If I decide to do an MA I will have to apply this summer for Sept 05 entry. However I am in 2 minds.
The education V the cost!
The debt is massive, £5-7K, and that will take a year (2) to pay of.
Is it worth it?
figure your total cost
tuition/fees/expenses
+ salary missed due to school
= total cost..
now figure out
avg salary after MS
avg salary prior to MS
and get your net gain per year.
figure out how many years will it take for you to breakeven.
if u want to get fancy
also factor in avg salary growth rate w MS versus w/o MS, and what are the ceilings. In some cases if you dont have a masters u can nto proceed beyond a point easily.
so lets see those numbers
...
mate,
i just want to be a regular high school teacher ultimately.
I know that teachers start on ~ £18k, but without MA promotions are tougher to get.
dont say "just a highschool teacher" .. u are going for a noble profession, which is sadly undervalued by society.
so for you it becomes important that you get an MS because otherwise you will have a much tougher time advancing, so it becomes a question of "when" rather than "if"
in addition, it is much tougher later in life to take a break.
e.g. it is easier for a single guy/girl living a bachelor life to stop working and go back to school for a year or two versus someone who is married has kids, mortgage, and family expenses. so from that view point sooner is better.
depending on how many years you have actually taught, u may want to wait though, how do you know that this indeed is the career you want to have. if you go directly for an MS and then come to work and realize u dont like teaching but would prfer something else, then u have to go back to school.
My view.. ppl should get their undergrad, and go work in the field they like for a few years..2-4 years and then go for masters. doing it any sooner may mean u get a higher degree in something that u are not sure of as a career, doing it later may mean that it is harder to do due to financial obligations.
...
I arrived at my career choice simply:
Other then joining a firm or writing, teaching is about all you can do with History.
Teachers in the UK get a typical 13 weeks a year off. For me thats travel time. :)