Job Discussion Forums

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

I have been contacted by the Istanbul Language Center to work there ---- shared housing, $00 air fare, end bonus and $1300 USD. However, I was not asked to show any documents ----- no diplomas, no certificates, no transcripts - nothing. I was asked, "how soon can you come?"

Anyone have any current data on this school and it's 6 sites since "...1995..."

Send you info to me as I may not return here for a few days.............

Mike

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

Be careful about accepting a position on the Internet with few questions asked.

This is a reflection of the place, which appears to be willing to hire a `warm body` capable of speaking English, without a check of the real credentials.

You would be better off coming to Turkey and doing your job search there.

Ghost

We must live with our enemies as if they might one day become our friends, and live with our friends as if they might sometime or other become our enemies. La Bruy�re

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I have never heard of it and I have been here before it was (apparently)established.

Mike, you are better off back at QP Wink

Golightly · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject:

It's ILM (Istanbul Lisans Merkezi), based in B'koy and, er, somewhere else; The owner used to be affectionately known as Joey The Clown. His wife had a reputation for losing it in the office and going thug on anyone unfortunate enough to be in her way.

teacherdude · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 260

My mate had an interview with them last month.

He phoned the DOS (a Turk), who was very excited to meeet with him and made it clear they were looking for teachers.

He e-mailed his CV and went in the next day.

The woman looked at him and seemed completely disinterested. She never took him to her office. Sat with him in the Reception area and told him that they wanted part time staff in April.

She apparently did not receive the CV. He offered to print it there,but she declined.

He was well groomed and dressed, so he concluded that perhaps because he wasn't white, maybe in their eyes he didn't have that "native teacher" look.

The 'interview' barely last five minutes.

What little I've heard of the place is not positive. But really, I have head quite little.

Dude

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

The disinterest in the DOS at the Istanbul Language Center is not surprising. Places like that receive dozens of resumes each week from backpackers who wish to `teach English` - and so the schools are under no hurry or pressure to hire someone - they can basically pick who they want - it is more of an employers`market versus teachers`market in Istanbul.

For a more unique experience, teachers should be prepared to go to more remote, and less popular venues in Turkey, where the pay will be less, but the cost of living lower, and the welcome much warmer and enthusiastic.

Ghost

yaramaz · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:47 pm Post subject:

Are you sure, ghost? You've never even taught in Istanbul, and when you were last in Turkey it was at least a few years ago. I find it quite the opposite. As a teacher with a half decade in Turkey I find I can pick and choose what I want and can comfortable negotiate what i want in my contracts. The schools are scrambling to fill places with decent teachers. not all places want or will accept 'backpackers' (in quotations because I actually do own a backpack), esp the schools that deal mainly with corporate contracts.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

yaramaz · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject:

ghost, it depends on where you go- this weekend I had lunch at a place that was on the, well, trendy/relatively expensive end of the scale and my meal was still about 8ytl (a lovely cajun chicken salad) plus another 8ytl for a nice wine (not Dikmen!). That's under $15. You can still get the full turkish meals for a lot less, which have the salad and rice and all. $5 is not impossible by any means. And yes, prices have gone up, but not for everything. It really depends. Imported stuff seems to be getting cheaper. And fresh fruits and veggies are still really cheap. A whirlwind tour of any city can't show you what's possible, just what is most easily found.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

During the time ghost spent in Turkey in 2003-2004, it stayed on a budget the whole time, calculating daily expenses every night, and averages per week/month.

Antalya (summer 2003), stayed in a nice little hotel on the main tramway line in the centre of town, and paid just the equivalent of $8.00 U.S. per night. Eating out, ghost spent about $2.00 U.S. for breakfast, $3.00 for lunch and the same ($3.00) for supper.....those meals would be supplemented by snacks, drinks etc....and the total average budget per day was exactly $20 U.S. per day, and that included taking Dolmus to Migros, and buying foreign newpapers.....

Ghost was able to get the cheap rate at the Central guest house in Antalya after pleading poverty and that the objective was to study Turkish at T�mer Antalya.

Ghost has always been successful in ``negotiating`` prices with hotel and guest house owners, and where others might dish out a lot more for hotels and food, ghost will always go the extra mile to find the best deals for lodging and food, not hesitating to eat where the Turkish office workers eat, or eating at the T�mer Cafeteria which had a set/subsidized lunch for about $2.00 U.S. equivalent.

The fact that Yaramaz is willing to dish out $15 for meals and drinks shows that either she is very liberal with her pocket book or that she earns a good salary. In that respect, ghost is pretty ``cheap`` when it comes to spending for meals and drinks, prefering to save that money for other necessities, like travel.

Ghost (Korea bound, March 28, 2007).....

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

And if so and you still have your records, how much did your time there cost you per hour?

yaramaz · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:49 am Post subject:

What's wrong with spending 16 bloody lira on a pleasant Saturday lunch (including wine) in a lovely restaurant with a friend? It hardly seems exorbitant. In what universe is this exorbitant? I certainly earn enough to do this on a regular basis and still save each month and I still travel- last year took me to Egypt, Switzerland, Dubai twice, Oman and India. And I still eat 8 lira salads. I like them.

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

But what does the dog do for dog food?

billybuzz · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 219 Location: turkey

Going by the last flurry of posts it seems some of our fellow "professionals" have the skill of living like a third world peasant down to a fine art . Is Istanbul so expensive that people,educated people,are forced to live like this ?
Just what is the point of working your guts out in this job if you can't enjoy some of lifes better moments ?