Job Discussion Forums

[Kilij-Arslan]

Hello. I have been having a hell of a time trying to find schools in Turkey which hire those without 4 year degrees. I have a TEFL certification and over four years experience but no four year degree. I also heard a lot of bad things about Turkish schools so I was wondering if anyone knows anything about an institution called Active Languages.

Also, for those that require four year degrees, how thoroughly do they check for that? My understanding is that this usually has more to do with work permits and the government than the school itself.

[bulgogiboy]

Hey,


You wont be able to get a work permit to teach without at least a Bachelor's degree. I appreciate experience counts for a lot in real terms but the education ministry will want to see qualifications on paper. As far as I know a TEFL certificate on it's own is simply not enough to work legally as a teacher in Turkey. It doesnt matter what qualifications the school is prepared to accept, because as a legal minimum you will need a degree to get a work permit. If you are prepared to teach illegally then its a different story.

How thoroughly do the education ministry officials check degree qualifications in Turkey? Well, It's not like Korea where you have to provide sealed transcripts, but they would want to either see the original or a notarised copy. I had the original with me, and my manager was still grilled about it anyway when applying for my work permit. If you were thinking of embellishing your CV a bit to get a permit, you would probably find yourself in a rather awkward situation sooner or later...

I don't endorse it, but it's a fact that a large percentage of both qualified and unqualified foreigners teach illegally in Turkey with a small risk of punishment. When I worked at English Time in Ankara most of the foreign teachers, regardless of their degrees/certificates, worked there with no work permits(because of management incompetency), including the headteacher! This is because residence permits are pretty easy to get, and the residence permit doesnt have to be tied to a work permit like in so many other countries. English Time is a God awful company by the way, and even though I dont know about 'active languages' I would say that if they're willing to hire you illegally for the entire duration of your stay It would be best to avoid them...

Good luck

[Kilij-Arslan]

How strict are these education ministries on the accreditation of these diplomas? Do they care if it is a diploma mill?

[bulgogiboy]

I got a 4 yr undergrad degree in English lit from a good UK uni and they grilled my manager about it, it took a little while for them to approve it. I would assume during that time they did checks on it.

Are there compelling reasons for you to want to work in Turkey? The money is far from great and in most parts its a deeply conservative country, even in the parts where the 'Western liberal' veneer is thickest. There are other places you can go which will offer the same or better things, with less insistence on having a degree. South America for example.

Are you an EU citizen? You could invest in a CELTA and then there would be quite a few places you could go within Europe.

[bulgogiboy]

And yes, I think they would care whether or not it was a real degree, rather than just a bit of worthless paper bought over the internet

[Kilij-Arslan]

[misterkodak]

Just out of curiosity, which European countries would take you without at least a BA? I've taught in Germany and even with a BA in German and my TEFL and experience, it was quite difficult to get it recognized. Language schools have it easier, but in Germany a degree was mandatory. If you want to teach in dershanes you may be able to swing it without a degree, but i highly discourage it. Universities and private schools are by far the steadiest. However, you need at least a BA.

[Dedicated]

I have to agree with misterkodak on this. As a non-EU citizen, it is extremely difficult to get a work permit for an EFL job in an EU country, and without a degree, I would have thought nigh impossible. There are lots of other posts on Dave's about this.

Perhaps you can let us know otherwise?

[Kilij-Arslan]

[bulgogiboy]

[spiral78]

It's true that most of the 'new' EU member countries don't officially require a first degree for teachers. However, the job market's tight, and a non-EU member citizen without a first degree will be at the bottom of the heap in terms of seeking jobs - at least his/her first year in the country.

[Kilij-Arslan]

[kazazt]

Just a few books?

[bulgogiboy]