Study Master Teaching Chinese (MTCSOL) without prior background of chinese language

[yangyizhi]

Hello guys, hello I am from indonesia, and I am planning to study master degree in china (hopefullly with CSC Scholarhsip) , well what i have in mind is I want to be able to teach chinese to Indonesian people here. Wether it is just a teacher or maybe a lecturer , that would be great...

 

since I already have a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering. ( and poor chinese language     ) I want to study in China with 1 year Chinese Prep then continue to master. What do u think if I take Master Teaching Chinese To Second Speaker Of Other Language (MTCSOL)  ? Do i stand a chance considering my undergraduate bachelor is not chinese study?

 

Thank you guys.. 

 

[Angelina]

Why would you want to teach a language you can barely speak?

[yangyizhi]

@angelina : Thanks for posting Ms Angelina  and made a point I could not speak the language. u are very helpful   

 

i want to teach because of so many reason   , maybe someone has a friend with experience similar to me ?    still just wanna ask around. 

 

Thank you everyone. 

[Flickserve]

Well, if you want a yes or no answer, then I think no chance.

[roddy]

You need an HSK 6 for the MTCSOL, I think. That's perhaps possible within a year, but I think it's a stretch and I'd start studying now, not when you get to China. If you manage it, you're still going to lack a lot of cultural and linguistic knowledge, so you'll get less benefit from the course and you'll be a less effective teacher. 

 

Theoretically, can you do it? Maybe. Should you do it? Probably not. 

[zhouhaochen]

There is no reason why you could not study at an MTCSOL (not sure about the scholarships), the main issue is that you need to be able to speak fluent Mandarin. Different universities have different requirements, some require HSK 5 others HSK 6 as a pre-condition for studying there.

If you are currently at beginner level, you have some serious studying ahead of you. Reaching HSK either 5 or 6 in a year is possible and has been done, but it very much depends on how you study. Many people are at HSK 3 or 4 level after a year.

There is a lot of information on this forum on how to learn Chinese, so that is where I would start looking. Start in Indonesia and then come to China, but be prepared that maybe a year will not be enough to get you up to the necessary level.

 

PS: a lot of people (most in fact) who teach Chinese never took an MTCSOL, so this is not always a requirement for many schools or universities. I do not know about Indonesia, but in many countries they started offering University Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language for non-native speakers. I know that at the university of Vienna for example the required level is HSK 5 (plus German, so thats not relevant for you, but just as an idea) to do a Masters in Teaching Chinese.

[Yadang]

I think Angelina makes a very valid point. Okay, so you didn't ask IF you should or shouldn't pursue such a degree/career in teaching Chinese as a second language, but, at least going on as much information as you've given us here, it bears asking why someone who as far as we know has had very little exposure to the language, is pursuing such a path.

[Sharon_Too]

I just got a message from someone who has no exposure to Mandarin and also wants to apply for MTCSOL.

Here's my reply to those with the same thought:

 

How can you be sure that you want to do a career in teaching chinese when you haven't learned it yet? How can you be sure you'll even be good at it, never mind teaching good chinese to others. It's like saying you want to be an astronaut when you haven't learned physics yet. Of course it's not impossible but it's like a child dreaming and there's an awful LOT to learn. You need to have at least HSK5 to be able to apply for MTCSOL which is still damn difficult even with HSK6. Reaching HSK5 usually requires at least one year of intensive Chinese course fully immersed in the language environment unless you have a miracle learning strategy or are a language genius.

Keep in mind that a teacher needs to learn a whole bucket of knowledge to be able to teach one drop of it. And you'll be starting by learning that one drop, but you really do have to learn the whole bucket to be a decent teacher.

You can search for application information on this forum, there's plenty of detailed information. MTCSOL can be applied directly to universities. Scholarships like Confucius Institute, Chinese Government, MOFCOM etc have to be applied separately. Each country has its procedures, check your ministry of education or chinese embassy.

Use internet efficiently, inform yourself and have common sense.

 

[umairrao]

I second to you Sharon. but with no offence you could give him a right path from zero point. and explain him pros n cons of that degree if he is going to make career in chinese. teaching.