Korean Job Discussion Forums

[goat]

[quote="robbie_davies"]

[robbie_davies]

[quote="goat"]

[robbie_davies]

[I'm With You]

[Jodami]

[ThePoet]

Two sides to this thread I'd like to comment on. First, in the interest of full disclosure, I have an Online M.Ed. from Athabasca University and I also have a brick and Mortar B.Ed. In Canada, during tough government cutback years, my B.Ed. got me nowhere but temp assignments and substitute teaching gigs. However, even before I finished my Masters I was being headhunted into an educational support role based on the M.Ed.

Again tough government cutbacks forced me to look at other options, and I went to Korea (planning on a year, staying five). I like to believe the M.Ed. helped me get my foot into the door teaching at a university when I was in Korea. And as to the second part of this thread...I am so happy I went to Korea, stayed an appreciable length of time and was able to spend my vacation time in other countries to experience them. For those of my friends who have never left my home province I can see such wonderous growth in my personal journey and experience compared to them that I really have to agree with both Robbie and Goat who say that it is truly a privileged life to be able to travel and experience and see and do in such amazingly different places on the basis of a Bachelors and a passport.

But, to address the first part of this thread, now I am back in Canada, and now that my provinces' government has stabilized a small bit in terms of being education friendly, my Masters has once again put me in a position to earn a good living and maintain skills in educational technology, pedagogy, and the ability to consult with other instructors daily as an expert in my field. So to answer anyone who thinks an online masters is equivalent of toilet paper, it is not the Master's itself that is worth anything, but what you do with it, how you grow with it, what experiences you gain and the professionalism you choose to gain within it. If you choose to gain nothing by it, well you can do the same thing with an Oxford or Harvard MBA. I've never found anyone questioning my depth of knowledge based on the type of degree I have except those who do not know the reality of rigour in an online environment. Certainly there are still some bosses, hiring committees or governments that are draconian enough not to find out about the differences between diploma mills and actual academic grounding in a distance setting, but that is their problem, not mine.

[freshking]

Great post poet. I'm looking into doing the M.Ed from Framingham State. It's a hybrid of online with 400 hours of in class instruction. I'm American and I'd like to teach at the community college level back in the states in the future. Do you think that there will be a stigma attached to this education when trying to find jobs in the states? Do you know of anyone with experienc in a similar situation in the states?

[ThePoet]

Hi Freshking,

Good question. I am not from the U.S. so I don't know the prevailing attitude there, but I can tell you that, based on a count of questions from www.degreeinfo.com, it is becoming more and more common to see most universities and colleges offer online programs. They wouldn't offer them, if they didn't also honor and believe in them.

I also think that if you are getting a 400 hour practicum/residential associated with the degree, and Framingham State appears to be a well placed regionally accredited University, it would be a good program to come out of. As for being able to teach at a community college afterward, I can only tell you that besides my day job I am a sessional online instructor at a local university. It is based on my degree, in that I couldn't have gotten the position without the Masters degree, but it is also based on my experience in that I am teaching courses that count toward a certificate in instructional design.

It seems to me that most community colleges are looking for sessionals in one field or another and I see many ads for people who have the qualifications and experience to teach ESL in evenings or part time. These jobs tend to lead to full time employment if you want it, are good at it, you put in your time, and you enjoy it. I would assume that teaching ESL in Korea for a few years would put you at the front of the running for a position like that once you have the qualification. And if you don't want to teach ESL, look at your Bachelors degree and gain some experience in that field while you are working toward your Masters...Only a few years experience can get you into a community college as a subject matter expert.

It also depends on the type of programs your community college offers. My day job is at a polytechnic where the programs range from applied bachelor's degrees to apprenticeships in the trades. In some cases, a person might have a journeyman's certificate in a trade or something like an office management certificate as well as 3 - 8 years of experience in their field and be considered qualified to teach courses that lead to certification in their profession. That's when I am given the job of teaching them how to be an instructor and how to create materials that align to the outcomes and objectives they must teach. So you never know what a potential employer is looking for at any specific time but if you throw out enough resumes, one is bound to be noticed somewhere.

Hope that helps,

Poet

[Francis-Pax]

There aren't many experts on Dave's ESL Cafe. That is for sure!

I earned my MA in TESL/TEFL from University of Birmingham (UK) while living and working in Korea. I got a better job and made more money after I earned my degree. I am now doing my doctorate at a prestigious British university in addition to teaching at a very good university in the Middle East. Everybody who graduated from my MA course did much better than those who didn't.

I love these discussions. The more people who choose not to upgrade their qualification and skills creates more opportunity for me.

Keep thinking it is toilet paper...

[wooden nickels]

[Francis-Pax]

[young_clinton]

Obviously an online MA is more than just a toilet paper qualification. However when poised with the choice between a MA at a brick and mortar school or an MA that's online, I would obviously choose the brick and mortar.

[Francis-Pax]

[Jodami]

I've heard mixed reports from Birmingham's online program. A few coworkers are very unimpressed with their supervisors. Birmingham has been a top 20-30 UK uni for decades though.

Just keep in mind folks, an online degree will NOT be accepted in many of the better gigs in the Middle East.

[ttompatz]