How much difference would having a masters make

[Hairymcfairyyy]

In employment terms?
Is it worth it?
Considering using part of a loan we took out for the house, for some extended study.
Is it really worth it, would I progress more in my field, do employers value masters these days?

Totally depends on the industry, but mine didn't make a difference at all. I can't say I entirely regret doing it, but it does feel like an expensive and stressful waste of time.

Mine hasn’t made any difference almost 4 years later. As pp, I don’t regret doing it but in hindsight, i would have been better off doing some professional exams or courses with the money I spent. Also, I would have done more research before choosing the course.

It depends entirely on your your field of work. In my industry it wouldn’t make a difference in terms of pay. But if it’s something your interested in you’ll gain other things from it.

Unless you want to be an academic, very little difference.

Mine was worth every penny 🙂

yep, depends on your field. My general view is that they should make a difference but if you are in a commercial environment they often don’t.

Hmm, doesn’t appear to be that advantageous. I’m in education, so it would link to my degree. I had assumed that prospective employers would look favourably when choosing potential candidates at interviews etc and it would equal higher pay.

Totally depends on the area. Archeology probably essential. Economics also really good idea.

@Dishwashersaurous Education & teaching?

Education. So mainstream teaching. Teachers salaries are generally determined by national pay scales with little local autonomy. Like NHS pay. There is a set rate dot for the role

Unless you want to be an academic in the field then a masters is not necessarily a route to better job and more pay

Geophysicist definitely, it does depend on the field

Probably your best bet would be to find some people who are in the role and income you're after and find out what they did to get there.

I got my MS in CS years ago when it didn't make a lot of difference but now, it looks good on my resume.

It’s complicated!

If you’re thinking classroom teacher to subject leader, I think successful experience is more important than higher level qualifications, though there may be sixth form colleges and private schools who would appreciate the Masters.

However, if it’s related to a specific role e.g. SENCo or pastoral leader, it could make you more attractive.

It won’t be a substitute for successful classroom experience though. Without that, it will be a waste of money.

I'm a teacher with a masters. Makes no difference. Pay (at most schools) is linked to meeting your performance targets and follows the main pay scale.

An ex colleague of mine had a masters while I dropped out of uni and only have A levels. We did exactly the same job but I got paid more because I had experience managing a person in a previous job and she didn’t. So in my industry it really doesn’t make a difference (media). As PP said teacher’s pay scales are fixed, as are all public sector salaries where they’re usually on a band system with each band having a set salary range. Interviews also tend to be competency based box ticking exercises so it’s experience rather than education level that would get you higher up in your salary band.

Social work definitely helps, vital if you want to work abroad.

My sister is a teacher and she has 2 master’s degrees, she is a senco so one is valuable for her role, her 1st one was part of her initial degree (M.Ed degree)

@verymiddleaged

Social work definitely helps, vital if you want to work abroad.

In the US, yes, but it’s utterly pointless to do a social work Masters in the UK if you already have an undergraduate degree in social work, as in the UK they are treated the same and there is actually very little difference in the learning.

I have an undergraduate social work degree and have accessed further professional training some of which provides credits towards Masters level study, but to actually sign up for a specific Masters in social work would be a waste of time if that’s what your original degree was also in.

Education, no help, never got any more money/preference due to mine and it was directly linked to my role.

Do it if you will enjoy the academic side but not to get you a job/ more pay. (From a headteacher)

If you are a teacher perhaps look at the revamped NPQ qualifications instead?

Just in case it’s of interest, OP - there’s a whole new board dedicated to Mature Study and Retraining - stuffed with people taking postgrad degrees and other qualifications - here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students

But you may be too young for it to be relevant, of course!

I'm a headhunter. A masters definitely gives you an advantage in the early stage of a recruitment process. These days, everyone has a degree so going the extra mile and having a masters can make you stand out.

It might help to get you a higher paid job but you won't get a higher salary just because you have a masters.

In teaching it might make a difference if you’re looking to get a promotion. It’s becoming a bit of a ‘thing’ now - lots of SLT members with Masters degrees in leadership and other rubbish like that. Maybe it clinches a job role for a certain type of school, or gives candidates something to talk about at an interview. It certainly shows willingness to progress. However, in my experience a Masters in a teaching-related field is rarely correlated with better teaching (or management, for that matter).

If you decide to go ahead with it, be very careful which course you choose. Some of the education-related Masters degrees are shocking and a lot of teaching courses in general are very ideological. I did some moderation of masters-level essays for a local uni and the standard was poor. I just did it for a bit if extra pay (I have a Masters anyway but not in teaching) and didn’t have much of a mind to disagree with the primary marker, but when you’re handed a ‘lit review’ that references one Union leaflet and nothing else, and see that it’s been given 88%, you have to mark it down! This is a well-established teaching uni btw, although not Russell Group.

If you’re considering doing a Masters in your original subject I personally think that’s a lot more useful in teaching, but, although people might be impressed by it, it probably won’t lead directly to promotion.

I’m keen to develop further and have looked into Masters level teaching qualifications but have never committed as I just don’t like what’s on offer. There are some great shorter courses available though, especially at Oxbridge, that are perhaps worth looking at first.