Beginning a teaching career

[WingedWolf]

Hi, I have a BA in English, and I am now interested in starting a teaching career. My dream job would be to teach creative writing and I am applying to MFA programs. Is this a good move, or would it be more practical to get a degree in education at this point?

[The Comedian]

Howdy,

I know your situation well wingedwolf. First, at what level would you like to teach? High school? community college? liberal arts college? research university? Targeting the type of school at which you would like to teach will really help you make the right decision.

I don't know if you're from the US or not. I am, so I can really only speak from my experience here. But if you want to teach at the high school or secondary levels, then you'll need to get a degree in education (unless you want to teach at a private or religious school). Public schools will require training in education to get in the door.

If you want to teach at the post-secondary level, then an MFA would be a necessary start, but a publishing record & teaching experience (which you could get either adjuncting or by being a TA in a graduate program) will make you a viable candidate.

Community colleges (I'm most familiar the hiring habits of these institutions) will look for a broad range of abilities -- i.e. if you could teach creative writing , business writing, a couple lit courses, and have some skill with online course delivery would be highly desirable, for example.

Conversely, the "higher" up you go, the more specialization the college will desire.

Hope that helps!

EDIT: oh, I see you're from DC, so you are from the US. Pardon my quick reading.

[WingedWolf]

Thanks for the response Comedian.

Ideally I would like to teach creative writing. From what I've found out it seems an MFA is the best way to do this because then I could eventually teach college courses, which is where most creative writing courses are.

As far as I know most public schools don't offer a lot of creative writing courses, but I guess it would be possible to teach creative writing/literature at a secondary level?

[myrna22]

Thanks for the response Comedian.

Ideally I would like to teach creative writing. From what I've found out it seems an MFA is the best way to do this because then I could eventually teach college courses, which is where most creative writing courses are.

As far as I know most public schools don't offer a lot of creative writing courses, but I guess it would be possible to teach creative writing/literature at a secondary level?

I got an MFA for exactly the same reason you want one, to teach creative writing at the college level. I ended up teaching community college and university compostion courses for about 10 years. The competition in my area (West Coast) was very strong. Even community colleges were very competitive. During 10 years I taught at that level, I moved to a few different towns and taught at 6 different community colleges and one university in four cities. The jobs were always part-time, without contract and I was essentially one of a large pool of people with MFA's teaching composition. I met many people who had worked as a part-time pool instructor for many years, from 5 to 15, at the same school, and were still waiting to be put on full time. They had to wait for someone to die or to retire, and they still had to compete with new hires with PhD's and a publishing history. Those teachers who get to teach creative writing are teachers with a history of publishing poetry or fiction and who have been with the school for many years as full-time contracted teachers. That's how it was on the West Coast.

After 10 years I switched to high school teaching (I had gotten a degree in secondary teaching before I got my MFA), and now I am an international teacher. I've taught in 3 different countries; I now live and work/teach in Vienna. I travel 14 weeks a year. I teach in the IB program, which is the highest level college prep program, an international program. I teach first and second year college level literature. I found that I actually didn't care for teaching creative writing. Most people cannot write (creatively) well. It is the rare student whose writing is enjoyable to read, so you spend all your time reading really awful stuff and wondering what to tell the student. I love my job now and have a wonderful life. Unfortunately, it took me 20 years to get here. Wish I had done it from the start.

I am now living the life I always imagined.

Oh, one more point. It is always worth it to get a master's. Your salary is always higher than those who don't have one. My MFA was a two year program. During the second year, I was a teaching fellow, in creative writing, and my tuition was paid for, plus I got a monthly stipend for living expenses, so the second year was virtually free. Every job I've gotten at the high school level has been at a higher salary due to my MFA, so whatever time and money I put into it has been paid back tenfold. Also, the MFA program was wonderful: I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[lallison]

Myrna22 just gave the best answer I think you will get. And its hard to beat being an international teacher. I know from grad school that MFA programs in universities all over the country are full of students with the exact same idea that you have. I would go for an education degree and teaching certification. If you can get some decent publications a university will invite you to join a PhD program and give you a free ride. That's a sign that you're on your way to a serious writing career. But its best to find a way to support yourself and be happy along the way, and teaching is a great career. A lot of international schools provide excellent employment packages with housing, travel, lots of holidays and countries with low costs of living. And you could end up anywhere in the world. That may provide some inspiration for good writing.

[Wilde woman]

An MFA will certainly won't hurt your chances, but - that being said - there is a much greater supply of people with MFAs out there than there is a demand for them. So if you're only getting your MFA, you may find that you may not find a teaching job immediately, especially at the university level. If your program can help you get published, then you have a better shot at landing a tenured job at the university level.

If you decide to teach at the high school level, you may also find that your state requires you to get the state credential, in addition to your master's degree. Incidentally, I don't think you need a master's in education to teach; you just need a master's in your field and (possibly) a teaching credential.

[lallison]

Very true indeed, Wilde Woman, just remember, getting a teaching credential can take lots of time, effort, and treasure. If that's that plan, it would be wise to look into state requirements for teaching credentials.

Getting published, of course, requires no degree at all, only that you write well and research appropriate mediums. Good luck on your decision making, WingedWolf. Sounds like you have lots of things to weigh!

[SFG75]

I would caution against viewing post-secondary teaching as being the "highest" or best level of teaching that you can engage in. I had that view for a long time and when I first taught a college course, I found out very quickly that it wasn't the learning utopia that I thought it was.:sosp: For the last three years, I've worked with high school kids in an alternative school and nothing will drag me out of that room! you might want to give high school teaching a shot and if you don't like it, there is always community college or college level jobs to apply for. I will say that there is nothing more gratifying than having former students of yours credit you with what they have learned and in influencing their lives. You won't get that kind of recognition at the college level in my honest opinion.

[pondman]

Hi, I have a BA in English, and I am now interested in starting a teaching career. My dream job would be to teach creative writing and I am applying to MFA programs. Is this a good move, or would it be more practical to get a degree in education at this point?

I would suggest you should go to a source and ask a teacher.

This is not a great time to be focused on becoming an English teacher. If you do, I personally would suggest you spend extra time developing experience by volunteering with a literacy group.

Teaching high school can be rough. It's going to take you longer than you think. And it's not going to be A.P. English in an upscale neighborhood.

College level? It's competitive. Plus many community college will be cutting classes. Not impossible-- but do it if you want to teach, not because you think it would be a cool job.

[scotta.clark]

To get job in teaching do M.A in English when you are done with your masters you have to teach in government school to get teaching licence.

[Writer10]

Hi, I have a BA in English, and I am now interested in starting a teaching career. My dream job would be to teach creative writing and I am applying to MFA programs. Is this a good move, or would it be more practical to get a degree in education at this point?

If you have interest in writing it is better to do some internship as a content writer.It will definitely help you shape a career as well.I know i wasn't a writer but during my internship years i was given the task of writing an article as well which really improved my English command.
Best of luck!