Message from the Assistant Provost
This page (begun March 2005) features a quarterly letter from the Assistant Provost addressing news in OIS, special topics, and updates on progress in"internationalizing" the campus. The document, "Towards a Strategic Plan for Internationalism 2008," can be seen by clicking here. Past messages can be seen by clicking here.
October 9, 2008: "Message from the Assistant Provost"
I often receive requests from students for help with careers. The letter below, sent to a young friend this fall, contains some ideas that may be helpful, so I submit them to all of you in the university community and beyond. Best wishes and good luck!
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for writing to me, I am happy to correspond with you and to help you chart out some potential next steps to take in pursuing an international career.
A. Teaching
With a B.A. in English and your experience as a teacher of English as a foreign or second language in Europe, you would be an excellent candidate for a program of apprentice teaching. There are two I know of: a. "Teach for America" which hires young college grads to teach in inner-city or difficult areas, and b. Alliance for Catholic Education. These jobs involve teacher training and hands-on teaching in difficult schools. They may not lead to long-term career goals, but they are both worthy programs and may be of interest for next year. The "Teach for America" recruiters visit Notre Dame in the fall, so the time is ripe to apply for the 09-10 school year. The Alliance for Catholic Education operates out of Notre Dame and does similar work as Teach for America, with a focus on Catholic schools. (Check out the websites.)
B. Higher education
You will probably want to continue your education at some point, and work toward a M.A. if not a Ph.D. Your language skills will be a definite plus later on, but at present you should think hard about what field exactly you are interested in pursuing. The job market for English majors is tough because there are so many people seeking employment. But competency in Spanish and German could be a winning combination. (Think about pursuing Fulbright study one day in Argentina, for instance, where many people speak both languages).
The long-term job prospects for someone with Spanish are bright; that language has come to dominate the US foreign language market. You can see professor jobs listed on the websites of the Chronicle for Higher Education and the Modern Language Association of America.
You would need to get more competence in Spanish, most likely a B.A. in Spanish, to get into a M.A. program in Spanish, but it may be a good strategy. M.A. students receive salary for teaching language while advancing toward their degree and a tuition waiver too. Same goes for Ph.D. students in languages. If you want to continue in English literature, you will definitely need to consult your former teachers for advice; the world of academe is like a guild and you need strong supporters from within to help open doors for you.
C. Study Abroad Administration
In the Office of International Studies (OIS) where I currently work (on top of my teaching and research as a French professor), we frequently hire professionals to administer programs of study abroad for our students. This field is a crucial component of all American universities these days; more and more undergraduates are planning to study abroad and every major university has an office similar to OIS. The baseline degree for such work at Notre Dame is usually a M.A. but at other schools a B.A. may be sufficient. There are two excellent professional societies that have websites listing career opportunities in this field: 1. The Forum on Education Abroad and 2. NAFSA: Assoc. of International Educators. It may be that you could find a job in one of these kinds of offices on a university campus, and continue your education in languages while working. University people tend to be very supportive of employees' efforts to seek advanced degrees, and may even help underwrite tuition or allow flextime scheduling to allow you to pursue graduate study at the same time as you work.
I hope this information is useful to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help you more.
Sincerely,
Julia Douthwaite
Assistant Provost for International Studies
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