Job Discussion Forums

veensp · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 6

Hello,

I am an Indian native English speaker (yes, there quite a few of these in India) who has a post graduate degree, a CELTA and CELTYL and 2 years experience teaching in English in a private language school in Vietnam.

Since I'm considering teaching English in Turkey, I've been reading the posts in this forum and have gleaned a good amount of useful information.

One that is unanswered however - would it be easy to find a teaching position in a University or language school in Istanbul given that I am not Western? I'm asking this question as I understand that there is a preference for British and American teachers and after that, for white English teachers.

Also, would it be better to take a trip to Turkey to look for a job, or can it be as easily obtained by writing to them.

Does anyone know of any schools that are looking for qualified teachers where I could apply?

Any information or guidance will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

dudeteacher · Joined: 27 Feb 2010 Posts: 173

I have an Indian friend from the Caribbean.

He experienced some ignorance from Turkish employers because they swore his first language couldn't be English, despite the fact that he had gone to school in Canada and worked there for 15 odd years.

However, in a lot of Turkish schools the employer will be a Native Head Teacher or DOS, they know better. Once you speak good English and have the right qualifications you shouldn't have a problem.

Most people have a problem getting a job at University simply because they are not advertised much. However, a few of my friends did get them. Those kind of jobs seem easier if you know someone there who can get you an interview. You can certainly obtain a job by writing. I did. However, there will be some employers who will only hire you face to face.

There are the private primary/highschools, the course school and the Universities.

I am more familiar with the course schools, most are hiring and will probably hire less during the summer.
Check English First, Berlitz, Bilge Adam, British English, Kent School of English.

You could try Deulcom, English Time or Inilingua but they have terrible reps.

British Side may require someone with more experience but give it a try, they pay well and I've never heard a complaint about that school.

Dude

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

Well now this was the kind of gossip that I was looking for Smile

I can confirm that Kent is a decent place to be, but the pay is LOOOOOWWWWWW....

deegee55 · Joined: 24 Feb 2010 Posts: 6

Check out colleges and unis in the UAE. Your ethnicity would not be a factor in your hiring there. In fact, there are many Turkish teachers who have migrated to the UAE for better opportunities.

PC Parrot · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:17 am Post subject:

Any of the universities in the UAE that offer decent conditions would want a masters specifically in TESOL or Appied Linguistics and previous work experience at uni level.

coffeespoonman · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 512 Location: At my computer...

I'd recommend looking at unis (or perhaps private high schools). Language schools tend to care, first and foremost, that their teachers "look western". Unis tend to more concerned about qualifications and degrees.

Uni jobs can be obtained by writing, but they usually prefer a face to face interview. They don't advertise often, but just find a list of Turkish unis on wikipedia (or here) and send your CV to the Engish Prep departments of all of them. Some are bad, some are good, but if you really want to work in Turkey, all of them can function as a good stepping stone.

bulgogiboy · Joined: 23 Feb 2005 Posts: 803

If you're aiming for working legally then the issue might not be your English speaking ability but your passport. It might be difficult to get work permission for teaching English with an Indian passport. Then again it might not, depending on who your employer is and what they can swing. Things tend to be that way in Turkey.

Best of luck in any case!

veensp · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 6

Thanks all, for the suggestions and support. I'm going to send my CV to some of the names you've given Dude, and hope for the best. I'm also planning to come out there in April to pitch for a job in person.

In case anyone knows of someone hiring , please drop me a line.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

kazazt · Joined: 15 Feb 2010 Posts: 164

MOD EDIT How many black or Asian people do you know TEFLing in Turkey? Of course it may be that they just have more sense but parents here want a blue eyed blonde.

fishmb · Joined: 08 Jul 2009 Posts: 184 Location: Istanbul

One of my friends teaching her is British-Indian. I didn't talk with him about it, but he seemed fine and taught at several different schools.

dudeteacher · Joined: 27 Feb 2010 Posts: 173

There is undoubtedly some ignorance by Turkish schools and students as to what a Native speaker should look like. However, this is slowly changing.

Remember most of them don't travel and if you are Indian or Chinese looking, their first concern is that you are from India or China.
And that you are not Native. I had an East Indian friend stopped by the police and told that he couldn't be American because he didn't "look American."

However, there are schools that will give you an honest shot and a few that won't. There is a certain ignorance on this topic here in Turkey.

MarkN · Joined: 22 Apr 2010 Posts: 14

As an African American who has never even been to Africa, I also have been told I am not a "real" American or that my English is not correct as African-Americans are not news broadcasters.

Where they got this idea may be easy to see but the fact that they dont question it is scary. I BTW have a masters in English from a top 25 US university---

Mark

pikquinn · Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Posts: 3

Hi veensp, I was just wondering if anything turned up in your job search in Turkey. I'm Malaysian and like you, (surprise!) a native speaker...much less qualified than you, though. I finish my CELTA end of this month (June 2010) and have only a couple of months of teaching experience (volunteer work with refugees).

I'm keen to look for jobs in Turkey, probably not right now as timing, nationality, color, experience etc seem to be working againsts me, but its something I'd like to explored in the next year or two.

There hasn't been much info about how open Turkish employers are to hiring Chinese/Indian-looking people. So I'd really like to know how things worked out for you.

Hope to hear some good news Smile

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

As an African American who has never even been to Africa, I also have been told I am not a "real" American or that my English is not correct as African-Americans are not news broadcasters.

Sorry - off topic comment, but we have a very popular black news anchor on every night here in the Czech Republic. There are very few (what do I call them, as I wish to be polite? they've never been either to Africa or to America, other than on holiday) black Czechs, but they are relatively well-received here, Czechs having other prejudices.

It's quite lovely to listen to perfect Czech from a nice-looking black man every evening on the news. If you ever decide to transfer countries - though I must say the job market is VERY tight here in general at the moment. But you'd be well-received, I'm sure.