Tefl.NET Forums

Hi everybody,

I'm looking to start a MA TESOL program in the spring and I'm hoping some people will share their experiences getting a TEFL-related higher diploma. Where did you go? Would you recommend the school/teachers/program? What would you do differently? Do you have any advice for prospective graduate students like me?

I've decided to get this degree because I want to make a career out of TEFL for myself. I need further qualifications if I want to teach in the education sector here in Switzerland and besides that, I really want to be a great teacher. I don't really want to leave Switzerland at the moment, so I'm going to take a distance learning program. My first choice was the New School in NYC, but they have been really aggressively marketing me since I expressed interest and that's not really a good sign. Other schools I'm considering are the Open University and Reading University.

Can anyone recommend some other schools I should check out? I'm also having a difficult time finding independent reviews of the schools, does anyone know where I can find some?

Thanks!

Ben

The OU and any public UK universities offering MA TESOL programmes are a safe bet. Several years ago I mentored a mature student (over 50) through an MA TESOL with the OU. I was left with the impression that if I had designed an MA TESOL course, it would have been almost identical, except perhaps for the choice of some of the required reading.

hello Ben,

I would be interested to find out what you have decided as I'm in a similar situation in Switzerland. My biggest issue is regarding the fees of the open university in the uk as it it close to 3 times the price when compared to a uk resident.

If you live in Switzerland but are a UK citizen, you might not have given up your rights to residency, particularly if you have a UK passport and a UK driving licence. If you do not currently own or rent a house there, the address of your paterents or of children will suffice. In which case you should be able to enroll with the OU at UK fees. You may, according to the type of course, still need to present for exams and/or project work.

I second systemic - I'm doing an MEd (Applied Linguistics) with the OU and am living abroad but pay UK fees. If you're time abroad is 'temporary' and work-related, like mine is, then you're definitely eligible for UK fees.

I don't think the OU offer TESOL though, or I'd have taken that! I've found them brilliant so far and thoroughly recommend them.

If you Google these three words distance ma tesol, you will get results for quite a few UK universities that offer an MA TESOL through distance learning.

TESL Canada Professional Standard 3 is offered as a MA in TESOL/MEd TESL by a few Canadian universities. You can find the universities that offer the MA in TESOL at http://www.tesl.ca/Secondary_Navigation ... ograms.htm

While currently six universities in Canada provide TESOL related MA degree courses, it appears to be unclear that these are offered as distance study programmes.
Many TEFL certificates do not count toward employment qualifications for public schools in Canada, but add-on faculty of education certifications in ESL do. Any local Canadian Board of Education will be able to provide more details.

Trinity Western University offers the program online (Practicum must be done on-site. Check with them if they can help you set the practicum at any ESL school in the world or if you have to come to Canada).
http://www.twu.ca/academics/graduate/matesol/