Job Discussion Forums

[kbloom99]

greetings all. the summer job market is at best hurting here in Canada and so i thought, hey why not go to turkey for the summer, teach a little ESl and check out the country. After three years teaching ESl in Taiwan I think it shouldn't be too difficult to sort out some ESl teaching in Istanbul, what do you think? Also, do you know of any online boards/yahoo groups where people post for roommates wanted. I'd like to stay with another girl maybe for 2.5 months.

thanks!

[thrifty]

Someone else tell here about the summer job market and the crap language schools.

[kbloom99]

yes please. someone do tell me. job market bad this time of year?

[saloma]

Ok, I'll jump in here since I used to teach in Taiwan as well.

Honestly, I would recommend that you take some of your New Taiwan Dollars and come to Turkey for a visit over the summer, not to work.

First, the summer is really slow here, it's the absolute opposite of Taiwan. Teachers who are on full time contracts are teaching part time, some not at all. Most have saved up some money to help carry themselves through these months. Getting a 3 month contract will be impossible, you will have to lie.

Accomadation for 2.5 months? Probably the school's dorm, (crap) or a hotel, (expensive). You will end up losing money.

On the slim chance that you did find work, it would be spread over 5 or 6 days in split shifts. When are you going to see Turkey?

Next, you can expect to earn less than half what you did in Taiwan.

And last, many of the language schools here are not as well run or set up as the ones I have taught in the past, (Taiwan and Canada).

Someone on this forum once said, "Visiting Turkey is quite a different experience than actually living here". It's really true. If you are looking for a working vacation, choose another country.

[kbloom99]

thanks for the tips. good to know. just out of pure curiousity why is it slow in the summer months?

[thrifty]

It is slow in the Summer because it is Summer.

[Baba Alex]

[saloma]

Taiwan's market tends to be younger kids to university students who have lots of time and nothing to do over summer.

In Turkey the market is older, adults and University students who take the summer off and go to Bodrum. Or Antalya.

[kbloom99]

Ok, so i got a call from this fellow at Istanbul Language Centre this morn. He is offering $1300TRY/month for 30 teaching hours and paid housing. He also said I could begin in the summer. Is this school dodgy or not? any feedback at all would be super appreciated!

cheers,

kb

[dmb]

[sandyhoney2]

Istanbul Language Centre - a.k.a. ILM.

Is it not?

As for it being dodgy, I'll let others field that...

[thrifty]

Beware because ILM are in talks to sell out to the largest chain in Istanbul.

Any ''contract'' you sign would in the even of a sell off not be honoured as happened with Interlang.

Of course if they don''t sell your contract is likely to not be honoured.

Osman from ILM may do just what Interlang's Levent did when he sold out and that is do a runner with the teachers' money.

[coffeespoonman]

I've never worked in Taiwan, but from what I've seen, I don't think the salaries are so much better there. Here in Turkey, I average around 2000 YTL / mo, give or take a couple hundred, which works out to about 1500 USD. Isn't that about the same for Taiwan? I think so, but I'm not sure...

Also, I don't know what privates run in Taiwan, but here they pull in about 50 YTL / hr, or like 37 USD. It might be hard to find them if you're fresh off the boat, so to speak, but looking might be a better option than selling your soul to a language school (which, in my opinion aren't as bad as some numbers might say...), especially if you have enough money saved for the summer.

BTW, please don't let this thread become a Taiwan vs. Turkey salary war; I'm just trying to give some balanced info to the OP.

[whynotme]

[dmb]

Just being my usual helpful self and helping out the oldies