Hi everyone, looking for university teachers’ input if possible.
Currently I have two online post-grad course offers with one being an MA TESOL and the other a Master of Education (TESOL Specialisation).
I was just wondering with regards to hiring part-time ESL teachers, do Japanese universities typically draw much of a distinction between the two? (Is one seen as more desirable than the other?)
The M.Ed is 6 months shorter in duration, however, appears to have a lot less TESOL specific units compared to the MA TESOL (4 compared to what appears to be 12)
These are the two courses for context:
[https://www.griffith.edu.au/study/degrees/master-of-teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages-5727](https://www.griffith.edu.au/study/degrees/master-of-teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages-5727)
[https://www.qut.edu.au/courses/master-of-education-tesol-specialisation](https://www.qut.edu.au/courses/master-of-education-tesol-specialisation)
Trying to suss out what would be the most ideal option going forward. Naturally a course 6 months shorter is ideal, but if it turns out to be not as well recognised within the uni teaching circuit I’m thinking it would be better to go the MA TESOL route.
Hoping to head back to Japan again in the near future, but avoid the Eikaiwa bubble that I was in for a number of years. Thanks so much to anyone who can help, insight would be really appreciated!
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Btw, sorry if this has been partially answered to some extent previously! Did a search but couldn’t quite find the answer I was looking for.. Cheers!
6 comments
> MA TESOL and the other a Master of Education (TESOL Specialisation)
They most likely will see both, for the most part, as equivalent.
Probably same
Mostly this is a box-checking requirement for hiring / showing to MEXT that they have qualified people teaching, so on that level it mostly doesn’t matter what type of MA you have (MA, MS, MEd, MBA, MDIV).
Depending on the institution and how desperate they are, they might pay attention to whether it’s in TESOL or not and then they’re really not going to get into the vagaries of whether your MEd has as much as the MA — because it’s really about box checking on the formal level and perception beneath that.
On a different level, they will be unfamiliar with:
1. MAs that have no thesis requirement
2. MAs that are not two years in length
I would argue that the MATESOL is going to have a slight edge. In terms of a thesis masters vs a coursework based masters , no hiring manager ever asked me about it (I did a coursework
Based masters ) . Supposedly this is seen as inferior to a thesis masters but I got hired without issue.
In short…
– With a master of TESOL you’re gonna be an on campus eikaiwa-style tutor.
– A master of education (TESOL) is a TESOL. Same thing.
– If you have a research masters in education and can speak Japanese fluently then you’d be a class above some glorified eikaiwa monkey with a TESOL as you’d be delivering pedagogy subjects and the like (which a TESOL doesn’t prepare you for, it’s a crash course in ESL teaching for non-teachers and people working at eikaiwas who are looking to get qualified).
– Honestly I’d view a TESOL more as something you use to teach migrant English programs with in the west (which require it) rather than an entry into academia. That or something you might wanna have when setting up your own eikaiwa. It’s not a proper education degree and it’s not a stepping-stone into academia. It’s just a glorified eikaiwa ticket.
Wow so I’m in this exact situation as well, thank you for asking. Btw, where are you looking at studying and how much are they?