Teachers have had an incredibly bad year, and that’s an understatement. I was a classroom teacher during the best of times, and completely understood how hectic it was when there wasn’t a pandemic that required you to essentially teach two classrooms at a time (and yes, that’s probably an understatement, too).
The only thing that I could imagine that’s worse than this past year of teaching is teaching while trying to get a masters degree. What makes me truly sick is how this image of the teacher, up at 11 pm after grading, staring in front of a computer, working on a grad degree, is somehow romanticized.
And yet, because of ‘reasons,’ you’re expected to have a masters degree in many districts.
This late night ‘grinding teacher’ motif really bothers me, so I thought I’d lay out everything I think you need to know in order to use federal money to get a masters degree abroad. If they’re going to ask you to have a masters degree, you may as well get to live abroad for a year, get to see the world that you’re inspiring your students to explore, and maybe, just maybe, make sure the federal government picks up part of the tab.
About Me
I taught middle school for three years, and loved it. However, I’ve always had the travel bug, and summers off quickly became ‘summers working because I want to afford a certain standard of living.’ Oh, and admin problems.
I’m sure you’ve been there.
To that end, despite loving the classroom, I had to get out. One of the things I did was start a company that advises on how to study abroad. What follows is everything I’d tell a teacher who wanted to do a masters degree abroad. And by everything, I mean that you shouldn’t need someone like me after reading this, a bit of your own program-specific research, and a bit of common sense. This isn’t the same advice I’d give someone wanting to do another type of masters degree, but frankly, someone other than the donut shop should give you all something free for a change.
Confirm Your State Pays Extra for Any Masters
Before you do anything, make sure that your state pays extra for a masters degree, especially one that might not be in education. In my experience, this isn’t a problem if you’ve gotten your certification through other means. However, every state is different, and I’ve only worked in one of them, so please be sure.
Also, make sure that any bump in pay mitigates the loans. We’ll talk about income-based repayment shortly, but you want to at least break even.
As an aside, both interviews I’ve had in education (I got the second job I interviewed for) pointed to my masters degree from the UK as the single most compelling thing on my resume. However, compliments don’t pay the bills.
Where Do You Want to Go?
On one hand, you can go just about anywhere except the US and Canada and it will be cheaper than the US. The only exceptions are Oxford, Cambridge, and some science masters degrees (because lab fees are a thing everywhere).
Seriously.
Unless you speak a foreign language, I recommend at least starting your search in the UK and Ireland. There are some deals to be had there, and they tend to have the best portability for student loans from the US. If you’re interested in private loans, then some real deals can be had on the Continent. Also, British and Irish masters degrees tend to be only a year long.
Australia and New Zealand also offer incredible opportunities, but are finicky about federal loans from the US.
Of course, if you do speak Spanish, or French, or German, or anything else, you can save a fortune doing a masters in a country that speaks one of those languages. Be sure to look at the degree length; French degrees, for example, are classified as either M1 (for one year Masters) or M2 (for two year masters). However, you’ll want to be sure of repayment options (we’ll discuss that soon).
What Do You Want to Study?
One thing you’ll quickly find about programs outside the US is how specialized they are. In the US, you might get a Masters of Arts in History, and you’ll focus on a regional or thematic speciality. In the UK, you can go a lot more granular.
Want to study Egyptology? You can do that.
Think that Vikings are awesome? There are masters degrees devoted to their history and culture.
Or maybe you have an interest in marine science? There are degrees focused just on the intersection of science and policy.
The best part is that the cheaper universities in the UK tend to be the ones with the most innovative masters programs.
If you’re looking beyond the Anglosphere, you will still find plenty of masters degrees, some of which are just as specialized. Of course, if you want to go broad, you can still find masters programs that are much wider in content.
Considering the Costs
Chances are that you don’t have $30,000 sitting around to finance a degree abroad. That’s okay. Believe it or not, there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to using federal loans abroad.
That’s the downside; it is loan-based. However, they are Federal Loans, as long as your school is on this list – https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/international-schools-in-federal-loan-programs.xlsx
For those who don’t know, you can borrow up to $20,500 in Direct loans per year, and up to the cost of attendance in Grad PLUS loans. Both are deferred until some time after you graduate, and (best of all) both can be subject to both income-based repayment as well as loan forgiveness for public service. Make sure you qualify by reading here https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/are-direct-plus-loans-eligible-for-pslf
As a heads up, you will need some money up front to pay for travel as well as your first month’s expenses. Your university should work with you (they’re actually quite good at helping Americans using federal loans), but be prepared with a cushion.
Of course, all this only works if you go to a university on the above list. Most of those really inexpensive schools in Prague or Amsterdam aren’t on the list. Instead, you’ll have to float yourself, either through savings or a private loan.
You’ll find your studies don’t take up nearly as much time as teaching, so you may want to work while you’re abroad. While you can work in most countries (up to 20 hours during term time), you should be warned that border control won’t let you count on that income.
Applying, Getting In, and Visas
Graduate admissions abroad are incredibly straight-forward. In the UK and Ireland, it typically requires only a short personal statement on why you want to study the given degree, a copy of your transcripts, and a letter of recommendation or two. Note that I didn’t say anything about the GRE – in most cases, you don’t have to take it.
Outside of the UK and Ireland, it is often the same requirements, but admissions starts much later. In fact, some Italian schools don’t accept applicants until May. However, everyone accepts applicants throughout the summer; right now, there are plenty of spots open in the UK, for example.
As you already have finished your degree (if you’re reading this, I assume you have), you’ll likely receive an unconditional acceptance. From there, you should apply for financial aid through the US government (if you’re using it), and then begin the visa process. Triple check your visa application. Also, make sure you get a student visa; don’t think that you’ll be okay just using a bunch of tourist visas. A friend of mine did this in grad school and it was messy.
Once it’s complete, your university should help you find accommodation, but if they don’t, it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of options for graduate students in every city abroad.
When you arrive in your country, have all your paperwork handy. Be polite, feel free to drop that you’re a teacher doing your grad degree abroad, and stay calm. As long as your financial paperwork is in order (and a completed loan application from the government addressed to your university qualifies), you’re good to go.
After Your Degree
Most programs, especially in the UK and Ireland, follow a similar academic calendar to the US, but with the introduction of reading weeks. These give you plenty of chances to travel.
Graduate programs all assess differently, but most should finish classes by May or June, with a thesis due in September. The beautiful thing is that you can turn in your thesis early; they essentially give you the summer to write it, and it tends to be about 10,000 words (about 40 pages). Also, there’s a three to four week period from mid-March that lets you fly back to the US to apply for jobs back here.
Of course, many countries offer a two or three year visa for those who have graduate degrees, not that you’d want to stay and teach somewhere else or anything.
Between the cabin fever and the utter contempt with which teachers have been treated this year, I really wanted to share this option to do something to enrich your career while getting some breathing space. I’m happy to answer any questions, but in case you’ve not heard it today, thank you again for all you’ve done and all you do.