Masters in TESOL: Your Guide to an Advanced Teaching Degree

young student receiving results to her Masters in TESOLThis site aims to be the most comprehensive resource guide for you and any visiting prospective teacher looking to advance to a Masters in TESOL. You have full access to our resources including student guides, scholarship information, and career outlooks for advanced degrees in Education and teaching.

We’re also here to help you find the right  graduate program so you can research and quickly request a free information pack about any Masters in TESOL, MATESOL or Masters in Education program or school.

This website is a free source of information and explains how much your course will cost, if it’s worth getting a Master’s degree and how to look for the right financial assistance, including grants and awards. Once you’ve got your finances in place, we help apply for the course of your choice and, to help you find the right school and program for an MEd or MATESOL or other language subjects, we cover the specializations available when choosing a course, and explain the benefits of selecting one option over another.

You’ll find plenty of information on our site that can help you choose the best, cheapest or nearest accredited college for your Master’s degree or make the right choice for your future career path in TEFL, ESL, Applied Linguistics, or similar programs together with their specializations in teaching young learners, business or school administration.

We also provide a great range of articles that help you understand how to apply for financial aid, the opportunities for Masters in TESOL jobs, or the salary you can expect for different career paths. Lastly, we’ve put together a list of recommended website resources and TEFL/ESL books for teachers.

Teaching English as a Career Choice

If you’ve never considered teaching English as a Foreign Language or English as a Second Language, read our guides to job opportunities and how to make the most of this exciting route to travel and provide inspiration to students around the world.

To learn more about an MA in Teaching English either at a college near you or online via a distance learning course, then why not start with our financial aid guide and then browse our career guide, and look through our selection of accredited colleges offering courses in the language education subject area that really interest you.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your future career as a TEFL or ESL teacher, look at our jobs section that lists some of the latest jobs available for qualified teachers.

Good luck with your studies and do get in touch with any suggestions or ideas for new guides!

Choosing Your Programselecting Masters in TESOL modules

The first thing to do when choosing an MA or Master’s program that’s going to be right for you is to ask questions! Ask for a reference or two from the program director. Ask recent graduates if they are satisfied with the education they received and whether their courses have actually met the needs of their current jobs.

Next, move on to questions about the course:

  • What kinds of courses are offered in the program?
  • Are they more practical or theoretical in scope?
  • What specialisations are available?
  • What do past students think of the course?
  • Does the college have online or distance learning as well as campus-based teaching options?

Then ask questions about the university or college itself:

  • Is the university accredited? (We only list accredited colleges on this site!)
  • Can the college help me apply for grants? (Read our feature on government grants)
  • Can I transfer credits from my existing course?
  • How much will the course cost? And is it worth it?

We answer all these on this site but I’m sure you’re questions will branch out. For example, if you are interested in going directly into teaching after getting your master’s degree, you should stick to a practical curriculum. You will you will then want to know the job prospects and the help your university can provide in finding your job. If, on the other hand, if you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D., then look for a more theoretically based curriculum and perhaps remain as a researcher.

All of these questions and we’ve not even started to consider the teachers themselves! What do the faculty members specialize in? Ask the program director for details on what the faculty is researching, what courses they teach, and even about possible internships or assistantships. This will give you an indication of what the focus of your studies will be. If your interests are similar to theirs, you have a good match.

If you are interested in teaching in the public school system, find out if the courses lead to or satisfy state certification, and if they satisfy the requirements in any other state where you are considering certification.

Jobs: A career as an English language teacher

apply for your MATESOLIf you plan to make teaching English as a second or foreign language your major career decision, then studying for a Master’s degree, such as an MATESOL or MEd TESL is a great option. We have included a range of articles that explain what career options are available, typical salaries and the prospects for each job pathway.

The school or university you select can plays a very important role in getting you in to the job market: examine their job placement record; does the college have links with commercial TEFL schools who might recruit graduates? What percentage of graduates get jobs after they receive their degrees? Does the school offer placement assistance or career counselling?

 

Whichever route you decide to take, and whatever you end goal –  if it is teaching or writing, travel or language research – I hope you find this site useful, the guides relevant and that they get you a step closer to achieving your goal!

Last updated: February 28, 2020 at 9:53 am