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The business scene for private lessons

 
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MBee



Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:41 pm    Post subject: The business scene for private lessons Reply with quote

Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying life out there...

Is it at all common for TEFLers in Istanbul or Izmir to base their incomes entirely on private lessons? Is it easy or difficult to do this successfully? What would be the income range, if you were to give 25 hours of private tutoring per week?

Also, what permit/visa would someone apply for to do this type of work legally?

Thanks so much for your help and insight! Hope exciting things are happening in your life, wherever you are this evening. Smile
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delal



Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 251
Location: N Turkey

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Despite seeming like a big bucks, get-rich-quick route if you manage to hook business people paying 100 tl or more an hour an hour (Istanbul), the reality can be quite different: I know a couple of people who have tried that, but (sorry) ıt was a very unreliable way of earning money as students kept cancellng at the last minute etc etc. Plus, it can take years to make the kind of connections you need to build up that kind of client base.

Not sure about the self-employed route (neither friend was working legally and both have now moved on to pastures greener);maybe you could check for ınfo on expat sıtes lıke MyMerhaba or your consulate's sıte. I suspect it's a bit complicated and expensive and you would probably have to open a company and set yourself up as a business, which is a lot of lawyers fees and hassle before you've started earning.
I'm not being too definite with the info I'm giving you as laws and rules change quite quickly here and so the info I have may be outdated as I type
Good luck
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MBee



Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks a lot, this was really helpful. Take care...
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BrotherJimma



Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:28 am    Post subject: risky business Reply with quote

I agree that while living exclusively off of private lesson income would be the ideal situation for a teacher here, it is practically impossible. As noted, you cannot stay here legally unless you have a work permit which is tied to some educational entity. Also, it is a struggle to maintain lessons steadily, and good luck teaching anyone at all during the summer months. If you can get a part time position somewhere that provides you with permits then you would have the availability to do many private lessons, and that seems to be the only viable compromise of what you want to do.
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tarte tatin



Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Posts: 247
Location: Istanbul

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Private students are notoriously unreliable, useful for pocket money but not much else.

If you are lucky enough to get a corporate gig, then it is achievable, but when I did it, I had to set up a company with a Turkish partner so that we could invoice the client. This was a pain, paying an accountant and KDV etc.
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oipivo



Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Posts: 163
Location: Poland

PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll reiterate here what I've said in other threads on the forum. I know people get uncomfortable about living without a work permit, but it's really not a big deal. If you're looking to work in a corporate environment, which was mentioned above, you'll have to start a business so you can invoice clients. Working at a school without a work permit is fairly common. I lived in Istanbul for over two years without a work permit and it was never a problem at all. There's the minuscule chance that something bad could happen and I'm talking very tiny. It depends on what you're comfortable with.
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BrotherJimma



Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's the minuscule chance that something bad could happen and I'm talking very tiny. [/quote]

I think that either this poster has not lived in Turkey for quite some time, or does not understand the risks involved. I also worked without permits from 2001 until 2006. At that time the system was so screwed up that only a small fraction of foreigners living in Turkey worked here legally. Today, even small language courses are able to provide papers for their teachers.

The chances of something bad happening were miniscule at one point, but they are very much on the rise. If you don't get stopped by the police at least once a month in Istanbul today, you don't get out much. The prospect of being deported may not bother you, but it is not a desired outcome for most. The tourist visa situation has also changed radically-no longer can a teacher just hop over the border for a day and come back and get a new visa...they will tell you nice try, come back to Turkey in 6 months.
These things are common knowledge in Turkey, so you are not doing anyone any favors by downplaying the risks.
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