Job Discussion Forums

seoulhiker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 4

Hello,

Any first-hand experiences with this institution and its English language program?

Also, can anyone please provide an approximate cost of living for Sarajevo?

Many Thanks.

jdc111 · Joined: 12 Feb 2005 Posts: 14 Location: USA

Private EFL is quite new in Sarajevo. Soros offers a well respected program. And Interlinuga Language School should be avoided at all cost.

A one-room flat about about 350 KM/ Month. Transport pass about 50 KM/ Month. Food will vary but 50 KM/ week is real. This was my experience in January-February 2005.

Details in private correspondence.

John Clark

bc · Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 2

Have you taken a position at IUS? I have been offered one and wonder if you have found out any information concerning the school and/or cost of living in Sarajevo.

coffeespoonman · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 512 Location: At my computer...

I've also been offered a job there, but I think I'm going to stay here in Istanbul...

I went to Sarajevo last summer, and found it very cheap. With the salary that IUS is offering, you should be able to live quite well, and maybe even save a couple hundred euros a month. However, that's just an educated guess. I was only there for a few days, but I found the city incredibly beautiful, fascinating, and... well... quite cheap.

I say, go for it!

kamzja · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 2 Location: UK

I guess this reply is a year out of date, and I have no idea if IUS will be hiring again this year, but I was looking here for info about this school and ended up taking a job there last September thinking as nothing bad had been posted it would probably be OK. So I want to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else, as working there was simply put a nightmare.

Six new teachers, mainly US citizens (and myself from the UK) were hired last September, two left within about 6 weeks, one left after about 10 weeks, and I left after about four months, of the two remaining teachers, one either has or intends to hand in his notice soon and the final one is considering his options. We are all experienced teachers who have worked in several different locations not a bunch of newbies with unrealistic expectations. Admitedly, I was fired, so I may just be bitter, but I have just been hired to a far more reputable institution since, and the circumstances of my dismissal were fairly unbelievable. I'm not going to go into that now, but would be happy to provide more info in private correspondance. Anyway, in the year before I arrived there had already been a fair number of teachers who had not seen out the course of their contract or not renewed. All of which adds up to something being far from right, as people generally don't leave jobs they are happy in.

If you want to know more, do contact me through this forum and I will be happy to give details. Some significant problems are likely to have been solved by the coming academic year but I still would not recommend working for IUS. Both the words International and University are used very loosely and this institution is not at all what you'd expect from this terms.

ytuque · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 55

I am currently teaching at a private university in Serbia and was curious as to whether the Bosnian students behave themselves and take their studies seriously?

kamzja · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 2 Location: UK

Hi, most of the students at IUS are actually Turkish and the vast majority do not take their studies seriously at all. They are regularly late for class, if they show up at all, and spend most of every lesson talking, sleeping or trying to listen to mp3 players. There are a handful of Bosnian students some of whom do take their studies more seriously and perform much better than their peers, but the general atmosphere of the place doesn't encourage studiousness (if that's a word).
Would it be fair to guess from your question that Serbian students don't take their studies very seriously?

ytuque · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 55

In Serbia, students are typically not required to attend classes or do homework. Perhaps, 15% of my students attend class regularly and do their assignments. About half of my students do absolutely no work from what I can tell.

I have taught at two different private faculties here, and the students are poorly behaved. If you want to teach in Serbia, you need to have loads of patience and very low standards.

BTW, I have a number of Bosnian students. In general, they are nice kids, but it is difficult to get them to pay attention and be quiet during lectures.