Balancing studies, work and private life - Master's in Business Education by Kamila Kraus

Kamila Kraus shares her experiences on the Master's degree program in Business Education:

Becoming a teacher alongside your job

One week after submitting my Master's thesis, I received a job offer from a private school. And I owe this above all to the excellent, competent lecturers and the university administration, the heart of the university.
My motivation for choosing the M.A. in Business Education at Allensbach University was the opportunity to qualify for a career as a teacher alongside a full-time job.

The student decides when and which examinations are taken and in what order, and the course can be started at any time. If you are determined and disciplined, you can complete your studies while working. Your social environment should definitely know that you are studying part-time, as the university also informs you in an information event. During this time, you disappear from the scene or at least are no longer available in the same way as before your studies.

Study, work and private life

Balancing your studies, work and private life is a challenge and you do a balancing act during this time to fulfill everything. At times it becomes very exhausting because you hardly get enough sleep. That's why it's important to get a good night's rest after work to recharge your batteries. You can't avoid working late into the night on academic papers and delving deeper into the subject matter. If you have any questions or need clarification, the respective lecturer is available. You can contact them at any time or arrange a telephone appointment to clarify everything. There are also lecturers who provide their cell phone number so that you can call them at any time if you have any questions.

The study model is very interesting and the lecturers convey the content very well. The online events, which are held outside of normal working hours (usually starting at 6 p.m.), also offer the opportunity to ask questions during the lecture. I had the greatest added value when I attended the online lecture prepared and was able to ask questions that arose while working through the subject content.

Helpful tips from the university administration

I received answers in the lectures and then understood the subject better. Most of the study letters were very helpful, some, such as in philosophy, were rather difficult to read because, among other things, text excerpts from Socrates etc., which relate to a different era, are written differently. The university administration offers the most help with questions of all kinds. They provide helpful tips on every subject. If you decide to bring a module forward, this can be clarified quickly with the university administration and the documents will be sent to you quickly. After each completed module, you have the opportunity to evaluate the documents and courses in the online learning system. The two tools, the online learning system and the online campus, are clearly laid out and all important information is stored there.

The university's online library is not well-stocked with books that are important for studying business education. However, with a library card, students can easily borrow books from another university in the vicinity with a guest card or download online books onto their own USB stick.

One-week internship at a school

A one-week internship at a school is planned during the course. Applications must be sent directly to the school. This is unknown to the schools. Firstly, because it is one week and secondly, because the application is sent directly to the school. The schools are used to receiving applications for trainee teacher positions via the Tübingen regional council. Here it is sometimes difficult to get a traineeship place, even if the facts are mentioned in the application.

It is therefore important to stay on the ball and include the Allensbach University internship regulations with your application. It is possible to bring forward the internship, but it does not make sense until you have completed the first modules in the basics of educational planning and a teaching concept.

In my experience, it is advisable to complete the subjects one after the other at your own pace, not to shy away from asking questions and to take breaks after each piece of work. Contacting the university administration if you are at a loss is also worth its weight in gold, because they can always help you. Contact with a few fellow students is good if you are on the same wavelength and can exchange ideas.

Career advancement through the Master's in Business Education

You can use Citavi to write academic papers, which makes it much easier to cite sources and create a bibliography. In addition to the regular subjects, Allensbach University also offers information events, such as an introduction to writing academic papers or on the subject of traineeships. This event provides a lot of important information.

In addition to the personal experience, the added value that I have gained from my studies is the professional advancement or career change. These were very good times, which in the end show that the effort is worthwhile in every respect. Schools particularly recognize when prospective teachers come from professional practice in the free market economy.

I am now exactly where I wanted to be and can look back on the valuable and horizon-expanding months at Allensbach University.

Many thanks also for the many good, open and cheerful conversations.