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British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Old Sep 11th 2011, 12:13 pm
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Default British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Hi all! My name is Beci and I'm just about to finish my undergraduate degree in English. I am on course to get a high 2:1 or a first.

I really want to teach, but not in the UK. I have serious issues with this country, and I've wanted to leave ever since I can remember.
I recently studied abroad for a semester in the USA, in Virginia, and I totally fell in love with the country and the state. I want to move back there, legally, and teach there.

Now I know that to teach in the US you have to become accredited in the state in which you want to teach, so to teach in Virginia it makes most sense that I complete my teaching degree there. I have looked into various schools and whilst I loved Mary Washington (where I studied abroad) it seems like UVA would be a better choice to do my Masters in Teaching.

So my questions are;

1) How easy is it to get accepted to an American University for this type of degree, when you take into account that I have already studied at one college in the same state recently?

2) What funding is available? I have tried and failed to research this, because some sites say that I am not eligible for any funding what so ever, and others say that I am eligible for scholarships and loans?

3) Roughly how much would I be looking at for a 2 year degree (for tuition, expenses, accommodation, etc.)?

4) If I do successfully get into and then graduate from an American University, what would happen after? Would I be allowed to stay in the country and teach there, since I would officially be licensed in the state of Virginia? Or would I have to come back to the UK where essentially, I'd have an entire masters that would be useless in this country? I read somewhere that I can stay on for 12 months on an "Optional Practical Training" program at a school and then after that I'd have to apply for HB1 visas, and to do that I'd need a secure job offer?

I'd appreciate any and all help! Thanks guys!
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Old Sep 11th 2011, 1:19 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Originally Posted by BeciMarie
How easy is it to get accepted to an American University for this type of degree, when you take into account that I have already studied at one college in the same state recently?
If you're qualified you should be fine. Your earlier studies will likely neither help nor hinder you.


What funding is available? I have tried and failed to research this, because some sites say that I am not eligible for any funding what so ever, and others say that I am eligible for scholarships and loans?
You'll get no help from the US government, but scholarships and loans are available from private companies. Realize that these are few and far between and, in the current economy, money isn't as freely available as it might have been a few years ago. I got a TERI loan while I worked on my Master's degree in the US, but I'm not sure if they're still doing that.


Roughly how much would I be looking at for a 2 year degree (for tuition, expenses, accommodation, etc.)?
You'll be paying tuition as an international student - be prepared to drop $50,000 for your degree.


If I do successfully get into and then graduate from an American University, what would happen after? Would I be allowed to stay in the country and teach there, since I would officially be licensed in the state of Virginia?
If you had permission to stay and work in the US, yes. However, you won't have that permission. You'll have it a bit easier than some because you'll have a US Master's degree... but you'll still need to find a US school willing to sponsor you, and you'll be in fierce competition with those who also have a Master's degree but who don't need sponsoring and can start work the next day if they get the offer.


Or would I have to come back to the UK where essentially, I'd have an entire masters that would be useless in this country?
A Master's degree is never useless. It may, however, be impractical if it doesn't help you in the UK.


I read somewhere that I can stay on for 12 months on an "Optional Practical Training" program at a school and then after that I'd have to apply for HB1 visas, and to do that I'd need a secure job offer?
You may be able to pursue OPT, but that's not a long-term solution. In the end, you'll still need a US school (or company) to sponsor you for something more long-term.

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Old Sep 11th 2011, 3:33 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Although you may not be eligible for student loans, depending on your skills and grades, you may be able to get a graduate teaching (or research) assistantship, which means you teach some undergraduate classes.

In return, you get a monthly stipend (salary) and in-state (and at some universities, out-of-state/international) tuition and fees paid.

Try searching for "assistantships" on the Web sites of the universities you are interested in.
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Old Sep 11th 2011, 4:09 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

I see you are also looking at Canada, much more likely an option.
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Old Sep 11th 2011, 4:30 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Teaching here would boost your chances of finding someone to marry and that'll be the best way.

You do have the OPT option, possibly J1 after you graduate, but what school will pay the cost of a H1B visa? They cost thousands, and there are loads of experienced teachers looking for work who don't, and it'll likely not change much in the future. You also have that dead space from when OPT/J1 finish and when schools tend to start.

As for funding, depends on the uni, might be able to get private loans, school scholarships and the like, but unlikely....and on a student visa you are limited to 20 hours on campus work, after the first semester and those positions tend to be hard to find anyway.

I've no idea these days about how much money you need, but when my mates were looking 10 years ago, they had to show $10K in the bank or ability to get it from folks, credit cards etc to cover living expenses on top of tuition costs, but as it was a student exchange they didn't have to pay tuition. This was for California though, and for 6 months placements.

As for costs, no idea, ask the universities you are interested in, they should tell you what living costs and tuition are. The missus did her masters onine via Kings College London because it was going to cost her £3K per year v $20K tuition per year for a similar course at North Eastern in Boston. Wasn't a teaching course though, and about 2-3 years ago that she graduated. The $20K didn't include books or other living expenses either.
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Old Sep 13th 2011, 10:56 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Lots of good responses here already, so not much for me to add....

Originally Posted by BeciMarie
2) What funding is available? I have tried and failed to research this, because some sites say that I am not eligible for any funding what so ever, and others say that I am eligible for scholarships and loans?
As others have said, you are eligible to work for 20 hours a week on campus. You can teach, research, get on a grant etc. Some funding agencies have restrictions on who can get money from them - usually US citizens only. This might be more of a problem for you, as a lot of money in your field comes from govt agencies. However, you are most definitely eligible for a number of different types of funding. Scholarships are really very rare, for everyone. Fellowship is somewhat more likely.

Originally Posted by BeciMarie
3) Roughly how much would I be looking at for a 2 year degree (for tuition, expenses, accommodation, etc.)?
Your university will have this info on their website. Try following links to the bursar's page. Mine lists cost per course taken. It's easy to add it all up. However, your problem will not be paying international tuition fees: it will be meeting the amount of money listed as needed on your I-20 form. For example, my uni charges about $9,000 per semester for international students, but my I-20 wanted proof that I had $24,000 per year to live off. That's the problem really. I got a teaching assistantship which covered that entire $24,000 for me, even though it didn't pay me $24,000 (welcome to the weird world of US immigration). If you're trying to come up with the money yourself, I imagine they scrutinise much more closely.
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Old Sep 13th 2011, 11:56 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

If you really want to live in the US, get a masters degree from a US university in one of the H1-B skills. With the masters received from a US university, you will always be eligible to try to get a job using the H1-B masters quota program and not have to use the general H1-B quota program.

The difference is that the general H1-B quota usually is oversubscribed when the economy is booming making it difficult for an employer to offer you a job since there may not be any H1-B visas available.

With the masters H1-B visa program, they can also become difficult to get during a tight job market but not as difficult as the general H1-B visa program. Also your employer can apply to both programs for you making the probability of being hired greater.
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Old Sep 14th 2011, 11:06 am
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

I'm not an expat, but I recently finished a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, similar I believe to what you would be pursuing in Virginia. I just wanted to add that you would probably not be able to do a teaching assistantship due to the nature of the degree. We MAT students were not "nascent experts" in anything, weren't studying what we studied as undergraduates, etc., so teaching at the university wasn't an option.

The first three semesters included a number of education theory and teaching methods courses, as well as several graduate classes in our chosen fields (social studies in my case). The final semester consists of full-time student teaching in a local public school.

Just wanted to clarify that it's not at all the same as a Ph.D. program or even M.A. in the humanities. It's essentially a vocational degree, so the typical "grad school" funding options (teaching, research, grants) are not applicable. Sorry, I don't know about loans or scholarships.

Last edited by HDWill; Sep 14th 2011 at 11:43 am.
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Old Sep 14th 2011, 4:43 pm
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Default Re: British Undergrad seeking Masters in Teaching from USA

Originally Posted by HDWill
It's essentially a vocational degree...
I disagree... the term "professional" degree is more applicable.


... so the typical "grad school" funding options (teaching, research, grants) are not applicable.
I regret that this was your experience but, again, I disagree. As with all things, YMMV.

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