[benhlandau]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 23 year old Canadian about to graduate with a Masters degree in Communication & Culture. My undergraduate degree was in English.

For the last year I have been planning to study in Japan on a 2011 Monbusho research scholarship, but after originally being accepted, I recently received news from the Japanese ministry of education that I was being demoted to ALTERNATE. As a result, I will most likely NOT get the scholarship.

Now I am wondering if I should continue with plans to live in Japan (I've now been studying the Japanese language for almost 2 years) as an English teacher, or just give up and look for a job in Toronto (where I live).

My question for all of you is, do people with Masters degrees get better jobs teaching English? Does it give me a significant advantage, or would I be stuck doing the same jobs as any other English teaching foreigner with a degree? At this point, I am only willing to dedicate a year to teaching English in Japan if a really good opportunity is available.

So what do you all think?

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.