Job Discussion Forums

[jcaulkins]

Okay, I had made the decision to focus my job search on Turkey. I have been to Istanbul, after all, and had a wonderful time. Furthermore, I have studied the language, which I adore, and want to become fluent. However, after scrolling thru these boards, I am beginning to form the opinion that it's a dreadful, foul place, with horrible working conditions, dirty-smelly people, and pick-pockets and perverts on every corner.

I had planned to spend a significant amount of time there; more than a year or two. I am not a recent college grad; I am 34 and have no intention of partying my weekends away in the pubs. I have a dog, and intended to bring him with. Are there any people living there who are there because they WANT to be there (for reasons other than sowing wild oats), who have been there a number of years, and are planning to stay (other than for the fact they married a Turk and now are stuck)?

Seems like there are a lot of expats living there. I would think that there must be some happy, adjusted folk there somewhere...

or maybe not.

[demet]

hi,

Although I have lived in Canada for many years I also spent close to 5 years in Istanbul. I have to tell you that Istanbul is an amazing city. The culture, history, and, yes the people are what make the city so wonderful. Like every country there are downfalls and nasty creatures roaming the streets but if you take the proper precautions you really shouldnt have any problems. I know from personal experience that the culture shock can either be a reason to stay or the reason to run. I hope you decide to take a chance and go to Turkey. Honestly you will not regret it. Best of luck.

[Bahcevan]

jcaulkins-

Don't have such a thin skin...of course you can't judge a city
(especially like Istanbul) based on the postings of a few expat
teachers. Keep in mind that the people you seek- well adjusted,
sane people who are at peace with the culture- they are probably
not spending lots of time writing good reviews of places. They are
busy doing whatever it is that makes them happy. (if they are
teachers, then "fun" probably does not include typing )

Moaning and groaning is always in season for some, but I would
ask you to re-read the posts around here. I think there are some
positive people around, and they can usually be PM'ed with good
questions.

Make up your own mind and go for it (or not). If you are so
unsure of your plan as to be dissuaded by people here, you
may want to rethink it. Peace and good luck!

[Irish]

jcaulkins --

I think Bahcevan nailed it. Those who are unhappy with their situations come here to vent while those who are happy probably have better things to do than hang around here. Of course you should listen to a variety of opinions in order to make the best decision possible, but take everything with numerous grains of salt. Most of the teachers I work with are quite content but don't post here. After a long week of teaching, they want to go do something. (But I've got to go make my next move in the word game thread in the Mexico forum before I go out to play.)

With that said, I should note that I'm not exactly the kind of teacher you want to hear from. I've been here less than a year but I'm signing on for a second. Istanbul wasn't my first choice (I was aiming for the Middle East) but I've enjoyed it so far. Nothing is perfect but I've got a job I enjoy, great friends and good quality of life. If this were an Arabic speaking country, I'd probably stay forever. Even so, I can see myself spending up to 5 years here before moving on.

Take that for what it's worth. If you want more, PM me.

[whynotme]

[Baba Alex]

Don't listen to us we're all fucked up

[jcaulkins]

I am not saying that there aren't positive comments on this board, but they are, quite honestly, few and far between. The bad far, FAR outweighs the good.

I just wanted to hear something from someone who truly loves it there, is happy with their job, and plans to stay.

[31]

[dmb]

[ImanH]

Sorry, dmb, I seem to be following you around at present � unintentional, of course.
jcaulkins, I am in a slightly different position as I am not a TEFLer but I am a teacher and since you're not getting many positive responses I thought you might like to hear one. Incidentally, I am also one of those you described as "stuck" here (no offence taken). In fact far from being stuck I chose to move to Turkey rather than for my husband to stay in the UK for a number of reasons - the primary one being quality of life in Turkey.
When I compare myself to my counterparts in the UK I believe it was the best decision. Those in relationships with fellow academics usually have to live in or commute between different cities for work - that's if they've managed to get a job in the first place. They are struggling to pay mortgages on piddling academic salaries (although granted they're not so great in Turkey either, but relatively speaking they are) and this is exacerbated by the fact that they might have two households to run. They are so over-worked that the best they can do is collapse in front of the telly of an evening. I could go on, but you get the picture.
Granted there are problems here too but, as you'll see from the holiday thread, two months off in the summer to spend in southern Turkey makes up for a helluva lot of them

[dmb]

[molly farquharson]

I'm one of the happy ones. I came 8 years ago and was going to stay 2 years, but I just bought a place and am here for the long run. I love Istanbul-- I think it is wonderful city, dynamic, historic. The Turks I know are great-- they are friendly and helpful. The food is great and you can find cheap places to eat out. The students are fun (I am talking about adult students), though they have been trained to be a little lazy and critical thinking is not one of their strong points.

Istanbul is cleaner than a lot of other places and as far as crime is concerned, it is higher than it used to be, but I still think that Istanbul is a lot safer than any other city of its size. And of course since it is a big city, you need to be somewhat vigilant. however, I can't imagine shops in most cities in the US, for example, leaving goods for sale in a bin outside the shop, because someone is likely to steal them. I also can't imagine there a shopkeeper telling me to pay tomorrow if he doesn't have change or I am short of cash.

As someone else said, a lot of people who whine are on this site. Expats in any country usually include a group of people who have gone abroad to try and avoid their problems, but their problems go right along with them. My feeling about those who trash Turkey is that they should go somewhere else. There are problems here, but this is not Kansas, Dorothy, and we should not expect things to be the same as they are back home, wherever that is. This is my home now and I am very happy here (and before 31 says it, no I did not come here to escape my problems-- I came here to work)

[justme]

[calsimsek]

I spent along time here disagreeing with Molly, and still do on some issues.
Yet I have to say that Molly is 100 % correct.

I have a friend who works at the Vali office ( local Gov ) and he told me that the number of full time legal residents has gone up by over 30% in the last five years.

More and more of us now call this city home. We can't all be wrong.

[molly farquharson]

Wow! 100% thanks then

From what people tell me, Istamboul is a better place than it was in the past. I know I have seen Beyoglu bloom since I got here, and I suspect it is partly because foreigners groove on it and Turks are starting to realize what they have. The downside is that rents and home prices have skyrocketed. However, it is a pleasure to see it getting spruced up.