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I'm planning on entering a post-bacc program this fall in secondary education. This week I met with the director of the teaching program at the college I plan to attend. He explained that I could take my courses at the undergraduate level, or at the graduate level and obtain a MAT. The college sent me my transcript evaluation today and I can receive my certification by Fall 2015, (4 courses this fall, 4 courses next spring and student teaching in fall 2015). I have some teaching courses that they agreed to accept that I took as electives at my current university, which is why the process is a little shorter.
My question goes back to the MAT. I know little about what a MAT is and I'm hoping to gain more information before I register for courses later this spring. I was told the MAT would be the same cost as the post-bacc degree, I would just take the same courses as post-bacc with additional work. Would an MAT be worth the extra work, or should I go with the post-bacc certification only? I cannot obtain an MED this way because the program requires different courses. I'm trying to get an opinion from a teacher's perspective.
All other things being equal, a Master's Degree may carry additional salary or stipend. In addition, if you ever plan to pursue an administrative position, you would need a Master's degree anyway. As well, you may prefer graduate level classes over undergrad, especially if you have been in the workforce for a while.
(I was in your position, and I ended up with an M. Ed.)
I'm planning on entering a post-bacc program this fall in secondary education. This week I met with the director of the teaching program at the college I plan to attend. He explained that I could take my courses at the undergraduate level, or at the graduate level and obtain a MAT. The college sent me my transcript evaluation today and I can receive my certification by Fall 2015, (4 courses this fall, 4 courses next spring and student teaching in fall 2015). I have some teaching courses that they agreed to accept that I took as electives at my current university, which is why the process is a little shorter.
My question goes back to the MAT. I know little about what a MAT is and I'm hoping to gain more information before I register for courses later this spring. I was told the MAT would be the same cost as the post-bacc degree, I would just take the same courses as post-bacc with additional work. Would an MAT be worth the extra work, or should I go with the post-bacc certification only? I cannot obtain an MED this way because the program requires different courses. I'm trying to get an opinion from a teacher's perspective.
It depends on the hiring patterns of the district you are most likely to apply to. Some prefer teachers with master's, this is especially true in states where teachers have to get a master's degree within a short time period. Others prefer to hire those with a BA only because the teachers are cheaper.
Currently I'm still an undergrad. I will be receiving my BA this May.
I would highly recommend that you do some teaching before you decide to get TWO degrees and possibly thousands of dollars in loans/debt for a profession that most don't last 4 years in.
Just my 2 cents. It seems like kids in college are either ignoring what's going on in education or have the "it won't happen to me" mentality.
It depends on the hiring patterns of the district you are most likely to apply to. Some prefer teachers with master's, this is especially true in states where teachers have to get a master's degree within a short time period. Others prefer to hire those with a BA only because the teachers are cheaper.
I'm most interested in working around the Philly area. I know in my area teachers were required to have a master's by a certain point. I do remember one of my math teachers was already taking grad classes and he just started his second year of teaching.
I would highly recommend that you do some teaching before you decide to get TWO degrees and possibly thousands of dollars in loans/debt for a profession that most don't last 4 years in.
Just my 2 cents. It seems like kids in college are either ignoring what's going on in education or have the "it won't happen to me" mentality.
Not sure what you mean by two degrees. I will either have my BA and my post-bacc teaching certification, or my BA and a MAT (which has certification incorporated into the degree, not just a masters itself). I apologize if I wasn't clear.
Where would you suggest I look to teach? I have applied for a few summer camps in the area, but I know being a camp counselor really isn't an actual teaching position per se. I have tutored elementary aged students in past at two different locations and was a camp consular for a few weeks one summer. I'm open to any suggestions.
My dad works for a school district and I've talked to many teachers he knows and their advice is pretty much across the board. They wish me luck, but let me know I will most likely search for a job for a while and if/ when I do find a job I will face many challenges. I assure you I don't have a naive mentality about what I'm planning on pursuing, and my decision hasn't been made lightly. I appreciate your honesty though. I rather that than someone hiding the truth.
I am a teacher at a charter school in an urban district in New Jersey. I find that urban and charter schools tend to hire more people with M.A.T. without teaching experience in my area. My advice is to research pay scales and policies in your state. It may not be financially worth the extra money or loans/interests to only get a small increase in pay per year. Finally, where I live some districts are thinking of having a universal pay scale based upon teaching experience, not education. Like others said research, research, and research some more!
I am a teacher at a charter school in an urban district in New Jersey. I find that urban and charter schools tend to hire more people with M.A.T. without teaching experience in my area. My advice is to research pay scales and policies in your state. It may not be financially worth the extra money or loans/interests to only get a small increase in pay per year. Finally, where I live some districts are thinking of having a universal pay scale based upon teaching experience, not education. Like others said research, research, and research some more!
The thing is, the post-bacc certification and the MAT are the same price. I would not be spending extra money obtaining the MAT. My BA will be in English with no teaching credentials. I can either gain my initial certification through the post-bacc program or the MAT program. Both take the same length of time to finish and cost the same. The reason being that the college I plan to attend tries to stay competitive with other schools in the area, which is why I will not be pursuing certification at my current college.
Given that its not about finances, I'm trying to see what route I would like to take. My main concern is that I will not be hired with an MAT because a district can hire those with only a bachelors, or post-bacc certification for less. On the other hand, I will very likely need to obtain a master's degree down the road if I am able to be hired in a teaching position.
How a district hires varies drastically form district to district in NJ. However, some areas have county school boards and I am not sure there about their processes.
Remember, if a district wants you and you want them, you can negotiate. It matters how strong a school union is for public school but for some publics and most charters there is room to negotiate. If a district wants you, you can always negotiate your step on the pay scale. Also, you should try to network in your dads district. Finally, most of the time teachers are not hired based upon credentials but by who they know, this is true especially in public schools in my area.
Hope all this helps
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