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Illinois Teachers Chatboard

Teacher Certification Programs/Bachelor's or Master's?

by guten tag

Jul 30, 2010

Hi,

I was hoping some people would be kind enough to offer me some insight. I am currently looking into going back to school to become a teacher. My primary interest is teaching high school German, but I'm also looking at earning a second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teaching them if I can't find any German positions. (I'm aware of the layoffs, dismal future, etc.)

I already have a bachelor's. I would have to take quite a few more German and Spanish classes in addition to all of the education courses and requirements. I am looking to teach in the Chicago suburbs or further west into the Belvidere/Rockford area.

Now some questions:

Is it true that it is better not to get a master's and to just complete the certification requirements at the undergrad level so as to improve your chances of getting hired. (Because a bachelor's applicant would be cheaper to hire?) It seems like some c...See More

sped On 7/30/10, guten tag wrote: > Hi, > >I'm also looking at earning a > second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make > myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teaching > them if I can't find any German positions. (I'm aware of > the layoffs, dismal future, etc.)

Good, you're aware. Even ESL and biling...See MoreOn 7/30/10, guten tag wrote: > Hi, > >I'm also looking at earning a > second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make > myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teaching > them if I can't find any German positions. (I'm aware of > the layoffs, dismal future, etc.)

Good, you're aware. Even ESL and bilingual jobs are drying up. Understand that a significant number of new teachers will NOT get jobs, in any field, for the next several years. I hate to be a downer, but it's also true. Illinois has never had a good teacher job market, but there were other states one could go, like Florida, Arizona, Nevada, etc. Well, they're in worse shape than we are, so it's not a good time to be looking for a teaching job anywhere, and will likely continue that way for the next few years. > > I already have a bachelor's. I would have to take quite a > few more German and Spanish classes in addition to all of > the education courses and requirements. I am looking to > teach in the Chicago suburbs or further west into the > Belvidere/Rockford area.

I mean, really, with the job market the way it is, I would suggest that you look at other fields. If you are looking at going into education, look at a Master's program for Speech and Language Pathology. If you will need to take a lot of content courses, plus an ed program, you are probably looking at the same amount of time/work and you would actually have a hope of getting a job. They work in schools, there still is a shortage of them, and they have options outside of schools too. I mean, really, you will major in education and then likely not work with kids because you can't get a job.

However, if you absolutely want to try to become a teacher, despite the fact that it is very unlikely that you will get a job, then you should look at Roosevelt or National Louis. They are very expensive, but NLU will get you a teaching certificate in one school year, and while you would be 80% of the way to a graduate degree, you don't have to finish before you get a job, so you would be cheaper than someone with a completed MA. NIU and UIC are much cheaper, but they will also take more time, likely a year and a half to two years.

> Is it true that it is better not to get a master's and to > just complete the certification requirements at the > undergrad level so as to improve your chances of getting > hired. (Because a bachelor's applicant would be cheaper to > hire?)

Depends. There's no set policy. As with any job, you need to sell yourself. I've never been pressured in my district to recommend someone for hire who is bargain basement cheap, but I have been asked "why is he/she worth the extra pay." You need to give me the answer to that question in the interview. You need to sell yourself and why you're worth extra money. In general, people with Master's degrees are less likely to leave the profession after a couple of years as that they've invested more time and money in the field, so that's a plus, but in these lean times, there are penny pinchers out there.

>It seems like some certification programs at the > graduate level take a shorter amount of time to complete, > but that seems counterintuitive.

You're right. Many of the programs are shorter. Master's degrees are 30-40 semester hours. Bachelor's are 120+ and have a myriad of liberal arts requirements that your first degree might not satisfy. There are some programs that are post-BA, but non-graduate cert programs. They don't get you any closer to a MA and don't get you a higher slot on the salary schedule, but they're just about as much work as a Master's program would be. It's up to you.

As far as getting a second bachelors, that takes longer because undergrad degrees have all those pesky, ever-changing liberal arts requirements, so while you're trying to become a teacher, your university needs you to take an art class or a history class to satisfy some lib arts requirement that didn't transfer from your first degree.

> Once you earn the initial certification can you just take a > few more classes to become certified in something like ESL?

Six more classes, plus a test, to be precise. However, if you speak Spanish, you should go the Bilingual route, which is about the same number of courses.

Aug 1, 2010

guten tag Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to that. I'm weighing all of my options before committing to anything, and this forum has proved quite ...See MoreThank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to that. I'm weighing all of my options before committing to anything, and this forum has proved quite helpful.

Take care.

On 8/01/10, sped wrote: > On 7/30/10, guten tag wrote: >> Hi, >> >>I'm also looking at earning a >> second endorsement in possibly Spanish or ESL to make >> myself somewhat more marketable and wouldn't mind teaching >> them if I can't find any German positions. (I'm aware of >> the layoffs, dismal future, etc.) > > Good, you're aware. Even ESL and bilingual jobs are drying up. > Understand that a significant number of new teachers will NOT > get jobs, in any field, for the next several years. I hate to > be a downer, but it's also true. Illinois has never had a good > teacher job market, but there were other states one could go, > like Florida, Arizona, Nevada, etc. Well, they're in worse > shape than we are, so it's not a good time to be looking for a > teaching job anywhere, and will likely continue that way for > the next few years. >> >> I already have a bachelor's. I would have to take quite a >> few more German and Spanish classes in addition to all of >> the education courses and requirements. I am looking to >> teach in the Chicago suburbs or further west into the >> Belvidere/Rockford area. > > I mean, really, with the job market the way it is, I would > suggest that you look at other fields. If you are looking at > going into education, look at a Master's program for Speech and > Language Pathology. If you will need to take a lot of content > courses, plus an ed program, you are probably looking at the > same amount of time/work and you would actually have a hope of > getting a job. They work in schools, there still is a shortage > of them, and they have options outside of schools too. I mean, > really, you will major in education and then likely not work > with kids because you can't get a job. > > However, if you absolutely want to try to become a teacher, > despite the fact that it is very unlikely that you will get a > job, then you should look at Roosevelt or National Louis. They > are very expensive, but NLU will get you a teaching certificate > in one school year, and while you would be 80% of the way to a > graduate degree, you don't have to finish before you get a job, > so you would be cheaper than someone with a completed MA. NIU > and UIC are much cheaper, but they will also take more time, > likely a year and a half to two years. > >> Is it true that it is better not to get a master's and to >> just complete the certification requirements at the >> undergrad level so as to improve your chances of getting >> hired. (Because a bachelor's applicant would be cheaper to >> hire?) > > Depends. There's no set policy. As with any job, you need to > sell yourself. I've never been pressured in my district to > recommend someone for hire who is bargain basement cheap, but I > have been asked "why is he/she worth the extra pay." You need > to give me the answer to that question in the interview. You > need to sell yourself and why you're worth extra money. In > general, people with Master's degrees are less likely to leave > the profession after a couple of years as that they've invested > more time and money in the field, so that's a plus, but in > these lean times, there are penny pinchers out there. > >>It seems like some certification programs at the >> graduate level take a shorter amount of time to complete, >> but that seems counterintuitive. > > You're right. Many of the programs are shorter. Master's > degrees are 30-40 semester hours. Bachelor's are 120+ and have > a myriad of liberal arts requirements that your first degree > might not satisfy. There are some programs that are post-BA, > but non-graduate cert programs. They don't get you any closer > to a MA and don't get you a higher slot on the salary schedule, > but they're just about as much work as a Master's program would > be. It's up to you. > > As far as getting a second bachelors, that takes longer because > undergrad degrees have all those pesky, ever-changing liberal > arts requirements, so while you're trying to become a teacher, > your university needs you to take an art class or a history > class to satisfy some lib arts requirement that didn't transfer > from your first degree. > >> Once you earn the initial certification can you just take a >> few more classes to become certified in something like ESL? > > Six more classes, plus a test, to be precise. However, if you > speak Spanish, you should go the Bilingual route, which is > about the same number of courses.

Aug 1, 2010

sped On 8/01/10, guten tag wrote: > Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my > questions. I greatly appreciate it! I know job prospects are > awful and there is no guarantee they will get much better, but I > would always have my current field to fall back to if it comes to > that. I'm weighing all of my options before co...See More

Aug 2, 2010

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