<p>Right now I plan on majoring in International Studies specifically concentrating on Humanitarian Affairs and Developing Communities and I am minoring in Chinese (required language in degree), geography and anthropology(without any extra work).
But along with working for NGOs and whatnot I would also like to teach English swapping between the two fields of work. And I don't mean the typical go to Asia to teach kindergarten or other young kids or just tutor adults. I want to teach as a Professor at a University in Asia, specifically China.
I am almost a full year ahead credit wise due to summer classes at community college and AP test, so if I double major, it wouldn't take extra time or money, etc. w/ how much I've saved.</p>
<p>So, my question is, in order to teach English at a University in Asia, should I double major in English with a concentration in Linguistics. My University does not have a specific Linguistics degree, where it will say "Linguistics," but all of the classes are Linguistics and not English classes. And in the degree they have a 4000+ class on teaching English as a second language.
Is this what I need or can a TEOSL or TEFL or CELTA certificate honestly get me up there?</p>
<p>I also plan to get my Masters in International Studies at University of Texas at Austin so would that be impressive enough with a certificate to teach at University in Asia/China specifically? Or even Korea or Japan if I wanted to?
All in all, if I double major, then I'll end up with a MA in International Studies, a BA in English w/ a concentration in linguistics, a minor in Chinese language, Geography and Anthropology. Would this be enough or does a simple certificate take care of everything because I can't find any information on teaching at a University.</p>
<p>It seems like you are good with a Bachelor’s degree (in anything) to teach ESL courses.</p>
<p>The blog brings up a few interesting points about the professional and social standing of foreign English teachers in China. For example, it says that unless you have an advanced degree in literature or linguistics and are specifically hired to teach these subjects, you will forever be teaching oral drill sections. (Apparently it would be illegal for universities to hire a foreigner to teach an “integrated” English class that addresses all modes of communication.)</p>
<p>^Teaching school differs from teaching universities though.</p>
<p>I would recommend to visit the websites of a few Chinese universities, check the English department, and check the credentials of the faculty. That should give you an idea.</p>
<p>The website specifically addresses the qualifications expected to teach English at various institutions (e.g. public universities vs private language schools), but I agree that checking the qualifications of current faculty and job postings is a good idea.</p>
Have you researched the legal possibility of this? As a foreigner you can probably only hold one job at a time, and you might have to apply for a new visa every time you want to change employers. Applying for visas tends to be expensive, time-consuming and potentially risky (each time you apply for a visa, your application can be rejected).</p>
<p>There seems to be a big difference between teaching ESL courses (where the most important credential is the status as a native speaker) or literature/linguistics/international relations. The latter will most likely require a PhD or some amazing relevant work experience because foreigners are (apparently) only allowed to teach courses which cannot be taught by a citizen of China.</p>
<p>Wow, I feel like a complete idiot not thinking about that. Haha. Thank you though, b@r!um and Grisam. -_-</p>
<p>But I do mean take a few years doing NGO work wherever, varies countries, then taking a break for financial reasons to earn money by teaching in China. (NGO money sucks, but helping people out is what I like it do)
But I do only want to teach specifically English language, just to clarify, but I only hear about people teaching at places other than Universities and I couldn’t find information on my own. (Apparently I’m that useless. Haha!)</p>
(NGO money sucks, but helping people out is what I like it do)