Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Conrad B Hart]

Hi all. I'm talking about a Masters Degree in a 'TEFL/TESOL' related field. I know it's not necessary to get one to work in Korea, but I'm trying to do a bit of forward thinking and planning and think that at some stage I'll need to get a Masters degree to make any career progress. So for those of you that have a Masters, was it worth it and what kind of job advantages has it given you? In Korea and in other Countries.
I take it that employers would think a lot higher of you if you had a Masters degree instead of just the basic CELTA/Trinity/TEFL certificate (100 hours+)?
I know I'll have to get a TEFL qualification pretty soon and was wondering if I should just skip the cert part and go straight onto do a Masters course.
('TEFL' would cost about �900-1200, Masters anywhere from �3000-�4000). Would investing in a Masters course at the much higher cost be justified (and paid back) in the future? Thanks in advance for any input.

Lastly, this is aimed at UK citizens. Does anyone know if there are any Universities here that have any degree of flexibility with Masters start dates (for taught courses) or do they all start in September/October only?
If I took a 12 month contract in Korea in say February/March time, then ideally I really wouldn't want to 'waste 6 months' of my life waiting around until September time to start a Masters.

Cheers.

[Starbucks]

this all depends on how serious you are on teaching esl. Do you plan on teaching ESL for more than 5 years?
If your just thinking of teaching for 1-2-3 years maybe and see where it goes, then I wouldn't do it.

[PRagic]

LOL. I finished up my MBA right smack in the middle of the financial crisis. The Master's at least got me a university position after my 'real' job uncerimoniously closed up shop. Decided I liked the university environment, so cashed in my chips and the better half and I went back to the US so I could knock out the Ph.D. Back working here, but it's a whole different ball game now.

The long and short of it is that the MA can't hurt you. If you want to stay competitive in the ESL teaching market, especially for the better ESL university teaching positions, then the MA plus a few other certs would be the only way to go. If you want to stay more flexible, and aren't looking to teach ESL in Korea very long term, you could do your Master's in something else. Your call, but higher level degrees never hurt if you're working in education.

Cheers, and good luck to you.

[DCJames]

[angelgirl]

We are in an EFL situation. Big Big difference.

[Conrad B Hart]

[Draz]

[AgentM]

[PRagic]

That's still very reasonable compared to the US. Of course, the cost of living might make the difference in tuition costs seem small.

[bassexpander]

Please get a TEFL certificate, like a CELTA.

That way, you'll feel better about yourself, and learn something. More importantly, however, I won't have to worry about you competing with me for university jobs in the future. I will be finished with my MA/TESOL in the next year or so.

Seriously, though... if you're not planning on teaching English overseas for the rest of your life, then get another MA in something else more useful back home. You'll still get university jobs with an MA in whatever over here.

[PRagic]

Pretty much echoing my previous posts so I can't help but agree. Plus, Bassexpander is usually spot on to begin with.

However, if you DO plan on competing long term for ESL university positions here, and then perhaps transitioning to a university job elsewhere, know that you'll probably be competing against people with their MA in a related dicipline PLUS the CELTA, DELTA, and other buzz and whistle certifications.

It never gets easier. Always need to keep upgrading, especially if you work in education.