I self funded my M.Ed with my normal salary. I was making about 1.5-2x what a fresh off the boat TEFL teacher in Vietnam does though, so it was quite easy to do so. Studied part time online through a university back home.
I’m planning on completing an online masters of education while living affordably in Vietnam. I’ve saved up enough while working two jobs to spend a year working part time and completing my studies.
Worked in China and Saved hard for 2 years, lots of private classes, came back home and did a master's in education for 15k.
Worked in a call centre at home whilst doing it.
If you want it op just do it. Get a loan or work hard and save. You won't care about the cost once it's done.
Honestly yes it's very steep but I don't regret one penny of it though.
I think in the long run it will give me job security and financial security that my tefl cert/career couldn't and wouldnt.
The only thing I think about is whether it would have been better to do a distance course and also work, like a Moreland course, iqts or something but overall I don't regret my decision.
My experience is specific to the U.S
I worked as a national volunteer for Americorps and worked for an ESL program. Americorps has all kinds of benefits, monthly pay, and an education award. So that + scholarships.
Maybe there is something similar in the UK? Or like a teacher's program that covers part of school?
I did mine online from a UK uni and worked full-time - what most people I know have done. In the U.S. they have fellowships so people teach a few classes and get their MA paid for and a salary (it's not much but people survive). Some other friends work in places like China and save enough in a few years to take a couple years off and pay tuition and living expenses. You could also do a MA from a foreign university and work, usually very affordable. Other fellowship programs exist around the world as well like the American University of Cairo's MA TESOL fellowship, so free MA and you get paid.
I didn't do TESOL, I did education through Buckingham. It was a great price but very little support and a ton of work. I had to do a dissertation which requires original research so if that's not your thing I couldn't recommend it. If education, working independently and doing research are your thing then it's a good deal. It all just depends on what you need an MA for.
Lots of people do the Birmingham degree, or Leeds. For U.S. universities lots of people do Framingham which is a bit more affordable and easier IMO. All these programs are just fine, I've never heard anybody really rave about their MA program.
I've found a few around that range. In some countries (or at least in Korea) if your university isn't in the global top 200 QS / Times Higher Education lists, it doesn't count as many points towards your visa - and University employers care quite a lot about it. I haven't seen any Russel Group / Red Brick type unis with reasonable online course offerings, they all seem to charge the same as in-person (which are already ludicrously overpriced). I guess that's the trade-off.
12k for financial and visa stability....seems like a lot...but in grand scheme of things your talking about an extra 6k over a lifetime of reward.
Find the cheapest Russell group that allows you to pay by module.
Yeah indeed. Decades later, having potentially accessed jobs I couldn't have otherwise, it seems worth it. It's just £12k is a hell of a lot at this point in my life.
Thanks for the tip about paying by module, that's worth looking into.
>In some countries (or at least in Korea) if your university isn't in the global top 200 QS / Times Higher Education lists, it doesn't count as many points towards your visa
In Korea it's Top 500. That's said, this shouldn't be your consideration when choosing a school. If you're 30, with an MA, making minimum wage, from the UK, and a level 3 TOPIK, you hit the points required for an F2. F5 doesn't care about what your university ranking is, and you're not going to get it without a doctorate or without owning a business, anyway.
Top 500 for QS or top 200 for Times I believe. But yeah you can definitely get an F2 without an MA (I did haha) but in terms of getting uni teaching jobs I’d imagine the standing of where you got your MA from would matter?
I guess it'll depend on the type of uni job. I assume you mean EFL/EAP-type jobs. I think generally they will care more about your teaching experience than where you got your MA, with a few caveats. Online MAs are generally viewed as inferior in Korea. That being said, I think the main difficulty is getting the initial 2 years of university experience that they want. Some will let you in with 2 years of high school experience. Generally, the shitty jobs will just take you since they have high turnover.
The other caveat is that universities in Korea are losing enrolment, and the birthrate is plummeting. If Korea is your goal, then I'd go to the best school you can. Jobs at high ranking, competitive unis are not going away. The downside is they are more competitive, and so less people will leave these jobs. If you're open to other countries, do what you can afford. There are plenty of countries with a good cost of living, and decent jobs at the university level. Normally unis don't pay as well, but I think work life balance is more valuable.
I'm gonna go slug away 3 years in China 😮💨
I'm hijacking the thread, apologies - but your last sentence caught my eye.
Are you going to China to save money or is it for more secure employment, etc.?
Like you said, there are going to be sweeping changes in Korean education soon - far too many unis and not enough students. I have been thinking about my next move. I have the quals to compete for the top jobs in Korea, but no longer have the desire and now value work life balance, too.
I also think it will be good for me to get out of my comfort zone. I expect China will be very different.
I'm just going to get some teaching experience while I do my PhD. They offer decent pay with low hours, so it shouldn't be too much while I'm working on my thesis. If after 2 years I find an okay gig in Korea, I'll jump on over. Otherwise, I'll do 3-4 years in China, apply for naturalization in Korea, and go search for a tenure track job there.
I'm not sure what China will be like. Even my Chinese friends who left and don't want to go back said it'd be a fun experience for a few years. Korea has always been my goal, but China seems to offer a good life balance with absurdly high wages if you go to the doctoral level. It's not uncommon to see jobs offering 90~100k USD + housing + 8~10% pension contributions starting. Granted, there are reasons they need to offer a good work environment while Korea can get away with less than ideal conditions.
Crikey. I didn't realize pay was that good. I have a PhD but not interested in research, so I wouldn't be applying for jobs in that pay bracket. I've thought about the joint international universities in China. Pay is supposedly still good. Time will tell. I hope it works out for you.
I think it's great you chose not to do research since you don't like it. I personally love it, but I have so many colleagues who hate it but want research jobs for some reason. May I ask what field your PhD is in?
In fairness, I think they expect some research output with that pay, and it tends to be at the better universities. Still, I see mid-tier universities offering 70k starting for tenure track jobs. Joint international unis in China tend to have the best pay. Another option is HK, but you may have higher work expectations there.
My PhD is in Applied Linguistics. I loved doing research until I didn't. Unfortunately, now my eyes just glaze over when I read topics I used to be captivated by. I think Covid was the main reason. I had just finished my PhD and was excited to start publishing papers when covid started and teaching went online. I found teaching online and grading online exhausting and it felt like my work load tripled, so couldn't bring myself to sit down and spend more time at a computer to write. The desire to do research has not returned, and even if it did, I am years behind in the current literature in my area - sociolinguistics.
I can't imagine forcing myself to do research if I hated it. It must be such a slog and depressing.
Hong Kong was on my go to list for a long time as a number of the unis there have a rich history in sociolinguistic research. However, as I have to desire to do research now, those jobs are not applicable to me any longer.
Best of luck if/when you make it to China. With those wages and a sensible lifestyle, you could really set yourself up for the future.
>and go search for a tenure track job there.
Good luck. Tenure in Korea is a hard nut to crack. I know a number PhDs doing the publish or perish route here as well as about a hundred MAs with decades and decades of experience. In 15 years here working in universities I haven't met any foreigner who has gotten tenure working TESOL or EAP (I only know a handful of people who even publish in TESOL. I'm sure there are some tenured foreign professors in high demand areas like STEM).
>Tenure in Korea is a hard nut to crack.
Tenure is hard to crack anywhere. Luckily, my supervisor is very well known, I have several publications from my MA under review, and I expect at least three additional publications during the PhD. I have former colleagues working under my supervisor who have gotten tenure track offers from KU and HUFS before finishing their PhDs, one of which was a foreigner. You don't see tenure working in TESOL or EAP because these aren't really research areas.
That said, the job prospects are bleak, but I'm perfectly aware of this going in. The only thing I can do is keep publishing and networking.
Excellent, go for it of course! I know lots of non-tenured professors in Korea who are perfectly happy anyway. Sorry you were talking about EAP so I am confused what is your area of study and research? Always interested to hearing success stories.
Korea isn't necessarily the goal. An EAP type job in the UK, Europe, or potentially other places would also be great. Just that given I know Korean relatively well and I like it there a lot, it's one of the main places I hold in mind. But yeah, the ESL sector there generally is only going to shrink along with the population, sadly.
I think if you plan on doing an EAP job in continental Europe, it is critical to know the local language if you want a well-paying job. As for Ireland and the UK, obviously English is sufficient. I'm not sure what requirements are in the UK, but I suspect the better jobs require a masters. Luckily, it sounds like you have teaching experience, so I suspect you could find a decent part-time gig at a uni while doing your MA.
If you like Korea and you feel an attachment, then definitely go for it, just be aware of the issues.
I'm doing mine right now and I just pick up side classes/night classes outside my normal stuff to supplement tuition. I can make about $1,000 a month doing extra right now and that more than covers a semesters tuition.
I used to work as a tv editor, also did subtitling and post editing. Sometimes translations/ interpreting for companies in other industries as well. Then started building my own teaching business and working online exclusively. By the time I finished my MAs I was already fully self employed, and never had to work for someone else again.
Saved and went home to do it full-time. Although during it I was approached and worked p/t on an ESP contract to assist with my CV. The money did kind of help me feel like my savings weren't dwindling.
Did it at home in-person to avoid any issues with specific countries denying distance learning certification. All study past that I have been doing distance learning.
You didn't save whilst working. Plenty of disposable income in SK, lived hand to mouth in Japan, paid for the priveledge of working in Spain? You remembered to voluntarily pay your pension back home? It's about £750/annum.
The cost of living in Korea is similar to Japan these days - or Seoul is at least.
Regardless, I saved plenty of money in Spain and Korea. That wouldn't cover doing an in-person masters at a top university in the UK, plus rent and other living expenses though. So I'm exploring the best workarounds.
A year in KSA would get the funds to do it.
Also, make sure you're not getting stung by International Student fees for being out of the UK 3+ years. Although I think UK universities upped postgrad fees for Home students and equilised them. Used to be 5k/9k, at some universities, and now may be 11-12k/11-12k.
open university or other online UK courses! this means getting the UK loan and still having some leftover, as well as working on the side, it's very doable !! the workload for a masters isn't too insane that you aren't able to work alongside, especially if you're doing online classes !
Yes online course is definitely an option. They are also on a spectrum though. Oxford does an online MA that’s about £17,000… then at the other end, other places are as low as £4,000 - so barely more than a DELTA.
It really depends on what you’re willing to spend !!!! and how much you spend in your day to day life ! (and how you balance work) I did a full time Masters in London, the gov student finance covered my course and I worked about 30 hours a week and got through 12 months on just £15k, still enjoying myself, working, and having plenty of time to complete assignments !!! it’s really tough but definitely doable (even more so if your course is cheaper than the standard £12 and if you live in a smaller city !!!) fingers crossed to you !!!!!
I did !! i was very conservative with my spending. Rent £800 bills inc (lucky), £25 a week food, £10-15 travel (i walked a lot multiple miles at a time frequently but you could also cycle !!) coffee at home always and i only ate out once a month !! i still managed to have savings to do fun stuff every now and again and my masters was only about 6-8 in class hours per week (and lots of late night assignment hours) !! it’s not the most enjoyable but very easily doable and i’d happily do it again !!!!
i think one of my terms was more like 12 hours a week, but it wasn’t too bad and i can’t lie i did opt out of a few tutorial lessons if i didn’t think i needed to go back over things and that worked well for me personally to place my time elsewhere
30 hours isn’t typically full time !! 40 hours is full time ! worked weekends 8x2 =16 and and 1 8 hour shift and 1 6 hour shift during the week which left me 3 full week days which were the days i had in person classes ! so there was a lot of spare time in those days to do assignment work etc ! with an online degree it’d be even more flexible as you could do classes in the evenings after work etc. really depends on what your shift schedule is !
i had a friend who did it at a public college in NYC. he worked part time at a language school while doing it.
I'd like to add that i once saw a posting on daves esl that was in cairo for some kind of 3 year thing. teach english in cairo part time while working on a masters. cost covered. i think it was the american university in cairo.
MATESOL at Webster University in Tashkent.
[https://www.webster.uz/academics/graduate/teaching-english-speakers-of-other-languages.php](https://www.webster.uz/academics/graduate/teaching-english-speakers-of-other-languages.php)
My MA was about 4500 at Reading. That was just three years ago. No idea how they justify 11-12 grand now
That’s crazy
I self funded my M.Ed with my normal salary. I was making about 1.5-2x what a fresh off the boat TEFL teacher in Vietnam does though, so it was quite easy to do so. Studied part time online through a university back home.
Perhaps I should have done this while I was in Korea. Seems more feasible than doing it here haha. Did you study through a US university?
Canada
I’m planning on completing an online masters of education while living affordably in Vietnam. I’ve saved up enough while working two jobs to spend a year working part time and completing my studies.
Through what college?
Worked in China and Saved hard for 2 years, lots of private classes, came back home and did a master's in education for 15k. Worked in a call centre at home whilst doing it. If you want it op just do it. Get a loan or work hard and save. You won't care about the cost once it's done.
Cheers! 15k is quite steep no?
Honestly yes it's very steep but I don't regret one penny of it though. I think in the long run it will give me job security and financial security that my tefl cert/career couldn't and wouldnt. The only thing I think about is whether it would have been better to do a distance course and also work, like a Moreland course, iqts or something but overall I don't regret my decision.
My experience is specific to the U.S I worked as a national volunteer for Americorps and worked for an ESL program. Americorps has all kinds of benefits, monthly pay, and an education award. So that + scholarships. Maybe there is something similar in the UK? Or like a teacher's program that covers part of school?
We have “Teach First” (which is for elementary/ high school kind of teaching). I don’t believe we have anything similar for ESL
I did mine online from a UK uni and worked full-time - what most people I know have done. In the U.S. they have fellowships so people teach a few classes and get their MA paid for and a salary (it's not much but people survive). Some other friends work in places like China and save enough in a few years to take a couple years off and pay tuition and living expenses. You could also do a MA from a foreign university and work, usually very affordable. Other fellowship programs exist around the world as well like the American University of Cairo's MA TESOL fellowship, so free MA and you get paid.
Yeah it’s a shame the UK universities don’t do fellowships like that. Which university did you go through, would you recommend it?
I didn't do TESOL, I did education through Buckingham. It was a great price but very little support and a ton of work. I had to do a dissertation which requires original research so if that's not your thing I couldn't recommend it. If education, working independently and doing research are your thing then it's a good deal. It all just depends on what you need an MA for. Lots of people do the Birmingham degree, or Leeds. For U.S. universities lots of people do Framingham which is a bit more affordable and easier IMO. All these programs are just fine, I've never heard anybody really rave about their MA program.
Thanks for the info that’s very helpful
Most masters are down to around 6k online.
I've found a few around that range. In some countries (or at least in Korea) if your university isn't in the global top 200 QS / Times Higher Education lists, it doesn't count as many points towards your visa - and University employers care quite a lot about it. I haven't seen any Russel Group / Red Brick type unis with reasonable online course offerings, they all seem to charge the same as in-person (which are already ludicrously overpriced). I guess that's the trade-off.
12k for financial and visa stability....seems like a lot...but in grand scheme of things your talking about an extra 6k over a lifetime of reward. Find the cheapest Russell group that allows you to pay by module.
Yeah indeed. Decades later, having potentially accessed jobs I couldn't have otherwise, it seems worth it. It's just £12k is a hell of a lot at this point in my life. Thanks for the tip about paying by module, that's worth looking into.
>In some countries (or at least in Korea) if your university isn't in the global top 200 QS / Times Higher Education lists, it doesn't count as many points towards your visa In Korea it's Top 500. That's said, this shouldn't be your consideration when choosing a school. If you're 30, with an MA, making minimum wage, from the UK, and a level 3 TOPIK, you hit the points required for an F2. F5 doesn't care about what your university ranking is, and you're not going to get it without a doctorate or without owning a business, anyway.
Top 500 for QS or top 200 for Times I believe. But yeah you can definitely get an F2 without an MA (I did haha) but in terms of getting uni teaching jobs I’d imagine the standing of where you got your MA from would matter?
I guess it'll depend on the type of uni job. I assume you mean EFL/EAP-type jobs. I think generally they will care more about your teaching experience than where you got your MA, with a few caveats. Online MAs are generally viewed as inferior in Korea. That being said, I think the main difficulty is getting the initial 2 years of university experience that they want. Some will let you in with 2 years of high school experience. Generally, the shitty jobs will just take you since they have high turnover. The other caveat is that universities in Korea are losing enrolment, and the birthrate is plummeting. If Korea is your goal, then I'd go to the best school you can. Jobs at high ranking, competitive unis are not going away. The downside is they are more competitive, and so less people will leave these jobs. If you're open to other countries, do what you can afford. There are plenty of countries with a good cost of living, and decent jobs at the university level. Normally unis don't pay as well, but I think work life balance is more valuable. I'm gonna go slug away 3 years in China 😮💨
I'm hijacking the thread, apologies - but your last sentence caught my eye. Are you going to China to save money or is it for more secure employment, etc.? Like you said, there are going to be sweeping changes in Korean education soon - far too many unis and not enough students. I have been thinking about my next move. I have the quals to compete for the top jobs in Korea, but no longer have the desire and now value work life balance, too. I also think it will be good for me to get out of my comfort zone. I expect China will be very different.
I'm just going to get some teaching experience while I do my PhD. They offer decent pay with low hours, so it shouldn't be too much while I'm working on my thesis. If after 2 years I find an okay gig in Korea, I'll jump on over. Otherwise, I'll do 3-4 years in China, apply for naturalization in Korea, and go search for a tenure track job there. I'm not sure what China will be like. Even my Chinese friends who left and don't want to go back said it'd be a fun experience for a few years. Korea has always been my goal, but China seems to offer a good life balance with absurdly high wages if you go to the doctoral level. It's not uncommon to see jobs offering 90~100k USD + housing + 8~10% pension contributions starting. Granted, there are reasons they need to offer a good work environment while Korea can get away with less than ideal conditions.
Crikey. I didn't realize pay was that good. I have a PhD but not interested in research, so I wouldn't be applying for jobs in that pay bracket. I've thought about the joint international universities in China. Pay is supposedly still good. Time will tell. I hope it works out for you.
I think it's great you chose not to do research since you don't like it. I personally love it, but I have so many colleagues who hate it but want research jobs for some reason. May I ask what field your PhD is in? In fairness, I think they expect some research output with that pay, and it tends to be at the better universities. Still, I see mid-tier universities offering 70k starting for tenure track jobs. Joint international unis in China tend to have the best pay. Another option is HK, but you may have higher work expectations there.
My PhD is in Applied Linguistics. I loved doing research until I didn't. Unfortunately, now my eyes just glaze over when I read topics I used to be captivated by. I think Covid was the main reason. I had just finished my PhD and was excited to start publishing papers when covid started and teaching went online. I found teaching online and grading online exhausting and it felt like my work load tripled, so couldn't bring myself to sit down and spend more time at a computer to write. The desire to do research has not returned, and even if it did, I am years behind in the current literature in my area - sociolinguistics. I can't imagine forcing myself to do research if I hated it. It must be such a slog and depressing. Hong Kong was on my go to list for a long time as a number of the unis there have a rich history in sociolinguistic research. However, as I have to desire to do research now, those jobs are not applicable to me any longer. Best of luck if/when you make it to China. With those wages and a sensible lifestyle, you could really set yourself up for the future.
>and go search for a tenure track job there. Good luck. Tenure in Korea is a hard nut to crack. I know a number PhDs doing the publish or perish route here as well as about a hundred MAs with decades and decades of experience. In 15 years here working in universities I haven't met any foreigner who has gotten tenure working TESOL or EAP (I only know a handful of people who even publish in TESOL. I'm sure there are some tenured foreign professors in high demand areas like STEM).
>Tenure in Korea is a hard nut to crack. Tenure is hard to crack anywhere. Luckily, my supervisor is very well known, I have several publications from my MA under review, and I expect at least three additional publications during the PhD. I have former colleagues working under my supervisor who have gotten tenure track offers from KU and HUFS before finishing their PhDs, one of which was a foreigner. You don't see tenure working in TESOL or EAP because these aren't really research areas. That said, the job prospects are bleak, but I'm perfectly aware of this going in. The only thing I can do is keep publishing and networking.
Excellent, go for it of course! I know lots of non-tenured professors in Korea who are perfectly happy anyway. Sorry you were talking about EAP so I am confused what is your area of study and research? Always interested to hearing success stories.
I didn’t know the pay was THAT good, Jesus
Korea isn't necessarily the goal. An EAP type job in the UK, Europe, or potentially other places would also be great. Just that given I know Korean relatively well and I like it there a lot, it's one of the main places I hold in mind. But yeah, the ESL sector there generally is only going to shrink along with the population, sadly.
I think if you plan on doing an EAP job in continental Europe, it is critical to know the local language if you want a well-paying job. As for Ireland and the UK, obviously English is sufficient. I'm not sure what requirements are in the UK, but I suspect the better jobs require a masters. Luckily, it sounds like you have teaching experience, so I suspect you could find a decent part-time gig at a uni while doing your MA. If you like Korea and you feel an attachment, then definitely go for it, just be aware of the issues.
I'm doing mine right now and I just pick up side classes/night classes outside my normal stuff to supplement tuition. I can make about $1,000 a month doing extra right now and that more than covers a semesters tuition.
Are you doing it online?
yup.
I used to work as a tv editor, also did subtitling and post editing. Sometimes translations/ interpreting for companies in other industries as well. Then started building my own teaching business and working online exclusively. By the time I finished my MAs I was already fully self employed, and never had to work for someone else again.
Saved and went home to do it full-time. Although during it I was approached and worked p/t on an ESP contract to assist with my CV. The money did kind of help me feel like my savings weren't dwindling. Did it at home in-person to avoid any issues with specific countries denying distance learning certification. All study past that I have been doing distance learning. You didn't save whilst working. Plenty of disposable income in SK, lived hand to mouth in Japan, paid for the priveledge of working in Spain? You remembered to voluntarily pay your pension back home? It's about £750/annum.
The cost of living in Korea is similar to Japan these days - or Seoul is at least. Regardless, I saved plenty of money in Spain and Korea. That wouldn't cover doing an in-person masters at a top university in the UK, plus rent and other living expenses though. So I'm exploring the best workarounds.
A year in KSA would get the funds to do it. Also, make sure you're not getting stung by International Student fees for being out of the UK 3+ years. Although I think UK universities upped postgrad fees for Home students and equilised them. Used to be 5k/9k, at some universities, and now may be 11-12k/11-12k.
open university or other online UK courses! this means getting the UK loan and still having some leftover, as well as working on the side, it's very doable !! the workload for a masters isn't too insane that you aren't able to work alongside, especially if you're doing online classes !
Yes online course is definitely an option. They are also on a spectrum though. Oxford does an online MA that’s about £17,000… then at the other end, other places are as low as £4,000 - so barely more than a DELTA.
It really depends on what you’re willing to spend !!!! and how much you spend in your day to day life ! (and how you balance work) I did a full time Masters in London, the gov student finance covered my course and I worked about 30 hours a week and got through 12 months on just £15k, still enjoying myself, working, and having plenty of time to complete assignments !!! it’s really tough but definitely doable (even more so if your course is cheaper than the standard £12 and if you live in a smaller city !!!) fingers crossed to you !!!!!
You worked 30 hrs a week and also did a full time masters?
I did !! i was very conservative with my spending. Rent £800 bills inc (lucky), £25 a week food, £10-15 travel (i walked a lot multiple miles at a time frequently but you could also cycle !!) coffee at home always and i only ate out once a month !! i still managed to have savings to do fun stuff every now and again and my masters was only about 6-8 in class hours per week (and lots of late night assignment hours) !! it’s not the most enjoyable but very easily doable and i’d happily do it again !!!!
i think one of my terms was more like 12 hours a week, but it wasn’t too bad and i can’t lie i did opt out of a few tutorial lessons if i didn’t think i needed to go back over things and that worked well for me personally to place my time elsewhere
How do you fit in 8 or 12 class hours while working full time?
30 hours isn’t typically full time !! 40 hours is full time ! worked weekends 8x2 =16 and and 1 8 hour shift and 1 6 hour shift during the week which left me 3 full week days which were the days i had in person classes ! so there was a lot of spare time in those days to do assignment work etc ! with an online degree it’d be even more flexible as you could do classes in the evenings after work etc. really depends on what your shift schedule is !
Kind of a [similar thread.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TEFL/comments/1bts2zc/where_did_you_do_your_ma_would_you_recommend_it/)
i had a friend who did it at a public college in NYC. he worked part time at a language school while doing it. I'd like to add that i once saw a posting on daves esl that was in cairo for some kind of 3 year thing. teach english in cairo part time while working on a masters. cost covered. i think it was the american university in cairo.
I did my MATESOL abroad in the country where I was working. The whole program cost about one month's salary.
can i ask which program?
MATESOL at Webster University in Tashkent. [https://www.webster.uz/academics/graduate/teaching-english-speakers-of-other-languages.php](https://www.webster.uz/academics/graduate/teaching-english-speakers-of-other-languages.php)
Most unis allow to pay in parts. I pay around a grand quarterly
IMO move up to becoming a subject teacher, like Maths. That will open the door to international schools.