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There are TONS of things one can do with a teaching cert and English degree outside of teaching. It's not really pigeonholing. That's my background, and besides teaching, I've worked in journalism, legal services, and for several human services nonprofits with literacy projects.
I would say get hired now and don't bother getting your masters unless your school is going to increase your salary for it... Teaching doesn't pay well, especially at private schools, so you don't want to be adding unnecessary debt.
Depends on where the OP is located, but getting hired these days with just a BA is very difficult, especially for a subject like English and especially at a private school. It is not uncommon here in the Northeast for private schools to recruit and hire PhD's. One can certainly get a teaching job here with a BA but said candidate compete with candidates with more education and experience, so schools here consider BA holders last rather than first.
Also, IMHE, a lot of private schools care more about education than certification (and most don't require certification, although it looks good on a resume).
Depends on where the OP is located, but getting hired these days with just a BA is very difficult, especially for a subject like English and especially at a private school. It is not uncommon here in the Northeast for private schools to recruit and hire PhD's. One can certainly get a teaching job here with a BA but said candidate compete with candidates with more education and experience, so schools here consider BA holders last rather than first.
Also, IMHE, a lot of private schools care more about education than certification (and most don't require certification, although it looks good on a resume).
I'm not much familiar with super fancy private schools back east (besides knowing I want nothing to do with them). But my advice still stands, if you can work now you should.
I'm not much familiar with super fancy private schools back east (besides knowing I want nothing to do with them). But my advice still stands, if you can work now you should.
Seriously? I'll admit that there are many prestigious private schools here (most of them boarding) but your statement is a dated stereotype, which isn't going to help the OP much.
I know A LOT of private schools here that are anything but "fancy" but that are still able to recruit PhD candidates, especially in a subject like English. It just isn't realistic to enter the job market as a potential teacher with just a BA [in English].
I'm not much familiar with super fancy private schools back east (besides knowing I want nothing to do with them). But my advice still stands, if you can work now you should.
I agree less debt is better. A lot of schools don't require anything above a BA, and many don't even require a teaching license. I've considered private school, in the past, but the pay and lack of qualifications turned me off. Maybe things have changed in the past few years.
Seriously? I'll admit that there are many prestigious private schools here (most of them boarding) but your statement is a dated stereotype, which isn't going to help the OP much.
I know A LOT of private schools here that are anything but "fancy" but that are still able to recruit PhD candidates, especially in a subject like English. It just isn't realistic to enter the job market as a potential teacher with just a BA [in English].
And what do these egalitarian working class private schools pay to their teaching staff exclusively made up of PhDs? Because if it isn't at least double what you can make in a public school with a BS/BA I don't know how that career track would be advisable for anyone without significant family wealth.
Of those about 11k have high school level classes. Most teachers leave the profession in the first 5 years. It is a very difficult job. You want to make sure you're not over limited in your opportunities. You want to make sure you can do something else just in case it doesn't work out.
A Master's degree in English is considered to be a higher quality degree than one in education. That's because in English you'll be studying literature (and/or rhetoric) rather than theories of pedagogy.
I have a Master's degree in English. It required me to take two years of course work in literature, writing research papers and taking exams in each course. It also required me to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (I chose French), and to pass difficult oral and written final exams. I chose a non-thesis program.
My degree was tuition-free because I had a teaching assistantship, i.e., I taught two sections of freshman composition each semester while I was a full-time graduate student.
Does your choice of degree (English vs. education) matter to the private schools where you hope to teach? Probably to some, maybe not so much to others.
And what do these egalitarian working class private schools pay to their teaching staff exclusively made up of PhDs? Because if it isn't at least double what you can make in a public school with a BS/BA I don't know how that career track would be advisable for anyone without significant family wealth.
I never mentioned private schools that were "egalitarian" and "working class"; I stated that there are private schools that aren't prestigious (ie. well-known) and that even those schools manage to recruit PhD's. And please direct that hostility that you clearly feel towards private schools somewhere else instead of at the messenger
FYI, I know a lot of teachers who are making 80K (at both public and private secondary schools) with a PhD.
But the OP's question wasn't re: whether to get a BA or MA; it was whether to get an MA in English or in Education. And, given the OP's location, I think an MA is essential.
To the OP: it really depends on what you want to do. If you know that you love teaching and can't wait to take courses in behavioral management and applied psych, then get an MA in Education. If you are not sure about your career path and love to read and analyze texts, then get an MA in English, which will allow you to keep your options open wrt a career.
I never mentioned private schools that were "egalitarian" and "working class"; I stated that there are private schools that aren't prestigious (ie. well-known) and that even those schools manage to recruit PhD's. And please direct that hostility that you clearly feel towards private schools somewhere else instead of at the messenger
FYI, I know a lot of teachers who are making 80K (at both public and private secondary schools) with a PhD.
But the OP's question wasn't re: whether to get a BA or MA; it was whether to get an MA in English or in Education. And, given the OP's location, I think an MA is essential.
To the OP: it really depends on what you want to do. If you know that you love teaching and can't wait to take courses in behavioral management and applied psych, then get an MA in Education. If you are not sure about your career path and love to read and analyze texts, then get an MA in English, which will allow you to keep your options open wrt a career.
Ah... So it's a class thing. See to me an expensive private high school that pays PHDs 80k is not normal. I can't even imagine what a "prestigious" school looks like.
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