Job Discussion Forums

hillarydostal · Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Brisbane, Australia

What is the most "cost efficent" city and school to live and work in Turkey? How much are the salaries? I'm wanting to go there for a half year/ semester contract because I would like to travel that area and explore the culture, but it doesn't seem as a financially sound decision yet, can someone change my mind?

windstar · Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 235

first of all, for only one semester, it should be only language schools. for 'cost efficiency' adana should be a good place but it is hot. Izmir is cheaper compared to istanbul and ankara.

hillarydostal · Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Brisbane, Australia

How much money is offered throughout Turkey each month? Can anyone give me an estimate or examples?
I want to whole package Smile

jayzel · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Istanbul, Turkey

I have been very critical of English Time Language school in Istanbul before (Check my previous posts), but today we were informed there would be radical changes made and all teachers would be given extreme pay raises (Yes, I work there). Standards of the school are being raised to high levels and pay has been increased by 40-70%!

Yesterday I was earning 15 YTL and hour. As of March first, I will be earning 25 YTL an hour.

English Time has learned the error of their old ways. Come on in, the water is fine! Twenty five YTL an hour at 35 hours a week comes to at least 40,000 YTL a year. A pay like that is easily considered well into the upper middle classes.

Nmarie · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 85 Location: Paris

Teaching 35 hours per week, will you still be alive to enjoy the money?

Shalana · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 150 Location: Istanbul

35 hours a week is no big deal. I still get two days free every week. That is time to enjoy the money.

erdal · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 14

mhoffman · Joined: 13 May 2009 Posts: 14 Location: Canada

is there tax on that amount?

erdal · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 14

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 3:14 pm Post subject:

Ok, ok, first off, the op. please don't come to this country or any other for that matter with the strange idea that after a semester (give me strength) you can just pop of somewhere else. Frankly its not a good idea, secondly dropping your employer in the dirt like that means someone else has to clean up the chaos you cause. Foreigners are not well thought of the best of times and your selfish short term goals will just make a bad image worse. Try to think more long term, you know don't make plans for christmas, stick with a place at least for an academic year, you never know you may just pick up more than one or two decent teaching tips.
Next, what is this tosh about cost efficient cities? They just don't exist buster, bring some cash with you and have some plastic too, most civilised countries use them and Turkey is no exception. The people who work in ET probably don't have one coz they have worked for peanuts, but then if you start at the bottom you may just stay there. Finally, if you want to explore the culture of a country, don't be a teacher, try being a tourist. Now let me make a wild guess, you're not from the U.K are you?
Oh yeah, one more thing, if you are dumb enough to work 35 hours a week, don't ever tell anyone.

erdal · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 14

Listener · Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 140 Location: Istanbul

I think that wasn't for you Erdal, however YOU may find yourself in an awkward situation. I became a dual citizen last year, however, i have discovered that although I was employable as a foreigner under my foreign qualifications, I'm not employable with what I've got any more. Be very very sure that what you've got from Australia can get you a legal teaching job here in Turkey. If you want to work in universities, and you want to be full time, there's also a new law as a Turk that you have to take an exam called ALES (spelling?). My Turkish isn't good enough to pass it, so I am stuck teaching part time.

On the bright side, I do have SSK and retirement, and since I'm part time I don't have to put in a single office hour or attend any meetings, so it might be a good alternative for you for the first year or so while you get oriented to living here....

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:28 am Post subject:

Yes Erdal, my reply was not aimed at you at all. OP refers to the opening post. So Hilary, just where exactly are you from?

erdal · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 14

soberrocker · Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 6 Location: istanbul

It's funny that for the last 2 years English Time has given everyone an outstanding pay increase and set a new high starting wage which was 25TL. Now we have a post of someone working there for 15TL , Go Figure.