generalteacherops2

General Teacher Opinions on Working in Turkey

Well, the good ol' days have come and gone it seems. When any organization becomes a monopoly in its field, there are ramifications on the industry in general. For private language schools in Istanbul, English Time has become the KEY Player on the block.

Word in the schools from TEFLers is that conditions have worsened, especially since the Turkish Lira plummeted in the late 1990s. It is getting more expensive to live and travel, and language schools do not provide the accommodations that they used to. This means that you, as a brand spankin' new teacher in a foreign country, have to go out and get your own apartment - likely with other teachers that the school sets you up with. The problem, now, is that when teachers pull runners, you are left to foot the bill, whereas in the past, the schools did.

That said, there are quite a few TEFLers that have decided to give it a go and make ESL their career and living in Turkey their lives. Many have been here for ten+ years and have no plans on leaving. Some still teach but have branched out into other professional venues, like teacher training, writing, music, and so forth.

Is there still hope for a new teacher coming to Istanbul, full of wide-eyed enthusiasm? Yes, of course. Will you get rich? Hayir (no). If you simply wanted the moolah, head to Korea or Japan. If you want a lifestyle, Turkey has it in every way imaginable.

I've always liked being up early in the morning, before the crowds get going, with some time to meander down the streets, buy some poagi, have some chai. There's something about being at the foot of Aya Sophia before the touts and crowds get going, or walking down Ebuzziya in Bakirkoy, Istiklal in Taksim.

The mood on the forums is peppered with disappointment by some, devoted loyalty by others, and bewilderment by the newbies. And maybe even some old-timers. Turkey never ceases to bewilder, astound and amaze.

Problems? Sure there are. There's social security (none at the private language schools), insurance, retirement savings, all that stuff that you'd probably not pay attention to in your home country because it's a given. Nothing is a given here.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2007: The streets are still bustling. Rush hour traffic can be a nightmare. Most schools have adapted the wage system. Conditions are still pretty much the same as above, except that it is more expensive to live in Istanbul than ever before. Wage-earners will be busting their butts to survive, especially from June-September. - ed

Contract Issues

What is an "hour"? Easy question, you may think. But be aware that "academic" hours vary from 40-55 minutes. Is your contract for "real" hours or "academic" hours (aka "teaching" hours). You may teach 100 "academic" hours (ie a class) and you may think your paycheck will reflect this. But if that "hour" is only 40 min, then you have only taught 4000 minutes not 6000 minutes. Wage-earners could then receive a paycheck that is 1/3 lower than expected. Or salaried workers may be given a whole schlew of extra hours to make up for the slag. The moral: make sure you find out if you are being paid for teaching hours or real hours.

"at my school my contract is exactly the same as the Turkish english teachers. .. but there is so much last minute *beep* that comes up, and extra things that I wasn't told of prior, that I'm starting to get pissed off. I know that, yes, we have two months off in the summer and we work really hard during the semesters, but at some point I have to live my life, and, oh, I'd like to get paid on the day I'm supposed to and not in cash either..."

posted in March 2006

Editor's Note: not a private school - likely a high school - one does not get TWO MONTHS off at a private language school...

"...In Istanbul conditions can vary wildly from school to school. I understand that Doga Koleji has been keeping its teachers till 6:30 every night for little performance review meetings, plus teachers do in-service every Sat. and the "occasional" Sunday to go to malls and do promotional work. And for all that fun and excitement they offered me 1100 US per month, with no benefits."

Posted March, 2006

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