Job Discussion Forums

[clifton10]

Thanks mate! I'll definitely head to Istanbul around, late August and contact schools a few weeks beforehand.

Also, how much will it cost to rent a very clean flat unless the school provides accommodation?

[coffeespoonman]

Oh, somewhere between 400 - 3000 TL, depending on how big your flat is and where you want to live.

Seriously, I think most teachers pay between about 700 - 1000 for their whole flat, then divide that by the number of flatmates.

[cupofrosie]

I am working at EF at the moment and I have to say that all things considered EF remains one of the best employers for EFL teachers as far as language schools are concerned.

Universities and private schools are a different kettle of fish.

I can't speak so much for the Bakirkoy or Levent branches, but at the Suadiye branch we have great students, a reasonable pay and professionalism from the staff.

There were some major problems last year with a contract at a University, and serious payment delays....but Im glad to say that those issues have been resolved.
Payment is on time and the contract with the University has been scrapped.
The staffroom is friendly and supportive and the DOS is one of the most approachable and fair bosses I have ever had.

The main drawback is the extreme flexibility that the company expect from it's staff in terms of wroking hours. Classes are given from 8am to 10 pm....
This means that sometimes you will need to put up with split shifts. While at ther times you may have several classes on top of one another.

The secondary drawback is that although the experience and range of student will aid your own personal teacher-development, there is not much room for advancement within the company.

But, the major benefit of this company are the caliber and personality of its students. These are some of the most charismatic and entertaining and intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

In summary, it is a business, and EFL teachers are ten-a-penny. However, the staff are welcoming and genuinely do try to support the teaching staff.

[clifton10]

Thanks for the info on EF. Your postings further boosts my confidence with them as EFINST are on the top of my list.

[cupofrosie]

No problem, I suppose the most important thing to remember is that EFL is very much a business in Istanbul. There are a lot of people at it, and there are a lot of teachers ready to fill the positions.
The best you can do is work somewhere with great colleagues and great students, because the administration is generally the thing that everyone complains about.

Good luck and I hope you find your feet here.

[cupofrosie]

Average price of a room in a shared house = 400-500TL
Cheapest rooms = 350TL
You shouldn't pay more than 600TL

2/3 bedroom flats in reasonable condition cost about 1000-2000 TL as a whole.

Average bills are usually about 60TL each in the summer and 120TL in the winter. (based on 3 sharing)

Places with a kapici fee make the bills far more expensive but at least your flat will always be warm

[primordialcat]

Hi all;

Just wondered if anyone has had any recent dealings with EFINST?

I'm mainly interested as I'm considering them for my first post-CELTA job this autumn (assuming they have any). Their website is currently being re-jigged but before it went offline, they mentioned they are no longer English First or International House affiliated, so it sounds like they're going through some changes. I've also heard that they (or at least, them as English First) used to supply teachers to the Beykent Uni prep school. Are they still involved?

Any info anyone has on pay, conditions, class types, how reliable they are as employers etc etc will be gratefully received!

[eihpos]

I was wondering about this too. I received an email requesting an interview. I believe they are now part of the IH group.

Anyone had any recent experiences with them?

[billy orr]

They are good