Job Discussion Forums

[hitch hike Jack]

Interlang seems to be losing it.

Just over a month ago, an excellent teacher who had completed a 2 year contract was denied his performance related bonus (which is written into the contract). All the teachers protested and two refused to teach until they were allowed to speak to the elusive General Manager, Abdul Kadir. They were both fired and given 4 hours to move out of their school-owned apartment.

A few days later, three other teachers went to see Abdul Kadir. He informed them that he decides how the bonus is paid - even though he doesn't even know the names of his teachers!!! The bonus system is being re-evaluated - sadly too late for those who weren't paid at all.

Five more teachers have since resigned, one has completed his contract and two are planning to leave in July.

Interlang is still withholding money from the teachers who were unfairly fired, and has missed the agreed deadline to pay those teachers who resigned.

All of this is just the icing on the cake for most of us who have worked at Interlang for a while - the Branch Managers at Besiktas (Leyla) and Bakirkoy (Nilufer) are rude, two-faced and vindictive, not to mention hopelessly incompetent. Nilufer is personally responsible for the mass exodus from Bakirkoy Interlang - even the DOS has transferred to Taksim, leaving Bakirkoy without a DOS.

Work there only if you're into self-harm.

[dmb]

it is sad to see. Interlang used to be one of the better schools. Last night i met a friend who is out here on holiday. he worked at English Centre 5 years ago and was saddened at the demise. How do once very good schools become this way?

[31]

Pitiful to see once ''good'' schools being run into the ground. To add to Interlang and English Centre how about Karya, Gokdil Newline and of course English Fast.

From my limited experience it seems that when schools try to expand they overstretch and to pay back the loans cut costs. Of course teacher pay and conditions are the first to go and they get into a spiral of debt, spend a fortune on advertising, have to cut course fees to compete and all the goodwill goes. I remember Karya in mid 90s they didn`t even advertise students and teachers wanted to be there because of the good reputation. The owner`s son I believe changed all that. And now The Crime are taking over. Still think ET are making the industry better?

[dmb]

English Fast went down the toilet because Nazif bey tried to expand into property. he took all the money from the schools and bought a plot of land to build a holiday village, after buying it he discovered that he couldn't build on the land because of subsidence.

[31]

But he also overstretched himself with Yeni Ufuklar and by 95 lots of new places were opening up and his tatty schools and relatively high prices were under competition.

[dmb]

I forgot about yeni ufuklar. were you still there when the fast had a deal with TYKE(sp?) and the guy in Texas didn't actually have the right to sign foreign contracts?

[31]

I don`t remember much about it but met a few of the Yeni Ufuklar teachers and heard much of the gossip about the nutty Head of English.

To add to the reasons why these places fail 2 more. They employ managers based on who they know and trust rather than qualifications and experience-I realise its inevitable. And the mistrust of foreigners is so great that even though you are doing a good job it is overshadowed by the fact that you are a foreigner. Tom would never speak to the secretaries who really ran the place on the grounds that all secretaries in Turkey are spies. I learned to my cost that he was right at EF they really did spy on the teachers in and out of work.

[dmb]

At the mec. branch roles were reversed. one of the teachers was going out with one of the secretaries and he used to spy on behalf of the teachers

[31]

I got reported to the manager for going out with a student. It was one of the two ding dong secretaries who reported me. I got threatened with the sack and the manager threatened to telephone her parents even though she was in her twenties. I didn`t speak to either 2 secretaries again which made life absurdly difficult. I carried on going out with the student though.
Who was the mec teacher?

[dmb]

I cant name names on a public forum

[justme]

I'm sorry to hear you guys are getting screwed like that-- it's just sooo frustrating. When Interlang was screwing me out of my salary a couple years ago, I was especially angered about them paying the new teachers in full, right in front of our faces, while we were there begging for 5 million for food. I always thought I'd be smugly pleased in a vengeful sort of way to see the new teachers screwed after that, but I'm not. I'm genuinely sorry. Ge�miş olsun.

[dmb]

I may be unique but in about a decade of working at language schools, I was never screwed. I always got what i promised financially.

[justme]

You're lucky. Or smart. Or both.

[dmb]

[31]

Or perhaps you have been English Timed but don`t want to admit it.