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I asked a friend who just finished a foreign language degree for some advice, which got me looking at things again.
These are the qualifications to teach German at a Goethe Institut, and if that's what I want to do (or something similar), I should get an MA in DaF. But there aren't really any programs in that in the US. While you get training and experience in pedagogy, it's not strictly speaking equivalent.
I could email my teacher from 2010 and ask her what she advises, and if it's even possible for me to get a job over there, since I'm a foreigner and would require a work visa, and it's not like there's a shortage of Germans with that qualification.
There *is* a distance learning course in teaching German as a foreign language through the Goethe Institut, at a rather reasonable price of 1350 Euros for a 10-month course. I would need to take the C1 exam, for an additional fee ($175 at GI DC).
But I don't know if the certificate they offer (from LMU-Munich) is equivalent to an MA DaF, or if I could use it as a qualification for an MA program in Germany. (I still need to figure out what I need to ask the German universities. That would be a good question to ask the contact person at the GI, too.)
Ben doesn't really want me to go to school in Germany for logistical reasons, like his job, whether to sell the house, all these other things. I don't know. I want to live in Germany, but I don't want to move there and back if I can't get a job.
There are also dual MAs in DaF and translation.
Which reminds me of another downside of studying in Germany: you're required to have 2 modern foreign languages, or one and Latin. (I have German and English, but only English counts.) I can take 2 years of Turkish at UNC (as a continuing ed student, at something like $2000/course), which should get me to the B2 level, though I have no idea where you'd take that exam. I also don't know if Turkish counts as a modern foreign language for their curricular purposes.
If I actually studied translation, I don't know that I'd use it. Sure, dual degree blah blah, fine. But I was thinking of translation as a kind of side thing, which I could do to pick up some money, not like full time.
So I guess I'm undecided again :/ Though this Goethe course sounds reasonable, as long as it qualifies me to do what I want. (And if I do it and still decide/change my mind and want to go for a PhD anyway, I'll have a fancy certificate already. Yay?)
These are the qualifications to teach German at a Goethe Institut, and if that's what I want to do (or something similar), I should get an MA in DaF. But there aren't really any programs in that in the US. While you get training and experience in pedagogy, it's not strictly speaking equivalent.
I could email my teacher from 2010 and ask her what she advises, and if it's even possible for me to get a job over there, since I'm a foreigner and would require a work visa, and it's not like there's a shortage of Germans with that qualification.
There *is* a distance learning course in teaching German as a foreign language through the Goethe Institut, at a rather reasonable price of 1350 Euros for a 10-month course. I would need to take the C1 exam, for an additional fee ($175 at GI DC).
But I don't know if the certificate they offer (from LMU-Munich) is equivalent to an MA DaF, or if I could use it as a qualification for an MA program in Germany. (I still need to figure out what I need to ask the German universities. That would be a good question to ask the contact person at the GI, too.)
Ben doesn't really want me to go to school in Germany for logistical reasons, like his job, whether to sell the house, all these other things. I don't know. I want to live in Germany, but I don't want to move there and back if I can't get a job.
There are also dual MAs in DaF and translation.
Which reminds me of another downside of studying in Germany: you're required to have 2 modern foreign languages, or one and Latin. (I have German and English, but only English counts.) I can take 2 years of Turkish at UNC (as a continuing ed student, at something like $2000/course), which should get me to the B2 level, though I have no idea where you'd take that exam. I also don't know if Turkish counts as a modern foreign language for their curricular purposes.
If I actually studied translation, I don't know that I'd use it. Sure, dual degree blah blah, fine. But I was thinking of translation as a kind of side thing, which I could do to pick up some money, not like full time.
So I guess I'm undecided again :/ Though this Goethe course sounds reasonable, as long as it qualifies me to do what I want. (And if I do it and still decide/change my mind and want to go for a PhD anyway, I'll have a fancy certificate already. Yay?)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 06:32 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 07:59 pm (UTC)From:This part is what makes me wonder about working in Germany (aside from the getting a visa part):
Dieser Kurs ist geeignet für Sie, wenn Sie:
-im Ausland an einer Sprachenschule oder Universität DaF unterrichten wollen,
I don't know whether this certificate doesn't qualify one to teach DaF in Germany, or what.
I'd be happy teaching at a VHS or some other language school; I just want to live in Berlin. Which may or may not be possible, IDK. (Hell, I'd be happy giving guided tours 2-3 days a week, but then taking this teacher course would be a waste of money. And it'd be tricky to get a visa.)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-28 10:23 am (UTC)From:Her advice is: 1. Take the GI class (Grünes Zertifikat). Do not let them know you want to go to Germany, because that is technically not what they are training you for. Also prepare for people who might be a bit self-absorbed. 2. Get some experience, maybe an internship in the US. 3. Come to Germany, teach German at a VHS for example. (To teach at a German Goethe Institut, I think you have to be a native speaker, but you have tons of other possibilities, especially considering your interest in integration issues.)
She's from the Czech Republik and not a native speaker either. Her response was basically a shrug and "yeah sure why not, tell her to go for it".
no subject
Date: 2013-01-28 01:31 pm (UTC)From:I have no idea how to go about getting experience (the local language school requires you to have experience, so it's all very circular) or where to look for internships (Google is finding me lots of "get internships in Germany"). But if I get into grad school, I'll get plenty of teaching practice, since you really want to get a teaching assistantship. If I don't, well.
One thing I need to make sure before signing up for the class is that I'm allowed to do the Hospitationspraktikum as a foreigner, since they require either that or 120 hours of teaching experience, and you can't gain experience without already having experience. Talk about frustrating.
(I think I want to try grad school because I want to learn more German. And if I don't get in, I have another plan.)