Best MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics

[Jordan23]

Hi,

I'm looking at starting a MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics this year and am wondering which uni would be best. I'll be working full time (teaching in Japan) so am looking for courses which are 100% online (unlike Anaheim University where you have to make a campus visit each year). Other important factors are:

- How well-recognized the university/program is

- How long the course takes to complete (ideally 2.5 years or less)

- How much the course costs (1,000,000 yen for the entire course is about how much I'd like to spend)

I've heard good things about the courses offered at Leicester University and am at the moment considering studying with them. Any thoughts/advice?


Thanks in advance!

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by Jordan23

Hi,

I'm looking at starting a MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics this year and am wondering which uni would be best. I'll be working full time (teaching in Japan) so am looking for courses which are 100% online (unlike Anaheim University where you have to make a campus visit each year). Other important factors are:

- How well-recognized the university/program is

- How long the course takes to complete (ideally 2.5 years or less)

- How much the course costs (100,000 yen for the entire course is about how much I'd like to spend)

I've heard good things about the courses offered at Leicester University and am at the moment considering studying with them. Any thoughts/advice?


Thanks in advance!

There are two universities in japan where you can attend classes, Temple University or Columbia University. Both have campuses in japan. Anything else will be by distance learning.

PS You wont get a MA for 100,000 yen and Anaheim is not an accreditted university anyway.

[Jordan23]

Thanks for the quick reply KansaiBen,

Again, not really sure how well-recognized Leicester is, but their program is only about 100,000 yen with the yen as strong as it is at the moment. I think it is cheaper being that it is 100% online though. Any idea how much these programs you mentioned cost?

Thanks again!

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by Jordan23

Thanks for the quick reply KansaiBen,

Again, not really sure how well-recognized Leicester is, but their program is only about 100,000 yen with the yen as strong as it is at the moment. I think it is cheaper being that it is 100% online though. Any idea how much these programs you mentioned cost?

Thanks again!

Birmingham Uni has an equivalent MA program which you can do by distance (dont say online as that implies its a diploma mill degree) and costs about 1 million yen. Leicester (as are most UK degrees are recognised) sounds underpriced or PER year.

100,000 yen is about 500 pounds by the way. Not a lot of money for a 3 year degree.

More info here about graduate study

http://www.teachinginjapan.com/continuinged.html

PPS I looked up the Leicester MA TESOL degree

It costs 6, 000 pounds which in Japanese yen is about 1.3 million yen, not 100,000 yen.You missed some zeros. Check for yourself.

http://www.le.ac.uk/education/distan...esolindex.html

Temple in Japan costs about 2 million yen to graduate and Columbia costs 2.5 million yen. You have to decide if you want class lessons or do by yourself by distance. i graduated from TUJ by the way and was in the Birmingham program so thats where I'm coming from.

[Jordan23]

Hi,

Yeah, you're totally right.....I meant 1,000,000yen. I just double-checked the info they gave me and it's just under 7000 GBP for 2.5 years which works out to just over 930,000 JPY (with the current exchange rates). Not bad for an MA if you ask me.

Having classes on campus would be nice I suppose but not sure if it's worth paying 2X+ for. I'll have to take a closer look at Birmingham, as well as Temple and Columbia though. Overall, were you pretty happy with your TUJ experience? Would you study with them if you were to do it again?

Thanks again KansaiBen!

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by Jordan23

Having classes on campus would be nice I suppose but not sure if it's worth paying 2X+ for. I'll have to take a closer look at Birmingham, as well as Temple and Columbia though. Overall, were you pretty happy with your TUJ experience? Would you study with them if you were to do it again?

Thanks again KansaiBen!

The biggest advantage with studying at Temple is access to a well-stocked library and books when doing assignments. Doing at distance means you need to buy books yourself or have some means of getting photocopies, articles etc.

Taking part in actual classes with professors and interacting with other students was a big selling point. I enjoyed my time at Temple (I took 3 years to finish) and would recommend it to other students, but again its a personal decision as to whether to spend that kind of money. Its not cheap but some people do better by having the human contact when doing their degrees.

You have to weigh up the pros and cons of doing a distance degree vs a chalk and talk course as well.



As with any postgraduate program, a student thinking of embarking on a postgraduate program must weigh up numerous factors that will determine which course they will enter: cost of tuition, books, travel expenses to attend classes etc; "convenience" for the student e.g. the location of the campus--does it require extensive train travel, and does it fit in with the teacher's busy work schedule? The particular course of study, the reputation of the institution, the ease of transfer of credits will also be important factors. These considerations will vary from program to program and for individual teachers. (On a personal note, the deciding factor for me doing my degree at TUJ was that despite the relatively high cost of tuition it was possible to complete the degree while attending to my regular job, it did not greatly interfere with my teaching schedule, avoiding the need to travel overseas to meet residency requirements or to meet professors. Branch campuses also are in the process of developing extensive library facilities to include a wide selection of books, journals and academic articles for writing publications and assignments. Professors at TUJ are very accessible, friendly and helpful, and there is the chance to interact regularly with other students and staff. Many students in the program form small study groups when preparing assignments and for the final Comprehensive Exam. There is also an active graduate alumni association whereby present doctoral and former graduate students of the program throughout Japan can also network with other teachers for jobs and contacts).

Time: Can I afford two or more years or give up most of my evenings or weekends to complete the coursework? Am I free most evenings when classes are held?

Money: Can I afford to complete the course? The Temple program costs over two million yen over several years and the Columbia program about 2.7 million yen over three summers. (Graduates and alumni of the TUJ program are permitted to audit weekend seminars for free and attend regular 3-credit courses at a significant discount).

Entrance requirements: Do I have the necessary tertiary qualifications e.g. a good Bachelors degree; G.P.A. scores; academic transcripts and developed academic writing skills? If I am a native-Japanese speaker, do I have a TOEFL score of 550 to enter the course?

Location: Do I live near a campus and/or would I be able to attend classes regularly? Will commuting be a problem when deciding to attend classes? Will I have access to the library or resource materials for completing assignments?

Resources/Equipment: Do I have access to email, personal computer and word processor facilities? Is there a convenient (university) library for obtaining research materials and journals?

Goals and Motivation: Am I sufficiently interested and motivated in teaching, and the course content appeals to me such that I want to devote considerable time, energy and financial resources to completing the program? Am I motivated enough to research numerous articles on ESL to increase my knowledge about teaching? What kind of job, or area of specialty do I want to pursue, after graduation? If I am Japanese, am I confident of my academic reading and writing skills ?

[Jordan23]

It's really great to see that there are nice guys like you out there willing to share their knowledge/experience with others!

You make a valid point.......might be tough accessing books in Japan if you were studying by distance. Looks like I'll have to do a little more research on these distance-learning programs to see if there is any way of accessing materials here (online or otherwise). I did part of my BEd through distance and don't really have a problem with motivation, but I'm also sure that I would learn a lot more If I was able to have personal interaction with instructors/classmates. As for the classes fitting into my schedule.....I'll have to check where/when the classes are held to see if it would even be possible for me. Studying with Temple over three summers does sound appealing, but at 2.7million yen, it's getting a little out of the range I'm able/willing to pay.

Other than having limited access to reading materials, instructors/classmates, do you see any other downfalls to doing an MA through distance? Do you think that the degrees completed on campus are looked upon more favorably than those through distance?

I truly appreciate your insight KansaiBen!

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by Jordan23

It's really great to see that there are nice guys like you out there willing to share their knowledge/experience with others!

You make a valid point.......might be tough accessing books in Japan if you were studying by distance. Looks like I'll have to do a little more research on these distance-learning programs to see if there is any way of accessing materials here (online or otherwise). I did part of my BEd through distance and don't really have a problem with motivation, but I'm also sure that I would learn a lot more If I was able to have personal interaction with instructors/classmates. As for the classes fitting into my schedule.....I'll have to check where/when the classes are held to see if it would even be possible for me. Studying with Temple over three summers does sound appealing, but at 2.7million yen, it's getting a little out of the range I'm able/willing to pay.

Other than having limited access to reading materials, instructors/classmates, do you see any other downfalls to doing an MA through distance? Do you think that the degrees completed on campus are looked upon more favorably than those through distance?

I truly appreciate your insight KansaiBen!

I was in the Birmingham Modular PhD for 4 years but unfortunately had to drop out (lack of funds and failing marriage). That required a 6 month residency over 6 years.
The Temple course consists of 30 credits, of which 15 are compulsory (5 courses) the rest can be made up with 1 or 3 credit courses. TUJ lets you take up to 5 years to complete your degree so even if you do 2 courses a year you can take your time. The ERIC system is useful for obtaining articles though Im not sure if this is available online. ERIC is an electronic retrieval system where articles are stored on an electronic database. Failing that you have to get books on Amazon or borrow off friends.

TUJ has classes at its campuses in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. Columbia is in Tokyo only. Birmingham offers an Masters degree to students in Japan and they complete their residency in Hiroshima.

The only other downside might be the level of support you get from your supervisor. I can not speak for all of them but when I was doing my PhD sometimes they are very busy and they may not answer emails straight away. Dealing with the university student administration can be a headache too, as you have to do it by email or by phone.

[Bella Bowtruckle]

I've also been doing an Masters with Temple. Though some people here may look down on it I've been nothing but happy with the courses and learned a lot. It IS a large financial commitment but that's lessened somewhat in that you pay per course so it's not as painful as a huge lump sum. I chose that particular course because of the seminars - if I had had to work purely by correspondance with just a yearly seminar I probably would have given up fairly quickly. The chance to talk with other students and the professors weekly has kept me more or less on track. In addition, the contacts I've made have been invaluable, both from a social point of view and for finding out about job opportunities. I have to say I've been less happy about some aspects of the administration though.

From what I can gather Temple has a less-research based approach than some other courses, so it depends on your interest. Also, as KB said 15 credits are compulsory, and the other 15 are elective. I've been lucky in that the electives I've taken have also been interesting for me but that might not always be the case depending on where you are studying and what your area of interest is. There's not a huge choice of electives where I am (but, as I said, I've been happy with them). Birmingham uni has a very good reputation in the UK. Columbia is also famous, of course, and I'm not sure how Temple compares reputation wise.

[the soldier in white]

Originally Posted by Jordan23

Hi,

I'm looking at starting a MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics this year and am wondering which uni would be best. I'll be working full time (teaching in Japan) so am looking for courses which are 100% online (unlike Anaheim University where you have to make a campus visit each year). Other important factors are:

- How well-recognized the university/program is

- How long the course takes to complete (ideally 2.5 years or less)

- How much the course costs (1,000,000 yen for the entire course is about how much I'd like to spend)

I've heard good things about the courses offered at Leicester University and am at the moment considering studying with them. Any thoughts/advice?


Thanks in advance!

In the UK, Manchester, Portsmouth and Nottingham all also offer distance learning MAs in around that price range (at current exchange rates) which might be worth you looking at. I like the look of the Leicester course too and personally am leaning towards doing that. Ideally would like to hear from anyone who's done it recently before I decide though.

[Harp]

In 2007 I graduated with a distance learning Masters from Leicester Uni, I didn't do the MA in TESOL but their MBA in Educational Management (now an MSc) which was done through the School of Education, as is the MA TESOL.

My experience of Leicester was very positive. My tutor was responsive, answering questions and problems I had quickly and helpfully; of course it depends on who you get as a tutor, but mine was good. The two other important functions for distance learners, the library and IT support, were also very good. The library was happy to send photocopies of book chapters that I couldn't get elsewhere (subject to a limit I didn't reach) and also helped out on searches if I had trouble finding that 'key' journal that would make my essay. From the IT people I was set up quickly with all access and log-ins that I needed, not just for Leicester stuff but for online journal databases and other universities.

I only visited the campus once, when I was on holiday in the UK, as there was no requirement for taught classes or observations - personally this wasn't a problem for me, but I can see how some people might want some kind of taught component (and friend doing an MA TESOL at the same time as me through Aston (or maybe Birmingham) also had no taught component and he didn't sweat it either).

My only criticism at the time was that as a distance learner in Japan there wasn't much opportunity to talk to other students doing the same course to exchange ideas, talk through problems, b1tch about trying to understand wtf statistics was all about etc. I think they might have addressed this as I was completing my course when they set up a system called 'Blackboard' which also included online forums and study areas. Actually I had one other criticism at the time, that during the year I spent dioing the dissertation there was industrial action over pay (not just Leicester but most UK universities) so a module assignment wasn't marked and returned and no one spoke to me about it - it ____ed me off at the time but was ok in the end; however it shouldn't be a problem you'd have to face.

When my mind wanders to the possibility of doing a Doctorate in Education or a PhD, my first place to look at would be a return to Leicester

[Jordan23]

Hi again,

I haven't talked to anyone who has taken the MA TESOL or MA TESOL & Applied Linguistics from Leicester personally either, but a good friend of mine knows several people who have and they have had nothing but positive things to say about the program(s). Would be nice to hear straight from the horse's mouth though. Apparently Leicester's distance learning courses rely heavily on Blackboard, which is great for communicating with classmates/instuctors as well as for accessing study material. I used it while completing my BEd in Canada and found that it was a more open way to communicate than in the classroom......a lot of people are scared to share their opinions in class but feel less inhibited in the online forums. I do agree that the relationships built studying on campus in Japan would go a long way though, and am wondering if that's enough of a reason for me to pay double the money. Personally, having to commute to/from class after work every week would not only cost me a lot of money, but take away from the time I could be working on assignments (I live out in the Kawasaki area). At this point, I am still heavily leaning toward studying through distance. Good to know that Manchester, Portsmouth and Nottingham also offer distance-learning MAs. Will take a look at their progams this week.

Great to hear all of your different perspectives!

[the soldier in white]

Harp - thanks a lot for that info. Just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear.

[Jordan23]

Hi,

I've been trying to find reviews of the MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics course offered at the University of Leicester, but there doesn't seem to be much info out there. Anyone out there in the program now, or graduate from it? Is it a good program? Is it well-run? Would you recommend it? Any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[bustindownthedoor]

If you are an Australian citizen and you are looking to do an excellent online MA degree in applied linguistics I would suggest you look at UNE's degree programs. The cost is very cheap compared to many other universities. For the cost and the quality of the degree it is money well spent. The same type of degree would cost Aussies a small fortune through Temple University in Tokyo. An MA from UNE will get anybody a job at universities in Japan. UNE also have excellent online facilities.

[Jordan23]

Originally Posted by bustindownthedoor

I would suggest you look at UNE's degree programs. The cost is very cheap compared to many other universities. For the cost and the quality of the degree it is money well spent.

Thanks for the tip! I took a look at their website, and (being that I'm not Aussie) tuition would run about 785,000 yen which is about 150,000 yen cheaper than Leicester. Also takes two years compared to two and a half at Leicester. One their website they mention "UNE cannot get ‘Title IV status’ for the rather arbitrary reason that we have more than 50% of our students studying off-campus." Anyone know if this is a big deal?

Thanks again!

[betard]

I can't believe you actually have to pay for a graduate degree that's terrible. You're supposed to make some money while you're in grad school not get in debt! Don't these schools (Temple, etc.) offer any kind of teaching jobs with stipends/tuition waivers? I don't think people should pay a yen for grad school.

[sing_or_die_1818]

fwiw...

i did my MA in TESOL at teachers college, columbia university--but in my native NY... EXPENSIVE!!! ran up serious student loan debt, which i will continue to pay back for the next 5 yrs (for a total of 10 yrs at hundreds of bucks a month). having said that: a) the educational quality was excellent; and b) the name recognition probably played no small part in my landing a tenured university teaching gig... i have no idea how the tokyo campus stacks up, although i do think that one point to consider is that you'll lose the diversity offered at the nyc campus BUT u'll be in an environment tailored to those making a go of it in japan. this is probably a big plus, practically speaking--but check out the cost...

[Herbalicious]

Thanks to everyone for their informative posts!

I'm juggling between going home in the fall to start a teaching degree or applying for a Masters in TESOL/Linguistics. Preferring the distance MA option so far so I can work at the same time.

Despite the cost (I'm prepared to skimp a ton, I guess) I'm preferring Temple so far. Quickly skimmed thru Google and it seems that Temple is known for diversity and several programs seem to be highly-regarded. Don't know about the rep of the Temple TESOL program, but here's what I like about it:
- it's fairly convenient to get to their campus in Osaka for me (which ruled out Columbia)
- you can finish in less than two years if you pick up more courses/pony up the money
- it doesn't look like I'll need to write up a long research paper at the end
- the contact with profs and other students would be motivating
- plus the network of alumni would be good for jobhunting afterwards.

The heads-up on Leicester and UNE is appreciated. The MA in Applied Linguistics at UNE would be appealing to those without Linguistics backgrounds like myself. Cost and the option of finishing faster make UNE appealing; doing part-time distance at Leicester seems to be 2.5 years at least. Not sure how marketable Applied Linguistics is versus TESOL in Japan, tho.

Does anyone know much about the University of York and their MA in TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners)?

[Herbalicious]

Can an ex-student at TUJ or of the distance MAs give an idea of how much they spent on books and any other costs that came up outside of paying tuition?

[zengyo]

I have recently completed the MA Applied linguistics and TESOL by distance through Leicester University. ( due to graduate in July)

The fees were GBP 1050 per module and there were 6 modules over 3 years.

I spent about 30,000 yen per module on books, all of which were available through Amazon Japan which provides free delivery on orders over 1,500 yen ( most texts were in the 3,500-5,000 yen price range ).

As a distance student you are given acess to many journal articles online through 'Athens'. If the University has subscribed to the journal then you will have access, although some older articles (pre-internet) are unavailable. These are in pdf format so you can save them to your PC or print them out.

For most of the course I had to submit 2 hard copies of my portfolio for each module and also printed off many journal articles so spent a fair bit on paper and printer ink aswell, probably about 10,000 yen per module.

You could also request up to 50 articles or book chapters from the university library but it often took a long time for these to arrive. This meant that they arrived after the module deadline. If you desperately need an article then you can usually buy it online from the journal or the British library, although this is quite expensive.

Tutorial support was available but there was sometimes a delay in responding. You have to be aware of UK university holidays which don't always match up with the breaks between modules but instead fall during the modules. Some of the tutors are also part time and therefore not available to answer Emails quickly.

One word of caution: You can't rely on the exchange rate remaining constant for the duration of your course. When I started the rate was about 180 yen to the pound but rose to over 240 last year. Fees have to be paid when due at the rate on the date that your credit card is billed.

I found the course to be demanding in terms of time but very interesting. It is 'applied linguistics' and there many options and opportunities to tailor the course to either your own professional situation, or your own interests.

[Herbalicious]

Thanks for the reply re:Leicester! Now would be a good time to pay up for Brit tuition, I guess. Sounds like you're quite happy with Leicester. Can you give any insight on why you chose it over others? As a non-Brit I am clueless about the quality of their universities.

[zengyo]

I looked at several universities and initially applied for two. The other was at Surrey but they closed their programme. My first degree was awarded by Leicester so I already knew their reputation.

Some of the other masters programmes like Birmingham and the TEYL course through York required attendance for two weeks per year at times which didn't fit into my holiday schedule. I think with Birmingham you were able to attend for tuition in Hiroshima but for York it was either a trip to the UK or two weeks in Singapore.

I also looked at a couple of Australian distance programmes but couldn't clearly understand the course requirements and tuition fees from their websites. (USQ and Macquarrie sp?)

As I said in the post above just because the exchange rate is good now doesn't mean that it will remain that way for the duration of the course. Fees are due on certain dates and you will be billed after completion of each module not upfront for the whole course.

This was more than three years ago so things may have changed.

[Spiffington]

I'm tossing up between an MA TESOL from Flinders University in Aus, or the MA Applied Linguistics from UNE. Does anyone have any advice based on experience as to which kind of degree would be better recognised in Japan? They're obviously slightly different in content so I'd be interested to hear what people think about the differences between the two.

And for what it's worth, I completed my undergrad by distance with UNE from Hiroshima. Good university, no problems.

[gaijin ga iru]

Originally Posted by Bella Bowtruckle

Columbia is also famous, of course, and I'm not sure how Temple compares reputation wise.

Columbia is an Ivy League school with an excellent reputation. Teacher's College is consistently ranked among the best in the country. In US academia and in most professional circles, that Ivy League degree opens doors. Temple is a solid university (I did my BA at Temple in Philadelphia), but its reputation isn't nearly as strong as Columbia's. Again, I'm speaking from the US perspective. Many Japanese I knew seemed quite impressed by the Columbia name.

[bitteradjunct]

Originally Posted by Herbalicious

Can an ex-student at TUJ or of the distance MAs give an idea of how much they spent on books and any other costs that came up outside of paying tuition?

I did my MA at Temple in Tokyo. I got most of the assigned readings out of the library. I never bothered to buy the reading packs, I just borrowed the articles that weren't in the library from a friend. But in retrospect the beers I bought that friend probably ended up being more expensive than the reading packs.

But when I was there the profs went over everything that was important from the readings in their lectures anyway so you didn't even have to do much reading if you took good notes in the lectures. I was a bit surprised at the s____ feeding of info that went on in a lot of those classes.

Why is the word sp00n censored?

[bitteradjunct]

Originally Posted by gaijin ga iru

Columbia is an Ivy League school with an excellent reputation. Teacher's College is consistently ranked among the best in the country. In US academia and in most professional circles, that Ivy League degree opens doors. Temple is a solid university (I did my BA at Temple in Philadelphia), but its reputation isn't nearly as strong as Columbia's. Again, I'm speaking from the US perspective. Many Japanese I knew seemed quite impressed by the Columbia name.

I had a prof who taught at both Columbia Japan and TUJ. After a couple beers he told us TUJ had a much better group of students. He was speaking more about the Japanese students, their English level and study skills were much higher at TUJ.

[Herbalicious]

TUJ may have better students, but in the meantime Columbia's rep is the shinier apple. I'd prefer to study at either TUJ or Columbia instead of doing the online thing, but I'm getting itchy feet.

[bitteradjunct]

Originally Posted by Herbalicious

TUJ may have better students, but in the meantime Columbia's rep is the shinier apple. I'd prefer to study at either TUJ or Columbia instead of doing the online thing, but I'm getting itchy feet.

I'd agree the American Columbia has a better rep than the American Temple but in my biased opinion TUJ has a better rep than Columbia Tokyo. It has a longer history and also has branches in Osaka and Fukuoka (anyone know if that campus is still around?) so people down those ways have had contact with TUJ grads.

In any case I'd definitely agree either TUJ or Columbia beats any online degree.

[WillKill4Rice]

They are both a complete waste of time.

It's heresy, I know, but you do not need a degree in English teaching to teach English.

TESOL is a diploma mill industry

Having said that, enjoy!

[bitteradjunct]

Originally Posted by WillKill4Rice

They are both a complete waste of time.

It's heresy, I know, but you do not need a degree in English teaching to teach English.

TESOL is a diploma mill industry

Having said that, enjoy!

I admire your confidence. You obviously have decided that your life is complete without the university instructor salary, research allowance, travel budget, and vacation time that having a TESOL MA can open up to you.

In fact the support you supplied for your argument was so persuasive you made me realize I've wasted the last 10 years of my life. Tomorrow, I'm quitting my job to go back to my old TESOL-non-requiring ALT job.

[WillKill4Rice]

If you think speaking English under pretence of teaching is a job, well, nuff said.

If you can't speak English well enough to get into one of those courses, then nothing in the course is going to help you speak or explain it any better.

Some things are worth studying at university level. How to teach English isn't one of them.

Dont take it personally. What i said isnt a reference to you specifically and speaking more broadly, probably covers 80% of university degrees on offer.

[WillKill4Rice]

Originally Posted by bitteradjunct

I admire your confidence. You obviously have decided that your life is complete without the university instructor salary, research allowance, travel budget, and vacation time that having a TESOL MA can open up to you

This is going to be somewhat personal to your situation, given your specific reference to your amazing benefits.

Thats not a career dude. If you think at the end of a 30 year "career" doing that you will look back and say "Gee Im glad i spent my life speaking the English to others who wouldn't know any better" you need to get out more.

Ever heard of these careers?

Astronaut
Attorney
Dentist
Diplomat
Doctor/Surgeon
Ocean Yacht Sailor
Tycoon

I dont see too many English teachers at the clubs at which I happen to be a member. Maybe because of these kinds of peeps listed dont want to spend their energy talking to people who think that teaching is a career.

Travel budget? Vacation time? Are you saying you work 26 weeks a year, 4 hours a day at 150,000 yen a day?

[gaijin ga iru]

WillKill4Rice, what do you do for a living? Have you ever taught EFL? If so, how long and in what setting (college, conversation school, etc)?

[~Cohiba~]

Originally Posted by WillKill4Rice

This is going to be somewhat personal to your situation, given your specific reference to your amazing benefits.

Thats not a career dude. If you think at the end of a 30 year "career" doing that you will look back and say "Gee Im glad i spent my life speaking the English to others who wouldn't know any better" you need to get out more.

Ever heard of these careers?

Astronaut
Attorney
Dentist
Diplomat
Doctor/Surgeon
Ocean Yacht Sailor
Tycoon

I dont see too many English teachers at the clubs at which I happen to be a member. Maybe because of these kinds of peeps listed dont want to spend their energy talking to people who think that teaching is a career.

Travel budget? Vacation time? Are you saying you work 26 weeks a year, 4 hours a day at 150,000 yen a day?

Out of curiosity, what is your motivation for highlighting these points on a thread that is aimed at discussing which TESOL MA is the best to take?

Are you hoping to persuade the OP to change their mind and do a degree in 'Tycoon' studies?

Or, are you hoping to highlight the futility of 80pc of degrees by hinting at how exclusive your 'clubs' are?

Like I said, just curious. It seems like you are angling for a reaction.

[WillKill4Rice]

Originally Posted by ~Cohiba~

Out of curiosity, what is your motivation for highlighting these points on a thread that is aimed at discussing which TESOL MA is the best to take?

Are you hoping to persuade the OP to change their mind and do a degree in 'Tycoon' studies?

Or, are you hoping to highlight the futility of 80pc of degrees by hinting at how exclusive your 'clubs' are?

Like I said, just curious. It seems like you are angling for a reaction.

I sure hope people react.

Because Uncle Rice knows that most people going to university are wasting their time.

If you cant speak and read/write English well enough to get into one of those degrees then you shouldnt be teaching it.

As for what I do, its good, makes a lot of money, helps people in need, and allows me free time to pursue other things. But its hard to get into, learn and do and its not foro everyone. Money is not my priority btw. Rice is.

Tycoon studies. Sure, why the hell not.

[WillKill4Rice]

Originally Posted by gaijin ga iru

WillKill4Rice, what do you do for a living? Have you ever taught EFL? If so, how long and in what setting (college, conversation school, etc)?

Not really, unless you count the time I teach CEOs how to negotiate, and that is usually over a glass of Suntory.

What do I do? What do you think? Read my profile.

I eat rice.

If thats not clear, then there's a need for English teachers. There's gold in them hills!

[~Cohiba~]

Originally Posted by WillKill4Rice

I sure hope people react.

Because Uncle Rice knows that most people going to university are wasting their time.

If you cant speak and read/write English well enough to get into one of those degrees then you shouldnt be teaching it.

As for what I do, its good, makes a lot of money, helps people in need, and allows me free time to pursue other things. But its hard to get into, learn and do and its not foro everyone. Money is not my priority btw. Rice is.

Tycoon studies. Sure, why the hell not.

So, basically you like rice, feel that people who can't write well on a forum are not worthy of a TESOL degree, but that basically it's a waste of time to study higher ed anyway.

Best of luck with the Suntory. That really is the last thing I'd expect a rich man to drink. Unless he had no idea about good whiskey.

Enjoy the rice!

[WillKill4Rice]

Right, because the rich always drink 200 year old Malts, and drink their fortunes away in 3 months. Suntory isnt below Uncle Rice's tastes, grasshoper.

Thats the problem with teachers, you can never win an argument with one. They know everything. Have a great "career".

Uncle Rice wisdom for you.

[~Cohiba~]

Originally Posted by WillKill4Rice

Right, because the rich always drink 200 year old Malts, and drink their fortunes away in 3 months. Suntory isnt below Uncle Rice's tastes, grasshoper.

Thats the problem with teachers, you can never win an argument with one. They know everything. Have a great "career".

Uncle Rice wisdom for you.

Well, Suntory is swill IMO, and you don't need to drink 200 y/o single malt to know good whiskey. If only you'd chosen something with a little more class, then it would have been a watertight troll post.

No need to get tetchy. I'll enjoy my career, just like you're enjoying yours.

Let's enjoy Suntory times!!