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What to expect at a private primary school in Istanbul?

 
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nichtta



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 110
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 8:20 pm    Post subject: What to expect at a private primary school in Istanbul? Reply with quote

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here. I've been a lurker for a few years now and finally decided to sign up myself and participate. I hope to not only ask questions but also offer people answers based on what I've experienced or what my friends or colleagues have experienced.

I wanted to get an idea of what's "normal" for ESL teachers at private primary schools in Istanbul or what you all have personally experienced in terms of the following questions:

1. Hours expected to be on campus

2. Working one Saturday a month

3. How many lessons taught per week including the length of the lessons (by the way, does classroom vs. one-on-one tutoring make a difference?)

4. Paid holidays (for example, fifteen days mid-year or how many days over the summer)

5. Monthly salary (please indicate if it's for 10 or 12 months)

6. Benefits like round-trip flight tickets, housing or a housing allowance, transportation, etc.
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nichtta



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 110
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to maybe help this discussion along, I was just offered this for a non-specific school in Istanbul (either KG, primary, or secondary) a few hours ago via a particular recruiter (and yes, I have been reading their negative reviews on this forum, but I still wanted to do the interview just get an idea of what they offer):

1. 8:30-5:00 PM every weekday

2. Expected to be on campus some Saturdays but probably only for half a day

3. 30 lessons a week (each one is 30-40 minutes in length)

4. I forgot to ask about this during the interview because I was a bit shocked by the number of hours and how low the pay is, but summers are definitely off (as unpaid holiday time) considering it's only a 10-month contract Laughing

5. 2500-3300 TL / month for Sep 2015 - June 2016 (even though Teachers in Turkey's website lists 3210 TL as the median disposable income)

6. None other than a work visa, but as is clear from the forums, this is not a guarantee with any employer here in Turkey. They said transportation via shuttle might be provided, depending on the school. Other than that, I'm on my own.

Well, what do you think? Is this pretty normal and expected? Apparently they have contacts with lots of private schools and have kits teaching positions to fill by getting teachers, of course, connected then with another recruiting company based here in Turkey.
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2015 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nichtta wrote:
I was just offered this for a non-specific school in Istanbul (either KG, primary, or secondary) a few hours ago via a particular recruiter (and yes, I have been reading their negative reviews on this forum, but I still wanted to do the interview just get an idea of what they offer):

1. 8:30-5:00 PM every weekday

2. Expected to be on campus some Saturdays but probably only for half a day

3. 30 lessons a week (each one is 30-40 minutes in length)

4. I forgot to ask about this during the interview because I was a bit shocked by the number of hours and how low the pay is, but summers are definitely off (as unpaid holiday time) considering it's only a 10-month contract Laughing

5. 2500-3300 TL / month for Sep 2015 - June 2016 (even though Teachers in Turkey's website lists 3210 TL as the median disposable income)

6. None other than a work visa, but as is clear from the forums, this is not a guarantee with any employer here in Turkey. They said transportation via shuttle might be provided, depending on the school. Other than that, I'm on my own.



Well, what do you think? Is this pretty normal and expected? Apparently they have contacts with lots of private schools and have kits teaching positions to fill by getting teachers, of course, connected then with another recruiting company based here in Turkey.

I can't really answer your questions about whether this is typical for working in Koleji in Istanbul (though I do believe it is normal in terms of contracts offered by "Teachers in Turkey", the recruiter you mentioned in your post), sorry.

I have worked for Teachers in Turkey before, but it was for a very short term contract (holiday intensive English camp) and was a few years ago, but what you described here is similar to the (long-term) contract they sent me before.

I'm curious about a few things:

Were you offered this general contract over the net or in a face to face interview in Istanbul?

Was the interview with Teachers in Turkey or with "Teach To Travel" (see link below)?

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=107063

(Teach to Travel appears to be a UK-based recruiter which has a cooperative arrangement with Teachers in Turkey, based in Istanbul.)

Did they mention anything about covering at least partial cost of your flight to or from Turkey? Did you ask?

Did they mention or did you ask about accommodation (provided - fully paid, provided - partially subsidized, not provided but housing allowance paid and assistance finding suitable apartment, allowance but no assistance, assistance but no allowance, nothing and nothing?

The question of accommodation is a big one as it will make a significant difference, I think, in your ability to survive a ten month contract teaching in Istanbul (financially) on the range of wages you quoted.

If it is one or the other (or both) of the recruiters mentioned, they also have many jobs in other cities in Turkey, unless you just want to be in Istanbul. SOME of the other cities may have significantly lower COL in terms of housing, particularly, as well as fewer temptations for your wallet / purse, but you should look for as much information on each city as you can find before making a decision.
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nichtta



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 110
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2015 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Were you offered this general contract over the net or in a face to face interview in Istanbul?


This was a general contract offered over the internet, but I would eventually need to go for a face-to-face interview if I continue with the process.

Quote:
Was the interview with Teachers in Turkey or with "Teach To Travel" (see link below)?


It was with "Teach to Travel," who told me they'll get me in touch with "Teachers in Turkey." They're an agency that recruits for another agency that recruits for Turkish private grade schools, so we're talking about two middlemen here. I can get in touch with "Teachers in Turkey" directly myself, but I'm just trying to first see what is normal. All I have is my own experience this year working at a private primary school here in Istanbul.

Quote:
Did they mention anything about covering at least partial cost of your flight to or from Turkey? Did you ask?


No, they didn't, and I didn't ask about this because it seems rare other than for some private university positions and some very elite private schools based on what I've heard from others here in Istanbul. It appears that Turkish employers don't really pay for this, although other countries' employers do.

Quote:
Did they mention or did you ask about accommodation (provided - fully paid, provided - partially subsidized, not provided but housing allowance paid and assistance finding suitable apartment, allowance but no assistance, assistance but no allowance, nothing and nothing?


No, from my understanding, accommodation and housing allowance are not covered, but I think they did offer to help me find a place to stay. However, that doesn't make much of a difference for me because I'm already here in Istanbul and have a place, but my lease ends in a couple of months.

Here's what they wrote to me:

Quote:
Experience the East and the West: Teach in Beautiful Istanbul

Teach to Travel is now recruiting for Turkey's September

Sept 2015 to June 2016.

Location: Istanbul
Age Group: Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary
Start Date: September 2015
End Date: June 2016
Salary: 2500 TRY to 3300 TRY depending on experience and qualifications, Net of Tax
Visa: Work Visa provided
Accommodation: Not included but assistance offered in finding
Flights: Not Provided
Airport Pick-up: Provided
Other Benefits: Health Insurance, Free School Lunch, Free Museum Cards, Free Turkish Lessons

Required Qualifications:
1) Bachelor’s Degree
2) TEFL/TESOL/CELTA qualification, or the equivalent of a teaching license/certification
3) Minimum one year teaching experience preferred, but not required
4) Native English Speaker

Required Documents:
1) Valid Passport
2) Teaching Certificate (TEFL,TESOL,CELTA, etc.)
3) University Degree Certificate
4) Official University Transcript


Please take a look at our Istanbul & Izmir documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZVrmdw6fHw
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2015 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I'm not the expert, but my impression is that it's a pretty standard offer for that kind of teaching job - that is, you're not likely to do much better with any other recruiters, only - maybe - if you were to try to contact schools directly and negotiate a contract with them without a middleman - not sure how easy that would be to do and it would definitely involve more legwork.

I think you are right about air tickets generally not being compensated in Turkey. I know that some language schools and others do offer accommodation or a separate housing allowance, but it's by no means as common as in some other countries.

Since you're already in Istanbul and have a place, I'd suggest forgetting about Teach to Travel, contact Teachers in Turkey through their website and go and have a sit-down with them, see what you can negotiate for yourself, as they might be at least somewhat flexible on salary and contract terms, if they really need teachers to fill spots.
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