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Cost of living in Istanbul
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chopkins



Joined: 23 Nov 2010
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:27 pm    Post subject: Cost of living in Istanbul Reply with quote
Hi there,

I've just been offered 2210TL per month at a language school on the Asian side of Istanbul. It's a little lower than I was aiming for, but I've also read that salaries in Istanbul have been falling. Can someone tell me if this is enough to live comfortably in Istanbul?
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Qaaolchoura



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
How many teaching hours? What's your experience and quals?

With BA + TESOL and one year experience I got a similar offer at 30 teaching hours/week (the exact rate worked out to about 23 lira/hour), which I didn't take. It turned out to be very much the best offer I've had in Turkey.

Regards,
~Q
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Eagle Eyes



Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Location: Istanbul
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes it is enough to live on with little savings possible! Surprised
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chopkins



Joined: 23 Nov 2010
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the info!

Qaaolchoura, I've also got a BA + CELTA and one years experience. The offer is for 30 hours/week.
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Eagle Eyes



Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 121
Location: Istanbul
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sweatshop EFL labor at 30 contact teaching hours daily...similar to teaching English at a Hogwan in South Korea. Good luck! Shocked
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Qaaolchoura



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Eagle Eyes wrote:
Sweatshop EFL labor at 30 contact teaching hours daily...similar to teaching English at a Hogwan in South Korea. Good luck! Shocked

Er, there's only 24 hours in a day, Eagle Eyes.

Weren't you just advising someone to take a job at about 6 lira/contact hour?

You can make considerably better money in Korea (I was making 2k USD/month at 25 teaching hours, though my contract stated 30 max), but 1. you'll be in Korea and 2. you'll be teaching the spawn of Satan. (For further details on what I mean, go register on the Korean forum and read some of the complaints there.)

Incidentally, chopkins: I make out your pay rate to be 18.5 lira/hour. Which is on the low side for Istanbul, but still enough to live on if you're frugal. I assume that includes the housing allowance? Is the school helping you find housing?

Also, do you like the school and the people you'd be working with? Will they be getting you a work permit (it's not common in Istanbul, but some schools do)?

~Q
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chopkins



Joined: 23 Nov 2010
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, I do like the school. I've already turned down a couple of other offers because the school sounded sketchy (i.e. the interviewers weren't able to answer basic questions about schedules, resources, etc.)

I gather will arrange a residency permit right away and a work permit if the teacher stays on after the 9-month contract.
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Qaaolchoura



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Then I'd say yes, take the job. Keep in mind that a contract will be worthless without a work permit, so it's a good thing that you trust the school.

~Q
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Shalana



Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 150
Location: Istanbul
PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rents are high in Istanbul. I lived there for 4 years recently and I would say if you want to rent a flat on your own, you probably need to make 2500 tl per month. 2200 tl is doable if you share a flat or your employer provides accomodation or housing allowance. I believe the average language school offers around 16-18 tl per hour. Some offer even less. In my opinion, less than 18 tl per hour would be difficult to live on unless you are willing to teach a lot of hours per week.
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