Master of Arts (Applied Linguistics)

Justinos · Post by **Justinos** » Wed May 31, 2006 8:54 am

I am currently studying for a BA in History/Politics and plan to live and work in Japan as an English teacher upon the completion of my degree. I am looking at gaining a further qualification related to teaching English. I have noticed that a number of language schools in Japan either require or ask for a Masters in TESOL and i am just wondering if anyone reading this can shed any light on whether a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics is a useful substitute for a MA TESOL and in any case which course and qualification would be of most use to me as an English teacher in Japan. I realise that i don't need such qualifications to teach English in Japan but because i have a Japanese GF i am looking at a longer term stay there hence the enquiry about further qualifications to allow me to gain better teaching jobs there. Any ideas and information on this query would be greatly appreciated.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Wed May 31, 2006 9:43 am

I'm a bit confused. You say that you are aware that you 'don't need such qualifications to teach English in Japan', but also say that you 'have noticed that a number of language schools in Japan either require or ask for a Masters'. Can I ask which language schools (I presume you mean eikaiwa - private language schools - such as NOVA, Geos etc) ask for more than just a bachelor's degree (not even a CELTA or TEFL cert is necessary - sometimes "training" is provided etc)?

Perhaps by 'language school' you mean university faculty/facilities/classes (or at least very prestigious and/or full-of-itself private high school)...but were you aware that many uni jobs now ask for a PhD, published research etc? Also, even the uni jobs are going downhill (just ask PAULH on the Japan forum!).

Anyway, I was also wondering why you are considering investing in an MA before you've even tried TEFL (you don't mention having any initial, certificate level training or qualifications); that being said, working in the lower echelons for long - that is, as an eikaiwa drone or an AET - could well be enough to put you off teaching pretty quickly, eh!

Probably your best bet would be to get hired by one of the big eikaiwa whilst still outside Japan, or try for the JET Program(me) etc, come here, try to save like mad for a few years, and then perhaps do one of the MAs offered through institutes in Japan (such as the campus of Temple University in Tokyo, or the distance MA from the University of Birmingham offered through David English House in Hiroshima (attendance is only required in the summer, in Hiroshima)).

BTW, have you looked at the aforementioned Japan forum yet (access it from the homepage by clicking on the 'International Job Forums' link)? There's bound to be some info there if you search hard enough (and the 'Master Index' in the Thailand forum is also helpful), and you can always ask questions directly if you become a member of those forums too.

Justinos · Post by **Justinos** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:19 am

Thanks for your reply and the suggestions you gave me, they were greatly appreciated. I am sorry that my original post was all over the shop and made such little sense. Hopefully i am a lot clearer second time round.

I have a basic TESL/TEFL certificate level training course lined up which i will undertake following the completion of my BA History/Politics.

I intend to apply for jobs through the major Conversational English schools such as NOVA who can interview me and employ me from outside of Japan. However i do not intend to work for such companies over the longer term, i just need to start with such a company to get into Japan to begin with.

I have noticed quite a few job ads in which a MA in TESOL is required but i would like to do a MA in Applied Linguistics instead if i was to do a Masters in any field in the future. I was wondering whether a MA in Applied Linguistics is any more or less useful than a MA in TESOL or if they complement each other, especially where teaching English overseas is concerned.

Hopefully that reads much more clearly than my previous message and as before i would appreciate your or anyone else's thoughts on this.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:37 am

It can be tricky knowing which courses are (regarded as) equivalent academically and/or professionally (there is often a certain stigma - often unjustified - attached to distance courses, for example), let alone any "better" or "worse" content or approach-wise than seemingly equivalent ones; that is, you sometimes can't tell much just from the overall course name/award title.

It might help to identify which courses you are interested in and then see if anyone can recommend them to you (the International 'General Discussion' forum would probably be the best place to ask). If you're thinking REALLY long-term, it might be an idea to now start seeing which programmes (e.g. an MPhil) would give you a chance to do some serious research and help lay the foundation for a PhD.

BTW I'm from the UK and don't have an MA yet myself (but I am also considering doing one).

Justinos · Post by **Justinos** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:17 pm

Thanks for your help once again, i really appreciate it. I will take your advice and do some research on all the courses i might be interested in after i graduate and then i will post some messages on the forum you recommended to see what people say about them.

tigertiger · Post by **tigertiger** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:22 am

Fluffyhamster touched on an important issue.

You may get to Japan and and after a year find you hate TEFLing.

I am half way through MA Applied Linguitics with the OU.
I have to complete three courses for the MA
Only one is TESOL course.

I am now thinking of quiting TEFL. But the TESOL part will still be transfereable to other areas of training and communication.
All other courses are transferable.

www.open.ac.uk

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:30 am

Bear in mind also that to gain admission to some (most?) MA courses (especially the more popular ones), you will often be expected to have at least several years' teaching experience (on top of a reasonable first degree, probably some form of initial TEFL training, an obvious interest in AL etc).

Hey, why you thinking of quitting, TT?

tigertiger · Post by **tigertiger** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:25 pm

fluffyhamster wrote:
Hey, why you thinking of quitting, TT?

The people I have had to work for

The quaility of some of the white trash managers.-

Chinese corporate customers

to name but two reasons.

Sally Olsen · Post by **Sally Olsen** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:53 pm

Just my own experience but I would look on Dave's job forum and try to get a private school rather than work for the big ones likes Nova, Geos, etc. If you are as lucky as I was, the privately owned school will treat you like family and take you places, introduce you to the local people and give you a subsidzed housing placement where you don't have to pay key money. I realize that it is the luck of the draw but you might have a better chance of having a good experience. My friends who worked in the big companies didn't get to know their students because the students just buy tickets and don't come at regular times or can even go to another school in the same chain. They had a card where their lessons were checked off as done and you couldn't review with them even if they didn't know it. The big school teachers had to go to the school at a certain time and stay until their shift was over even if no students came. They often only hung out with the other foreign English teachers. We had school parties, school plays, teacher parties, teacher outings, and could come and go as we liked as long as we were there for our students. It was such a supportive atmosphere. The students asked us to their homes and took us on outings in the mornings (we worked afternoon and evenings). I still have students visiting me in Canada (one coming next week) 8 years later and regularly communicate with about 25 of my former students and teacher friends.
I would recommend the Applied Linguistics degree as well as it will lead you on to further things in your PhD. I think Macquarrie has been highly recommended in Australia and in Canada, I would recommend Carleton in Ottawa for a very pratical training.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 1:40 pm

tigertiger wrote:The quaility of some of the white trash managers.-

You mean they weren't good (enough for you) in b*d?

Many more jokes like that and I should rename myself 'etx 2'.