|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
misher
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:35 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| Quote: |
| If one were actually working in a university department with only an MA TESOL in the U.S., it would be quire rare. And few EFL teachers in Korea have more than an MA TESOL. To obtain "western" tertiary/adult experience in the U.S., for example, there are only a few options with an MA TESOL - since it is not a content degree, like say an M.A. English/Linguistics, etc. The other problem is that in the west, there is no ESL "major" because all the education is already in English. So it stands to reason you won't get department work teaching ESL as there are no ESL departments. So university department work is just not possible, unless you're teaching in an MA TESOL program, which normally requires a Ph.D. MA TESOLers in the U.S. are left with unigwons (a.k.a. IEP's), community colleges, or language academies. The first and third are low-paying, and the second only offers a very select few an invitation to the full-time club with 90% adjuncts eking out an existence. None of these, by your definition, would qualify for any work in Korea. One could find work in say KSA and have "Kind Saud University" on their resume, but again it is foundation/remedial level work, not actual department work. Finally, I have noticed some Korean universities interpreting this two-year uni requirement differently. Some say any college-level experience while others insist on "university". Woosong University, for example, has the following requirements: "Master's degree (Education, English, or Linguistics preferred) and 2 years of verifiable English teaching experience." Another interesting thing to note is that in Korea, all their universities have "University" in the name - Koreans are really attached to this word. If it isn't there, to them it just isn't "university" English language teaching. Anyway, in the U.S., for example, this university naming system is variable. Take Cal Poly for example, or Vassar College, etc. These are prestigious institutions. But without the word "university" on your resume, you might easily get screened out. And again, even if it does say "university", in nearly all cases it is not in a department. One would not be qualified with only an MA TESOL to teach English majors in department on credit-bearing courses in the U.S. Ideally this should also be the case in Korea. |
Based on my experience trying to get a university instructor position in Canada with an MA in applied linguistics/TESOL this post is spot on and why I chose to change careers. Getting full-time status as a University lecturer for academic prep/ESL is next to impossible now. Trust me, I as well as many I know in the same age demographic have tried. It's doable if you're willing to live with very few expenses and to work on contracts for 10 years. Even then nothing could happen and you're 43 trying to piece together jobs in expensive cities to live in.
If ESL/EFL ia your passion then by all means do the paper chase. If not and you're doing it just to pay the bills then I wouldn't recommend it as a career choice. Any career that requires 10+ years of university and pays barely the median income in your home country isn't worth it. That is, again unless you're passionate about it. To the poster that thinks I should shave gone to the middle east. Yeah I could have but I don't want to be 48 years old living there. I eventually want to come home and realized that I would have to kick ESL/EFL and start over. It hasn't been pretty but I'm glad I did it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
