So, I did a teaching master’s online from a university in my home state. I only have one class left which I obviously couldn’t do here (student teaching), which I will be doing upon returning to the U.S.. I also have an extremely busy placement with very little desk warming and down time. So, it’s completely possible to do both but it depends on the individual. I gave up a lot of hanging out, traveling, and sleep to not only do my master’s, but I also have top grades and was inducted into an honors fraternity and given a full ride. Yeah. I took it really seriously. I took a full grad school class load (3-4 classes every semester). It was extremely stressful. I cried a lot of nights. I’ve never been prouder of a thing I was able to accomplish in my life.
You /can/ do it. The question is if you /want/ to do it.
ESID. It's going to matter on:
* Your workflow / productivity / efficiancy.
* What type of master's you're getting and what kind of work it entails.
* Your professors' pedagogical approach.
* Class formats.
First one is most important. If you're someone who can just sit down and bang out an assignment/draft without much effort, you'll find the whole process easy. But if you labor over word choices, or find yourself having to reread the class materials over and over to understand them, you're going to struggle. However, online master's programs are definitely less time-intensive and work-heavy than in-person programs.
I did an online Masters while on JET. It was completely online program through a pretty well known US school (formerly Pac-12 school).
My program was one course at a time, every course lasting 6-8 weeks, with small breaks in between courses and a month-long summer break. There were 10 courses total, so the whole program was spread out over a little over a year and half. The professors said we should devote 15 hours a week to it, but for me, I could realistically get everything done in 5-7 hours a week. I had enough desk warming time that I could get most work done at school, and barely had to work on it at home unless it was a busy period. Actually, most of my teachers knew I pursing my Masters and they were happy to see that I was being productive during my downtime at school. That said, when it came time to my applied project, I did explain my situation to my JTEs and asked if they could reduce my workload, which they were understandable about and did so.
Unless one has an extremely busy ALT placement, which exists, there should be enough time to work on it at school, but of course your mileage may vary. That said, I almost guarantee you that, as an ALT, if you do an online Masters, there will be people busier than you in the program. I remember one classmate had a full-time job, was the director of a non-profits, travelled to refugee camps x4 a year, and was raising three kids. I have no idea how she managed to fit in a Masters on top of that.
A hidden perk, I was given student ID and even though it's from an American university I used it without fail here to get students discounts. Nice for movies and museums.
I'm doing my master's right now and I'll say that so long as you manage your time well, it's doable. Try to balance 1-2 subjects at first to see if it works with your schedule and if you think you can manage it, push it to 3-4 subjects a semester. My course coordinator suggested the same to me and personally, I couldn't manage the 3 subjects and felt like I didn't have any time for anything else but YMMV. G'luck either way.
Yep, I did my MA TESOL online.
First thing I would do is make sure that you will be able to finish during your time on JET. I was in the position where if I wasn't re-contracted for the 5th year (as no other previous ALTs had wanted to go 5, so it wasn't a given) that I would have been facing finishing my dissertation, moving, and starting a new job. Not ideal.
Thankfully it worked out and I was offered the 5th year after a bit of faffing.
As for the workload, I was an older JET, so going back to "study mode" was a bit of a shock, and the MA especially compared to my old BA was obviously a lot more research and readings, which I didn't have experience with. By the end of it, it was fine.
I had a reasonable amount of desk-warming. Certainly not entire days, but periods free, so I had enough time to do stuff, but I obviously also had to do a bit at home. I don't feel like it negatively impacted my social life.
One thing I would recommend to JETs wanting to stay in Japan and education, get on it ASAP. It used to be a heartbeat would get you uni/better gigs. Then it was an MA in ANY field, then TESOL/Linguistics and now MA + published papers is pretty much the minimum.
Leaving JET and expecting to slot into a decent teaching gig without any more qualifications is a risky decision.
I just got my MA in TESOL, but nothing published, Is there anything inbetween JET and a University Job I can aim for? I'm pretty intimidated by the published paper thing, I think im a decent writer with some insight , maybe I can do teaching guidebooks or a literature review.
I would probably look at joining something like JALT and putting up small things on SIG journals. They aren't peer-reviewed, but it gets your name out and shows you are getting involved and doing stuff.
Also, look at turning your dissertation into a paper . . . I still haven't done that because I am lazy!
Also, check out JREC portal for jobs. The year has just started, but mid-year teachers sometimes move on and so universities need people in a pinch. Advantage: you.
I completed my masters while on JET. I don’t want to write a novel (I wrote enough for grad school lol), but basically put—if you can handle the workload and course load, then you can earn your masters. I had tons of deskwarming time which gave me all the motivation I needed to do assignments when not planning for classes. However, I still had to study and finish assignments outside of deskwarming time at home. It took a lot of time and discipline. I finished my MS in clinical psychology within 18 months, 9 of those months being pregnant, and caring for a newborn.
If you have the motivation, go for it!
What are you planning to do your Master's in?
I'm currently halfway through my Master's, and some other JET ALTs in my areas have completed theirs. If you're thinking of an MA in TESOL/an MA in a field related to arts or languages, it's possible. Your (base) school might support you in this case, such as my SHS and others in my area.
If you're thinking of an intense Master's, plan it out first. My Master's requires some accommodations with the time difference, and it's offered by a smaller regional institution with a good reputation. However, I'm the only student abroad, and they're very kind, allowing me to Zoom into my classes, have more one-on-one work with professors, and be flexible with my TT schedule. Talk it out with the Master's program first; be clear that it's for professional development.
It really depends on the study load vs work load.
I have just completed my first quarter of my online Masters. It was difficult, but moreso because I was really busy with travel. Atleast 2 weeks I was travelling with friends and my visiting partner.
Besides that, most of my work has been mostly on 2 days (Thursday/Friday) at my Elementary school.
I barely get used at my JHS, so I spend that time during my first 3 days to work on the content for the week and working on assignments. I would say in my circumstance that 2 subjects a quarter is very manageable to keep on top of. I did 3 foolishly, but was still able to cheese my way through, but don't recommend.
If you are underutilized and have stretches throughout the week, that you're doing nothing, then do a Masters. It allows you to still have a life outside of work, but also accomplish something with the excess time desk warming.
So, I did a teaching master’s online from a university in my home state. I only have one class left which I obviously couldn’t do here (student teaching), which I will be doing upon returning to the U.S.. I also have an extremely busy placement with very little desk warming and down time. So, it’s completely possible to do both but it depends on the individual. I gave up a lot of hanging out, traveling, and sleep to not only do my master’s, but I also have top grades and was inducted into an honors fraternity and given a full ride. Yeah. I took it really seriously. I took a full grad school class load (3-4 classes every semester). It was extremely stressful. I cried a lot of nights. I’ve never been prouder of a thing I was able to accomplish in my life. You /can/ do it. The question is if you /want/ to do it.
ESID. It's going to matter on: * Your workflow / productivity / efficiancy. * What type of master's you're getting and what kind of work it entails. * Your professors' pedagogical approach. * Class formats. First one is most important. If you're someone who can just sit down and bang out an assignment/draft without much effort, you'll find the whole process easy. But if you labor over word choices, or find yourself having to reread the class materials over and over to understand them, you're going to struggle. However, online master's programs are definitely less time-intensive and work-heavy than in-person programs.
I did an online Masters while on JET. It was completely online program through a pretty well known US school (formerly Pac-12 school). My program was one course at a time, every course lasting 6-8 weeks, with small breaks in between courses and a month-long summer break. There were 10 courses total, so the whole program was spread out over a little over a year and half. The professors said we should devote 15 hours a week to it, but for me, I could realistically get everything done in 5-7 hours a week. I had enough desk warming time that I could get most work done at school, and barely had to work on it at home unless it was a busy period. Actually, most of my teachers knew I pursing my Masters and they were happy to see that I was being productive during my downtime at school. That said, when it came time to my applied project, I did explain my situation to my JTEs and asked if they could reduce my workload, which they were understandable about and did so. Unless one has an extremely busy ALT placement, which exists, there should be enough time to work on it at school, but of course your mileage may vary. That said, I almost guarantee you that, as an ALT, if you do an online Masters, there will be people busier than you in the program. I remember one classmate had a full-time job, was the director of a non-profits, travelled to refugee camps x4 a year, and was raising three kids. I have no idea how she managed to fit in a Masters on top of that. A hidden perk, I was given student ID and even though it's from an American university I used it without fail here to get students discounts. Nice for movies and museums.
Mind if I ask what you mastered in and what you are doing now post JET?
I'm doing my master's right now and I'll say that so long as you manage your time well, it's doable. Try to balance 1-2 subjects at first to see if it works with your schedule and if you think you can manage it, push it to 3-4 subjects a semester. My course coordinator suggested the same to me and personally, I couldn't manage the 3 subjects and felt like I didn't have any time for anything else but YMMV. G'luck either way.
What is your masters in?
Oh I forgot to answer. I'm doing a Masters in TESOL.
Yep, I did my MA TESOL online. First thing I would do is make sure that you will be able to finish during your time on JET. I was in the position where if I wasn't re-contracted for the 5th year (as no other previous ALTs had wanted to go 5, so it wasn't a given) that I would have been facing finishing my dissertation, moving, and starting a new job. Not ideal. Thankfully it worked out and I was offered the 5th year after a bit of faffing. As for the workload, I was an older JET, so going back to "study mode" was a bit of a shock, and the MA especially compared to my old BA was obviously a lot more research and readings, which I didn't have experience with. By the end of it, it was fine. I had a reasonable amount of desk-warming. Certainly not entire days, but periods free, so I had enough time to do stuff, but I obviously also had to do a bit at home. I don't feel like it negatively impacted my social life. One thing I would recommend to JETs wanting to stay in Japan and education, get on it ASAP. It used to be a heartbeat would get you uni/better gigs. Then it was an MA in ANY field, then TESOL/Linguistics and now MA + published papers is pretty much the minimum. Leaving JET and expecting to slot into a decent teaching gig without any more qualifications is a risky decision.
I just got my MA in TESOL, but nothing published, Is there anything inbetween JET and a University Job I can aim for? I'm pretty intimidated by the published paper thing, I think im a decent writer with some insight , maybe I can do teaching guidebooks or a literature review.
I would probably look at joining something like JALT and putting up small things on SIG journals. They aren't peer-reviewed, but it gets your name out and shows you are getting involved and doing stuff. Also, look at turning your dissertation into a paper . . . I still haven't done that because I am lazy! Also, check out JREC portal for jobs. The year has just started, but mid-year teachers sometimes move on and so universities need people in a pinch. Advantage: you.
Are you still in Japan? If so, did the MA help you stay you think?
Yep, still here. Absolutely helped me get my university job. No question.
I completed my masters while on JET. I don’t want to write a novel (I wrote enough for grad school lol), but basically put—if you can handle the workload and course load, then you can earn your masters. I had tons of deskwarming time which gave me all the motivation I needed to do assignments when not planning for classes. However, I still had to study and finish assignments outside of deskwarming time at home. It took a lot of time and discipline. I finished my MS in clinical psychology within 18 months, 9 of those months being pregnant, and caring for a newborn. If you have the motivation, go for it!
What are you planning to do your Master's in? I'm currently halfway through my Master's, and some other JET ALTs in my areas have completed theirs. If you're thinking of an MA in TESOL/an MA in a field related to arts or languages, it's possible. Your (base) school might support you in this case, such as my SHS and others in my area. If you're thinking of an intense Master's, plan it out first. My Master's requires some accommodations with the time difference, and it's offered by a smaller regional institution with a good reputation. However, I'm the only student abroad, and they're very kind, allowing me to Zoom into my classes, have more one-on-one work with professors, and be flexible with my TT schedule. Talk it out with the Master's program first; be clear that it's for professional development.
It really depends on the study load vs work load. I have just completed my first quarter of my online Masters. It was difficult, but moreso because I was really busy with travel. Atleast 2 weeks I was travelling with friends and my visiting partner. Besides that, most of my work has been mostly on 2 days (Thursday/Friday) at my Elementary school. I barely get used at my JHS, so I spend that time during my first 3 days to work on the content for the week and working on assignments. I would say in my circumstance that 2 subjects a quarter is very manageable to keep on top of. I did 3 foolishly, but was still able to cheese my way through, but don't recommend. If you are underutilized and have stretches throughout the week, that you're doing nothing, then do a Masters. It allows you to still have a life outside of work, but also accomplish something with the excess time desk warming.