Job Discussion Forums

[delilahweird]

Can you get a work visa from Ankara if you only have a BA in art? And no TEFL?

What is the process for this? Do you get a residence permit and then a work permit and then a work visa?

Can you work legally on a work permit if you have no work visa?

What in the heck is the difference between a work visa and a work permit?

Does your contract state you will be paid in a straight us dollar amount or a straight TYL amount?

Do they hire from Ireland ever?

thanks

[big3bc]

Since no one else will respond to your queries, I will take a stab at them.
First of all, I have lived in Turkey for 11 years, and have only been blessed with a worker's permit for 2 of them. For 6 years, I did the border run every three months. I have had a residency permit for the past 3 years.
I really don't think having a TEFL certificate plays a role in getting a work permit. I think you are required to have a teacher's license (at least this was the case with U.S. teachers).
When I was in the process of getting my work permit, no residency permit was needed in order to secure one. This was when I first came here, and things have surely changed.
I believe a work visa and permit are one and the same.
Schools either pay in TL or dollars. There are probably some that I am unaware of that pay in British pounds.
I have worked with several people from Ireland here in Istanbul. Why wouldn't schools hire a person from Ireland if qualified?
As I haven't dealt with the work permit process in some time, some of the above replies to your questions may be incorrect.
Good luck!

[flutterbayou]

OP, the last poster has given you an overview of how things can change over a period of time.

He's explained how trends in working here have changed over the past 11 years.

You need to clarify what kind of position you want, make enquiries to different schools and see what they come up with.

The fact is that the government office that issues work permits to language school teachers is different from the department that issues work permits to university teachers.

Although L2 teachers do not need an MA to teach English at universities, right now YOK (from the labor department) looks for the MA from foreign L1 univeristy applicants.

Some of the language schools set a BA, a TEFL certificate, and teaching experience as criteria, and others will accept people right out of college, as long as they have obtained a TEFL certificate.

A few language schools will have their teachers work only on the residency permit, which is actually only a tourist resident permit. In fact, holding a resident permit as a tourist gives no one permission to work in Turkey, but people do it anyway.

Other universities go strictly by rules that cannot start a teacher working until that work permit is in place (which takes about 8 weeks to process).

So, are you beginning to get the picture? There are lots of ways to work in Turkey, and there is not one single rule that applies to all institutes. Many people come here for their first teaching jobs and get placed on the merits of a BA and a TEFL. I have met some young teachers whose background is not in English, but liberal or fine arts.