Job Discussion Forums

[frozenpeas]

Hi, I've just completed a celta course and have been offered a job in Turkey - can anyone just tell me whether these stats are ok?

45 hours a week involving 4-5 hours of teaching 6 days a week.
Free accomodation in Istanbul
Free lunches
�800 a month after tax. (�9600 a year)

I see somebody has already put a warning up about Mehmet Agca but they never mentioned why...the guy seems ok to me.

Thanks,
Matt

[tekirdag]

I've never heard of a 6 day work week. That's not cool. A few months of that and any teacher would be really worn out.

[justme]

45 hours/week is a LOT, especially if you're a new teacher and will have to spend a lot of time planning. You're looking at no life at all with that. Less than 30 is more realistic...

The pay for that many hours is pretty bad too-- 4.5 pounds per teaching hour, not including checking and prep...

I'd re-negotiate or look elsewhere.

[frozenpeas]

thanks, I was a little uncertain of the hours - I'll probably look for something else.

[tekirdag]

Couldn't 45 hours be the hours that the teacher stays on the premises and not the actually teaching hours? 6 days at 5 hours per day is 30 teaching hours. Although even that is a lot. Many teachers- even Turkish teachers in private schools- work about 25 per week.

[justme]

Ah, you're probably right, tekirdağ-- math skills are not my strong point.

Still, even for 30 contact hours, that pay's not great (6.5 pounds/hour-- I used a calculator!). Or is that what they're starting new people at these days?

[coffeespoonman]

Yeah, that price sounds about right. With the free accomodation and lunches, that sounds decent--assuming its not 45 hours of teaching time, and that the accomodation is nice. But hourly, 6 and a half pounds is about what you should expect. And it's plenty to live on, if you're not spoiled.

[frozenpeas]

well 45 hours of time in the school amounts to 4.30 an hour...which isnt so good - that and a warning about the guy im dealing with...doesn't sound so inviting really.

[dmb]

Wow he told me that when he opened he was going to pay teachers the highest rate in Istanbul. Another false promise. Be careful frozenpea.

[dmb]

An afterthought, in my initial proposal, I advised a teachıng week of 25 hours contact and two consecutive days off. Well, I guess I can't accuse him of stealing any of my ideas.

[Baba Alex]

[bigbadsuzie]

I feel sorry for those two trying to get something like that off the ground in Izmir the apathy is incredible ,I know of no organization in the area thats useful for people in our profession or for expats in general ,shame really ,like others I have contributed to the forum bı-ut it never gets off the ground ,as I said apathy is just everywhere ,considering the number of foreign workers here the social scene is a desert and any info about out of city events is only passed among a favoured who are usually connected with the British council or other elitests grups.

[Mark Loyd]

[ghost]

[Mark Loyd]

I agree with you Ghost. Anyone can get a teaching job in Turkey and the unqualified drive down pay and conditions for the real teachers.