Job Discussion Forums

[Lucy2]

My husband and I are thinking about accepting job offers in Istanbul at Yuzyil Isil High School. We interviewed in London.

We are American teachers--good job, decent pay. Both teach AP English. I have taught in Hungary and China--before marriage and kids.

We were offered furnished housing, transportation to and from school, and our children would be placed in either a British or American International school near by.

Medical--private--provided.

We would be making a decent salary after taxes.

I have been reading "horror" stories about discipline--not at this particular school, but as a whole in Turkish schools on this forum and others.

Does anyone know any info about this school? We would really like to make the right decision about where to be next year.

We would also like to know about the general living conditions.

Thanks for your help.

[mongrelcat]

see thread by Pak1789 "Should I Stay or Should I go?"

[big3bc]

I have taught in three private high schools in Turkey. One was horrible, one was worse than horrible, and there is no word to describe the third. Before you start, you have to realize that you will get absolutely no support from the administration. The children's parents are paying your salary (and these students will have no problem telling you that). At one of the schools, I can remember the refrain I got very time I complained about a pupil," You must learn the Turkish system."
Like any big cities, conditions vary from district to district. I would need to know where you will be residing to comment.

[Lucy2]

[mongrelcat]

[Lucy2]

[windstar]

Is it ISIK or ISIL high school? If it is one ISIK's, I would not recommend you. This is personal though.

[FGT]

Is it this school? http://www.yuzyilisil.k12.tr/default.asp

The website is only in Turkish. The curriculum appears to be normal Turkish with standard exams. Is it really an international school?

[Lucy2]

[dagi]

Just because they have some international icons on their website doesn't mean they are an international school. Some of those are just a bit of a laugh anyway.
This school is just a turkish private school that partly offers the IB programme. To justifiy their internationalism they probably do a Commenius project and things like that.
But really, there will be only turkish students and you won't find a lot of international things. Meetings, memos and notes might be turkish only for instance. Many of your colleagues might just speak turkish and you won't be able to communicate with them. Sometimes this also is the case for admin.

If you are going to teach 7th and 8th graders, get prepared. Those kids solely focus on something that is called "OKS" - a national exam that is taken at the end of primary school. Not easy grades to teach.
There seem to be discipline issues in all the private schools. Students misbehaving, skipping classes, coming in late is sort of tolerated. You report it to the admin but nothing is done about it.
You need good class-room managment skills to deal with the kids.

Anything the school tells you should be taken with a grain of salt! Of course they won't brag with their discipline issues and say they have none. They are most often simply ignored.
The kids are clients who bring in the money so the goal is to keep those kids and the parents happy.
Whatever they promised you now it doesn't mean they will do it once you arrive. Housing, schooling, support might be none-existant. Maybe they will do a brilliant job but also be prepared to meet some blank stares if you ask for help.

Another thing, if you and your husband are qualified and experienced teachers you might end up being annoyed with your colleagues at times. Many schools employ native speakers and some do a good job and try to improve. Yet there are many who have no exprience/qualification at all and still think the sun shines out of their a****.
You will work with people who sort of reinvent the wheel, make up curriculums that make no sense at all, etc. etc. The school might not even have a proper curriculum and you will wonder how they have managed all those years.
Things that seem fairly obvious to you will be the invention of the century for your colleagus.

[Dedicated]

Lucy 2,

I'm afraid I have to agree with dagi overall. The icons at the bottom of their website are IB (fair enough, they offer the international exams); ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence - do they do these modules??);
Comenius (funded by the EU, but Turkey doesn't belong to the EU yet!); CIL (Council for International Schools - yet this school is not listed as being accredited by CIL on the 2007 list!). It is listed on the Directory of International Schools in Turkey, along with most other private schools that teach English. The other two icons are Astronomical Society and American Association of Variable Star - clubs for astronomers and star-watchers.

I think you need to check this school out a little more carefully - ask to speak to another native-speaker currently working there. I'm currently working on QAA assessments of International schools and receive complaints on a daily basis from teachers who arrive at schools advertising themselves as " international", whereas they merely teach English.

Robert College, Istanbul still maintains its pole position as an international school in Turkey.

[dagi]

"Robert College, Istanbul still maintains its pole position as an international school in Turkey."

I wouldn't say that the RC is an international school, either. They also are a private school with mostly turkish kids. But: they are probably the best private school in the country, with a long tradition and they certainly know how to look after their foreign staff. It's one of the few schools that requires M.A. in Ed., not just a random TEFL certificate.

Lucy, as qualified teacher I would concentrate on the better schools. Try the IICC, the RC, the British school, etc.

[Lucy2]

[FGT]

I'm glad I wasn't out on a limb, (from what others are saying). I work in Izmir, the poor relation to Istanbul. I know nothing about schools in Istanbul. Izmir has an international school. See here: