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going under again
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Sadie



Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:08 pm    Post subject: going under again Reply with quote
Why is it that so many schools in istanbul seem to go bankrupt? In the exact same building on Istiklal cad., three schools have lost it all. First Antik English, now City of London College. The building is cursed by poor management and tight-fisted staff. Like a fool, I agreed to work part-time after my contract was up for two more months and now the school claims that they will not and can not pay me! Be careful whom you choose to work with, and GET A CONTRACT ! Incidentally, if anyone claims that a school just off Istiklal, on Hava sokak, is hiring, don't go for it; be it CLC or otherwise...
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31



Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 1797
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:14 pm    Post subject: Akademi Reply with quote
Before that bulding was City of London College (sic) it was Akademi Istanbul which was a crap ``alternative to a university`` which made up its profits by running English lessons, they employed any old backpacker and paid hourly. Of course when they bankrupted themselves they left debts everywhere. One of the managers has now reinvented himsef and is head of English at Ozel Izmir Turk Koleji.
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Faustino



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 601
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Why did these places go bankrupt? Sinan Bey anyone????!?!?!?
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Baba Alex



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 2411
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Faustino wrote:
Why did these places go bankrupt? Sinan Bey anyone????!?!?!?


Because they're crap
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Faustino



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 601
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well spotted. There does seem to be a direct correllation between Sinan Bey and utter crapness.
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31



Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 1797
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:41 pm    Post subject: crap=going under Reply with quote
By that logic then English Time must be great.
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Faustino



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 601
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sinan Bey hasn't hit town yet.
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justme



Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 1944
Location: Istanbul
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A contract doesn't mean dooky, even if you're legal. I left Interlang (before they sold to English Time) with them owing me about $3000. The old owner ran off to San Francisco. If a school goes under there's not a whole lot you can do about it, except leave before they owe you too much. The only reason I stayed that long was because the (foreign) DOS kept optimistically BSing us about the financial situation, even saying that the new owners were taking over the debt. I also stayed because teachers who bailed got nothing. So I got even more nothing. Evil or Very Mad
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31



Joined: 21 Jan 2005
Posts: 1797
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:37 pm    Post subject: iNTERLANG Reply with quote
By old owner do you mean Levent?

Who was the BSing DOS?

Justme is right. A contract is worthless. I what court are you going to sue?
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justme



Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 1944
Location: Istanbul
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:03 pm    Post subject: Re: iNTERLANG Reply with quote
31 wrote:
By old owner do you mean Levent?



Yes. And it was Jackie painting the rosy picture, though Levent and the others did too. By the time this happened, I knew enough about Turkey not to believe the Turkish bosses about bad news, but I foolishly believed the foreigners and worked my a** off all summer with miserable students whose every complaint was being addressed as though valid, and no A/C to boot, they couldn't afford it.

Even better was when they got a bunch of new teachers, and paid them huge wads of cash right in front of the old teachers in the office begging for 20 mil for electricity and maybe some food...

I suppose Turks can sue one another over breach of contract, but I gather it's expensive and time consuming and hardly worth the trouble for $3000. I looked into suing him in the States, but that too proved impossible since you have to be present to carry out a civil suit...
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corall



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 270
Location: istanbul, turkey
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
morals of this story are:
a) contracts aren't worth anything - so many people are like "but i have a contract" in the end it's like "who cares?"
b) get out before you get royally screwed - i've definitely been there

my question is how can you work for a place for so long without pay? even if you were working part time (not you justme but sadie)
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Baba Alex



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 2411
PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
corall wrote:
morals of this story are:
a) contracts aren't worth anything - so many people are like "but i have a contract" in the end it's like "who cares?"
b) get out before you get royally screwed - i've definitely been there



and c) Everything is crap
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