Korean Job Discussion Forums

[balzor]

I am at a loss for finding good information on comparing different programs. Who here is doing or has finished a distance Masters and where did you get it done? Also any helpful search parameters would be great. everything i search is giving me all the same results.

[cyui]

George Washington University

[noobteacher]

Both Arizona State and Northern Arizona University have a bunch of online Masters programs, the tuition is quite cheap as far as graduate programs go, and the don't charge more if you are out of state/international.

[JAZZYJJJ]

Deakin University.

[HapKi]

University of Birmingham, Uk

http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/programmes/distance/tefltesl.shtml

They have distance programs in TEFL/TESL, Translation Studies, and Applied Linguistics. The link is for the first of them.

Your paperwork should be in 2 months before the start date (twice a year- April and October), so you still have time to make the April start.

[USANAK]

Check out University of New England for their Masters of Applied Linguistics. They recently added two TESOL units so now you can choose a Masters of TESOL as well.

http://www.une.edu.au/bcss/linguistics/maal.php

I'm half way through the Masters of Applied Linguistics, I'll be doing the two TESOL units this year, converting to a Masters of TESOL. I can say that the course is pretty good, though if your not great with grammar you will find a couple of the core units a pain: I'm dyslexic so it was a nightmare to say the least.

I was fortunate enough to make contact with others doing the course in my area so we worked on the projects together. Also, I found that my adult Korean students were a great support, as they knew grammar inside out and had no problem understanding the contents of the units.

If you have any other questions about the course feel free to PM me.

[Lastrova]

Every post here has espoused a different university MA program. This should tell the OP that it depends more on what he needs the MA for rather than the school--assuming the school is legit of course. Do you really need an MA? If not, don't do it. It's a huge chunk of time, money, and it really won't make you a better teacher. If you need it just for the paper, don't do it. The ESL racket is becoming a paper chase. Teaching is about getting in the class and making a huge number of mistakes, reflecting, correcting, and improving. Just toss several MA programs that you like into a bag and choose one. Frankly, the faster the better--as long as you're getting real class experience.

[USANAK]

I would suggest that the school is actually very important. Some schools suit individuals better than others, as do their programs. However, it is a fair point that what you need the MA for is an important part of choosing a school.

As for an MA not making someone a better teacher, that very much depends on the person and the program. My exposure to Chomski's theories for example, have definitely helped me as a teacher. I believe it is very useful for teachers to have a well developed, understood, expressible education methodology.

However, if someone wants to do an MA purely to have the paper, though I think they are missing out on value if they simply want to get through as quickly as possible, I still see it as being a valid motivation. For example, here in Australia I cannot work in government ESL programs unless I have at minimum a Diploma of TESOL: a masters is essential for some of the senior positions. An MA more than doubles the hourly rate, and is definitely a door opener.

Choosing a good MA program depends on many factors, the focus you want, the assessment methods you prefer, costs, interaction with other students and teaching staff etc. The OP is doing the right thing, gathering as much information as possible so they can make a well informed decision.

[Lastrova]

[balzor]

lol, I went on Vacation and forgot to check back on this thread. I appreciate all the answers and I will def be looking into it. I think I'll need to take the G.R.E. first as my G.P.A. is fail