PhD to Work at a Korean University? |
"I've just finished my masters in
TESOL and want to make a smooth transition into a university job in Korea. Any
advice on how to get into the game without any current uni teaching experience
because it seems like every position requires it. Is it worth it to get a PhD?"
Thanks for the question- it's a position
that many people in many industries around the world find themselves in. They
have the education, but lack the experience to get them the job in the field. The
catch 22.
Anyway, because your masters degree is in TESOL it will be possible
for you to get a university job in Korea, eventually so don't give up. I talk
about this very question in my book, How
to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your
Dreams and give
some suggestions such as working at a unigwon for a year or two or at a lower
level uni out in the countryside. I give an abundance of detail in the book, so
check that out if you haven't already.
As for the PhD thing, I've been around
Korean universities for the past 8 years and can count the number of foreigners
with PhD's working there on 2 hands, and possibly 1. The people that I have met
were those who studied something else besides TESOL such as English Literature,
Social Welfare or Engineering and were working in those departments teaching
content classes, as opposed to general English classes.
Since you have a masters in TESOL, I'm
assuming that is what you'd do your PhD in. In this case, it is a total waste
of time and money if your end goal is to get a job at a Korean university; it
just doesn't matter to Korean universities when they hire an English
conversation instructor. If your goal is to make teaching ESL your career and
move on to other countries or back home, then yes, possibly it is a good idea
but it really depends on your individual circumstances.
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