Should I get another degree?

[timtscott]

Hi I would welcome your thoughts

I am 52 yr old American. I can retire in 2016 and intend to move to Thailand.

I have a few advance degrees (JD and three unrelated masters). My education has served me well for my current career, but now I would like to transition into teaching overseas.

My work experience has been in public management, career development, human resources and social work. I am very comfortable in the classroom. I served as a training manager for years and now manage workshops and staff development.

I think my pension would be sufficient to live in LOS without working but I want to stay busy.

The question is should I just take an entry level ESL teaching position or spend the next couple of years seeking a M.Ed and teacher certification? Or are there other options?

I teach ESL as a volunteer right now but feel I am best suited for something like social studies. Quite honestly, despite my formal education, I struggle in explaining those damn grammar rules.

What I would really like to do is teach at an international university. I am not sure if there are many opportunities for someone without a PhD. My masters are in Social Work, Public Administration and Labor Relations. I have a Juris Doctorate, but it is a professional doctorate not an academic one. I don't want to teach law anyway.

I don't mind returning to school to get a M.Ed, in fact the prospect is kind of exciting, however I want it to be a wise investment.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you much!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Scott]

It sounds like you enjoy going to school. I would, however, think that an M.Ed. at this point in time would not be cost effective.

My experience in Thailand in general, is that they have minimal value for what a lot of foreigners have to offer. I've seen some very good and well educated teachers leave because of the frustration of having to deal with an archaic system that is anathema to good educational practices.

A lot of the teachers who do relatively well do not have degrees in education. They do what they are told and they are both reasonably happy.

That said, if have the degree puts you in your comfort zone, go for it.

Sadly, I see more teachers who want to live in Thailand than actually want to teach in Thailand.

[timtscott]

Thank you Scott. That is my inclination as well. I do (or at least did like going to school) but I'm not sure investing $17 to 20,000 dollars into another graduate degree would be wise.

I guess I will just try to land something with my current qualifications or at most invest in a TELF certificate.

I am ok with going with the flow. I realize one person is not going to change the system. I would follow established protocol and try to help the students where I could.

Thanks for the feedback Scott. It's much appreciated!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited November 20, 2013 by timtscott

[CraigSchuler]

That was rocket science.

[Suradit69]

It sounds like you enjoy going to school. I would, however, think that an M.Ed. at this point in time would not be cost effective.

My experience in Thailand in general, is that they have minimal value for what a lot of foreigners have to offer. I've seen some very good and well educated teachers leave because of the frustration of having to deal with an archaic system that is anathema to good educational practices.

A lot of the teachers who do relatively well do not have degrees in education. They do what they are told and they are both reasonably happy.

That said, if have the degree puts you in your comfort zone, go for it.

Sadly, I see more teachers who want to live in Thailand than actually want to teach in Thailand.

"I've seen some very good and well educated teachers leave because of the frustration of having to deal with an archaic system that is anathema to good educational practices. "

In other words they would be good teachers and those would be good educational practices if it weren't for the students and the schools that fail to recognize how wonderful these educators are.

Calling some approaches "good educational practices" and then saying they don't work here for whatever reason, is a bit like a doctor saying the treatment he uses is excellent but the patients keep dying. The point of treatment is to improve the condition of the patient. It's a good treatment if it's appropriate for the patient who the doctor is meant to be treating, not because it worked treating other patients in a different situation. If the doctor is frustrated because the patients keep dying, it's not the patients who are to blame for refusing to respond to his excellent but unsuitable treatment.

I've taught and been an administrator at the secondary and tertiary level in Africa, Pakistan, the UAE and the US. Each setting presented difficult and challenging circumstances for students, teachers and administrators, but in each of those situations there were excellent teachers who motivated their students, who overcame very frustrating circumstances and who worked with their students to achieve the goals valued by the students themselves and the people of the community they served. And there were also frustrated excuse-makers who blamed the system and the students and the parents, but never themselves, for the poor results of their good educational practices. Teachers, like doctors, are using good practices if those practices achieve good results.

Being a good teacher certainly means you should have an excellent understanding of the subject you are teaching, but being "well educated" is no guarantee that someone would be a good teacher. Usually those who are wrapped up in how well educated they are and what great educational practices they employ tend to be the most remote from the students they are meant to serve. The frustration they feel ought to be aimed at their own inflexibility rather than pointlessly blaming the system or the students.

Teaching is not easy and there will always be frustrations, but a good teacher constantly adjusts his/her approach to suit his students and the context in which they are working. S/he does not insist that s/he is right and everyone else simply must change their ways to fit the teacher's wonderful teaching practices.

[zeichen]

My only advice is to not make any drastic changes or plans or investment. Come to Thailand as is when you retire. See if you like living here, then find schools in your area that you would like to work at. A masters or any 10-20k $ investment would be pointless. There is no reason to spend that much for a job that will only pay you 1k dollars a month.

As is you could work at a English Program high school or middle school teaching Social Studies. You could also find some university positions that aren't EFL. For the best paying jobs yes you might need more relevant credentials but not always.

This is about the 3rd post that you have started relating to the similar theme. I think that you are over thinking this and if so you probably aren't going to be suited for the classroom. I think that being flexible is one of the most important qualities in the classroom and it seems that you like to have every thing all nice and tidy.

Good luck and enjoy your life.

[Scott]

A troll post has been removed.