my dilemma

[awch]

Hi everyone:

Ok, I've mentioned before how I don't really have a lot of friends here in China- and CFL has really become a place for me to ask for advice, help- and recieve a lot of helpful input from everyone.

So I've got a little dilemma that has nothing to do with CFL- besides I feel that I have friends here- I don't really have people I can talk stuff over with or sound out ideas on here... so thanks for reading and answering me if you can!

 

OK- so a lot of you know that I have applied for my master's degree in TESOL and linguistics for next fall. But now I'm starting to have second thoughts- if I finish my master's in this I will be able to get a good job- but not in the US. So, now I'm thinking that since I really like teaching, working with kids, and I'm pretty good at it, I should really be applying for a Master in Education- Early Childhood Development or K-7.

 

This way I could get a job in the US AND somewhere else in the world (like China). But this would mean that I wouldn't be able to attend grad school in the fall- so what we would probably do is I would work for a year and start grad school 2006. That will put all of our plans back a bit- like returning to China, having kids... but I really wanna make sure I get a degree in the right thing- I don't want to spend time, money and engery on something that's not useful.

 

I'd really like some advice from people here- especially anyone who is a teacher. I'm not even sure what the requirements are for apply for a Master's in teaching- do I need to have my BA in this or student teaching experience? I looked at one school's website and they said no.. but any advice would be appreciated.

 

thanks in advance..

amber

[maiyademama]

Hi Amber,

Why not just apply for taking the Teaching Certification Course? I am pretty sure you can enroll very easily once you have a BA/BS. Go to the site of the University you graduated from (or which ever one you like) and see what the procedure looks like.

I dunno if that helps....but good luck!

[MoonCarolCafe]

If your BA is in teaching, try to get your MA in something that will compliment your BA degree. IMHO a MA in teaching is about about twice as useful as a MA in "Women's Studies". (A PhD in teaching on the other hand would be VERY useful.)

 

But then what do I know, I tell everybody I'm a high-school dropout.

 

On edit: The PhD in Education is valuable because it's a PhD. Not because it's a PhD in Edu.

[se_lang]

Follow the path that you love, then your work will be a joy and not work.

[lele]

Hi everyone:

Ok, I've mentioned before how I don't really have a lot of friends here in China- and CFL has really become a place for me to ask for advice, help- and recieve a lot of helpful input from everyone.

So I've got a little dilemma that has nothing to do with CFL- besides I feel that I have friends here- I don't really have people I can talk stuff over with or sound out ideas on here... so thanks for reading and answering me if you can!

 

OK- so a lot of you know that I have applied for my master's degree in TESOL and linguistics for next fall. But now I'm starting to have second thoughts- if I finish my master's in this I will be able to get a good job- but not in the US. So, now I'm thinking that since I really like teaching, working with kids, and I'm pretty good at it, I should really be applying for a Master in Education- Early Childhood Development or K-7.

 

This way I could get a job in the US AND somewhere else in the world (like China). But this would mean that I wouldn't be able to attend grad school in the fall- so what we would probably do is I would work for a year and start grad school 2006. That will put all of our plans back a bit- like returning to China, having kids... but I really wanna make sure I get a degree in the right thing- I don't want to spend time, money and engery on something that's not useful.

 

I'd really like some advice from people here- especially anyone who is a teacher. I'm not even sure what the requirements are for apply for a Master's in teaching- do I need to have my BA in this or student teaching experience? I looked at one school's website and they said no.. but any advice would be appreciated.

 

thanks in advance..

amber

Amber,

 

First thing's first. You *may* be able to switch programs after you start at the university and not loose any time. I have done it personally myself in the past. It is all a matter of connections once you get there.

 

Secondly, in terms of degrees, you should never think about jobs that it can open doors for. The fact is that unless you have a PhD, the doors may not open for you at all, and that any MS will be far better than none.

 

Thirdly, what do you want to learn? Only you can answer this question. It is the 2nd most important question that I ask people in this situation (and believe me, I get it asked often).

 

Fourthly, Why do you want to go to school? (the most important question)

 

I have more to share if you want, send me a PM.

 

Good Luck!

[LouRose]

Hi Amber,

First of all, are you really sure the degree you were planning on won't help you get a job in the US? I know teachers that had ESL and/or linguistics degrees that taught in the ESL department at my university. High school and elementary schools also have a need for ESL teachers - of course at public schools the ESL programs for immigrants are always underfunded, but private schools get a lot of international students that need ESL as well. I'm sure there are more opportunities that I don't know of. Maybe these are not like what you're hoping to do though, just some ideas.

 

I've also been contemplating going to graduate school (getting ready to take the gre soon, ick) and I'm stuck on that problem of whether to study what interests me or what seems a likely field to get a job in. Anyways, like me you're still young, so if you do decide you want to study something else I wouldn't worry about pushing back your other plans. You've got plenty of time! In the long run, one year won't make much difference and you might get some useful work experience.

Good luck with your decisions!

[awch]

hi everyone:

first of all, thanks for the advice from the 6 people that replied.

 

Taz- I think that I am leaning towards doing a teaching cerfitication since I already have my bachelor's, but I don't know much about it- I've been trying to look up some stuff on the internet, but being in China half the websites aren't opening up. If you have more info on this, can you please PM me?

 

Louisa: That's what I thought at first too, that I could get a job teaching ESL in a public school with this degree. But actually, I can't- I asked the program directors at the schools I applied to and they all said that no, for teaching ESL in a public school you have to be a certified teacher. They said that almost all graduates get degrees abroad- there a very few domestic jobs with this degree and they are very competitive. If I could speak Spanish, then there would be more options...

 

So thanks again- I think we are leaning towards me working and maybe doing a teacher certification part time. That would mean that we would probably stay in China until September so that we can work a little longer here. It's a little scary thinking about going back to the US with Xiao Ming not being able to work for a few months and me in school- no income.

[maiyademama]

I just PMed you

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Amber,

 

I am hoping to be in a similar situation very soon. I have a BA in Psychology and I've been working in a residential treatment facility that has a school. I applied for one of the teaching positions and there's a good chance I'll get it. In order to get it, I have to go back to school and work on getting a degree in Special Ed. while I work as a teacher.

 

I was going to disagree with you about the ESL, but, you're right, you need to be certified and speak Spanish or possibly Viet Namese to get a job. There just isn't any demand for other languages.

 

Since you have your BA, you can go on and get an MA in education. You could probably pursue certification along with your MA. Once you have enough credits for certification, you could start working, but continue on with your MA. Hopefully, the credits you earned to get your certification will apply to your MA.

 

Another possibility is emergency certification or a "Teacher in Residence" program that will allow you to teach while you go to school. You'd find programs like this in areas where teachers are in high demand, either location-wise (Inner city) or specialty-wise (i.e. Special Ed).

 

Good luck.

[tonyontherock]

talking about teaching, does any one teach in Shenzhen? Especially English to little kids or have information on kindergardens in English?

[LouRose]

I teach a lot of little kids and at a kindergarten in Beijing if you're interested, but don't know about Shenzhen.

[John & Hai Yan]

Amber,

 

Although I no longer teach, I have a B. A. in English with a minor in Education. I am certified to teach at the High School level.

 

I don't know this for certain, but I would assume most schools will require you to have a semester of student teaching experience. This involves someone, usually with a Ph.D. in education supervising your student teaching experience. I am wondering if you could save a lot of time and money by arranging to have your teaching experience in China, count toward your student teaching experience. This would be useful if you continue down the TESOL track. Also some schools may give you credit for "real life" experience. Of course it would be helpful to talk to the University that you would be attending, since they may have some requirements for you to fulfill while going through the "student teaching" experience in China.

[Davter]

My sister was graduated from Beijing Normal University and she got master degree, she also enjoys teaching. You can check out the website http://www.bnu.edu.cn/ I hope this could help, best wishes