (TESOL or AL, for example). To boot, a lot of the professional ESLers over here also have CELTA and DELTA certification.

Interesting the way the archeology Ph.D. programs work. My bad for making assumptions. Mine is in a totally different dicipline, and the MA is typically picked up either before entering the Ph.D. program or 'on the way' if someone enters the program with just the BA. Funding works much the way I described previously. I worked through grad school and paid cash for my MBA, and then my Ph.D. was totally funded from the get-go. No debt for eduction.

It does sound like a lot of debt for just the MA in archeology. If you think it might land you a career, though, might be worth it. Tough call.

[Eglayzer]

Thanks PR.

Anthropology is a weird one for sure so no worries. However, archaeology is just one subfield within anthropology. I study cultural Anthropology for which there are slightly less jobs and funding, and slightly more competition.

I don't really think that I want a career as an ESLer. I had fun doing it and think its a great back up career plan because I loved the travel and the financial freedom. For now I think I may just have to accept the debt and hope that the MA will open more funding opportunities to me in the future within my, or some other department.

[Swampfox10mm]

Maybe 2 out of 15 foreigners at my school have a CELTA, and that is because they don't have an MA already.

I'd stick it out and finish the MA. Get a loan. Obama will probably try to help you pay it off, anyway. With the now massive student loan crisis due to jobless people seeking to further their education because they can't find work, there is a chance Obama will throw a bunch of money at the problem.

http://business.time.com/2013/02/04/student-loan-debt-crisis-howd-we-get-here-and-what-happens-next/

A bunch of stories came out on this a few weeks ago, and Obamas crew has been working overtime to make it appear as if nothing is wrong. The threat is very real, as students build massive debt, then cannot find jobs to pay it off.

[big_fella1]

I don't know how your program works so I need to ask are you doing coursework or are you at the research phase?

You don't qualify for a university English teaching job by the usual methods as Korean universities now want at least MAs as they get more government funding.

If you need to do coursework, can you do it by distance learning or as an exchange to a Korean university?

If you have produced any papers, go back through your references, were any of the authors from Korean universities? Could you send them your work and see if they can hook you up with a university teaching postion here (to avoid the MA requirement) or would you be open to doing a degree in Korea, as I hear that there are scholarships avavilable if you ask.

Korea is very focused on BA to MA to PhD you won't get entry into a PhD program here. Even the Bologna process at the moment is fighting over how to treat British and other Commonwealth students who have an MA as an undergraduate degree, those that have a postgraduate MA but no bachelor, and those that did a BA got first class honours and were able to skip the MA and do 3 more years to get the PhD.

If you're doing research couldn't you come to Korea and keep studying?

The final question is couldn't you just take a bad part time job and stay where you are so at least minimising your debt build up?

[Eglayzer]

To answer your questions:

I am just a first year, so no, I am not in the research phase. I will be in the research phase around my third year, after I finish my MA.

No, my university does not offer distance learning and I highly doubt that any anthropology program does because of the nature of the work.

I have no published anything. I have a BA and one year of MA work under my belt.

I am not sure what grad school is like in the country you are from but getting a bad part-time job is a waste of time in the USA. I would likely be much better off taking out loans in order to have more free time to take classes which would move me through the program more quickly. Thereby, graduating sooner and starting to make real money earlier.

[Eglayzer]

I sent an email to the department chair asking about taking a break from school. If I took one year off I could gain in-state residency which would significantly reduce the cost of tuition, making funding easier. I am not sure if this is the best choice though given that I would likely just end up in a bonehead job for an entire year. Maybe taking out the loan is better so I dont waste time?

[watergirl]

So, r u paying international fees? Because, i think paying triple would b hard and so would maybe wait till u get that residency. 850/mth in loan repayment is workable, but substantial.

At the end of the day, I think everyone should go with their gut feeling though.. at least, that's what I've always found in my case.

I considered doing the ma and phd, but funding was a big worry for me as well, although tons of people do it.

[Eglayzer]

Thanks Watergirl.

No, I am not paying international rates but I am paying out of state tuition rates. The rates are as follows.

Instate 12,000

Out of state 20,000

international 35,000