Job Discussion Forums

joshfroberg · Joined: 12 May 2014 Posts: 4

I am in the process of applying for a teaching job in Istanbul through the UK company "Teach to Travel". So far, it seems pretty legitimate and thorough- they have sent me extensive information that answers any question I possibly could have had. Salary seems okay (even though I am going through a third party to find a job). It all seems a little too good to be true but what concerns me is that i can only find very little outside info on the company online (only found one external review). Can anyone tell me if they know of this company or have gone through them? Thank you very much.

EslCafe job board link: http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=31764

Company link- http://www.teachtotravel.co.uk/

elliot_spencer · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 495

DON'T DO IT

THEY WILL TAKE 1000 LIRA OF YOUR SALARY FOR THEMSELVES A MONTH

joshfroberg · Joined: 12 May 2014 Posts: 4

Hello Elliot,

Thank you very much for the quick response. I was wondering if you could elaborate on your reply- How did you find this out and what experience do you have with the company? I knew that the "catch" was that they would be taking a cut of my paycheck, but didn't realize it would be that much (1000 lr).

Even if they do take 1000, they say that you will be making 2100 a month which, according to some research, is on the average-lower end of what an english teacher can expect to make in Istanbul. My thoughts were that because I have very little experience teaching (this is would be my first paid job overseas), it would be worth it for me to go through this company and sacrifice their cut of my salary for all of the services they offer (help in finding housing, visa assistance etc..). Any thoughts on that?

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 11:22 am Post subject:

I have a few contacts who have spent the last year working with this organization, perhaps you can pm me and get a more accurate and detailed response.

Shalana · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 150 Location: Istanbul

In my opinion, (general rule of thumb if possible) is to not go through a recruiter at all or go through one that gets a one time placement fee from the school. Why should they get a monthly cut of your pay unless they are providing some kind of monthly help for you or you are actually their employee who they are hiring out. Even then, do they deserve to get 1000 lira per month? That seems a little steep.

As for living in Istanbul on 2100 per month, it won't be easy because of housing and transportation costs. If you want to spend money on the weekends on entertainment and going to clubs - forget it. Anything less than 2300 a month, even for a first time qualified teacher, seems like an insult. My advice is keep looking for something better. Try to find a school that will hire you directly, or one that pays an hourly wage and can tell you how many hours per week you will teach and do the math. You can also maybe find one or more private students to round out your monthly income.

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 6:44 am Post subject:

My understanding is they do provide you with a place to live, maybe you have to share, but at least you will have the support of others and generally those that I have met have come through with a better awareness of their overall teaching ability and good all round experience. In a nut shell, you could do a lot worse, esp on your own.

svenhassel · Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 188 Location: Europe

There are a lot of negative reports about TiT, payment issues, failure to provide permits etc. Why would a school not be able to hire it's own teachers? This is a pretty important aspect of running a school, shows a serious lack of competence. Anyway you can read all about this company on the teacher's blacklist on FB. I have never seen anything good said about them.

Shalana · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 150 Location: Istanbul

I think any school can hire its own teachers. If you start looking at the various tefl sites, most of the adverts are from recruiters. This is a fairly recent trend. I suspect that schools think they will get better teachers if going through a recruiter - supposedly the recruiter is better at finding good foreign teachers and more knowledgeable about foreigners and dealing with foreigners, and that it will save them time and trouble.

Also, many times, a teacher placed by a recruiter works for the recruiter and not the school, so maybe the school doesn't have to provide things like a work permit and health insurance - the recruiting company provides those things. The school simply pays the recruiter x number of lira per month to the recruiter and gets a teacher and the recruiter has to take care of all the details and potential problems a teacher may have. At least this is how it worked back in 2009 when I worked for a recruiter.