Job Discussion Forums

[sidikitty]

I got a job in Istanbul and I have been working here since May 10th. However, there are many things going wrong here.
I work for a franchise called "English Time". I read their contract thoroughly and it all seemed reasonable.
Since then, they have broken some promises to me and have treated me with complete disrespect.

They had me, at one time, working 7 days a week, part-time only. In the contract, it said I was guaranteed 2 days off. They justified this by saying since I work only part time 7 days a week - it adds up to 2 days...

I requested to be transferred to another branch so that my commute would be less than 2 hours both ways. They ignored my request and instead transferred 2 new teachers that came after me. These teachers just received their tesl too and were not experienced. When I questioned the head boss why she did this, she told me "You should focus more on your teaching skills than worry about a transfer. Students have been complaining about you". She also called me a passive-aggressive person and that is a bad trait to have.

So far, they have removed me from 3 classes and I now only have 1 - and work only 9 hours a week. The first class complained that I was "boring" and also lied to the office staff saying they did not understand me. This class was very hard to control. It was a level 2 but some students where barely level 1 and some needed to be in level 3. The higher level ones were too bored because I had to slow down for the lower level ones. The lower level ones would skip class or come in late then complain they did not understand because they missed the previous lessons and days. Instead of asking me questions, they would ask each other in Turkish and completely ignore me. I could understand somethings they said and would write extensively on the board, talk slowly and do lots of concept checking with them. They still talked over me and some of them even mocked my voice because when I talk louder, it gets a little high.

I even asked the head teacher to observe me in this trouble class, but he didn't. He and the Turkish teacher simply asked me to step out of the classroom as they asked my class "what's wrong? why can't you understand her?" I was never told why or how they cannot understand. I know they did understand, but they relied too much on speaking Turkish to their peers that they didn't listen to my lessons or explanations. I also asked him to review the attendance records - which could also explain why the understanding was low.

He observed me in the class that hadn't complained about me ,during a review session where I had to talk a lot. I even told him beforehand that it was not a normal lesson, but a review before the exam. He told me to involve the class more, ask them more questions. I do and did but as I told him, review sessions were a little different since we were trying to do it quickly before the exam.

The other 2 classes I was removed from without warning. 1 class I knew was very bored with me, even thought I was using the book's curriculum. They would always ask to leave early and some of them would miss 2 hours of a 3 hour lesson. They would talk to each other and play on their cellphones and come back from break sometimes 20 minutes or later - or sometimes not at all. Again, there were very high level and some that were barely at the appropriate level. Most of the students skipped class so I couldn't really gauge them. My 3rd class I only taught fro 2 days. How was it possible they could decide to pull me from a class after only 2 days?! It's unfair because I was never observed in these classes and no one told me what I was doing wrong.

I have yet to find out what the other 2 classes said about me (I should find out today, I guess, since I am meeting with the head boss and head teacher). I am very upset with how this school is treating me like a slave or trash. They are putting the customers first but the customers are lazy and expect me to entertain them and help them magically learn English without them lifting a finger.

I don't know what to do. I have asked to be observed again - however I don't know how much good it will do since it will again be in the class that has not complained about me (if they have, then I was not told about it). Whatever they tell me to improve upon I will do my best and observe other teachers, even thought I did 20+ hours of observation and took notes even before I started.

Your advice is very much appreciated. If you could also point me in the right direction (maybe some online resources or games I can play with them to keep them entertained?) I was told to teach using the English Time book primarily and any other extra activities must be approved my the head teacher.

I don't know how many more times they will allow me to mess up before they fire me. My contract is only 6 months, at least. Still I wonder if I should keep going or look for another school or just head home.

Thank you for your time and advice...

[crazycatlady]

it sounds miserable. start looking for another job. hopefully, you can have another one lined up when your contract ends.

[eclectic]

[sidikitty]

[quote="eclectic"]

[dudeteacher]

Sidikitty,

did you bother to read the other posts on this forum about ET? If you had, you would have realized that what you are experiencing is normal there.

Please scroll down the forum.

I have known teachers who were often complained about by students, yet they were never taken out of a class. In some cases the teacher was close to the Head Teacher, who would find some way to protect them. Not professional I know, but that's ET

I don't know how good or bad a teacher you are. However, this is what I do know:

(i) Don't use the book. It's a useless piece of crap. NO ONE LEARNS FROM IT. Anyone who says they do is a liar or a fool.

Feel free to use other good material.

(ii) Don't go out of your way for absentees or people in the wrong level. Students have a responsibility in the class, if they don't meet it, they will/should fail. Many of these students copied/saw the exam ahead of time/were passed by the Turkish staff. Of course they won't say this. I often pointed this out to management, who made bigger fools out of themselves by asking me not to tell people they were in the wrong level or to chastise people who had cheated.

(iii) There is nothing you can do about the lies. And no, Management is not interested in your side. You don't pay them money. The best you can do is your job. Of course you are green at ET and you are unaware of the cheating and false passing of students for which you must now pay the price.

(iv) There are many teachers who the students don't understand at ET. However, they are tolerated because they are sociable, pretty or the students know they WILL be passed.

Your biggest setback is that you are not "in" with the Head Teacher, they usually shamelessly deflect for their incompetent friends.

Your best bet is to just FLEE!!

Dude

[sidikitty]

Dear Dude,

Can/will English Time fire me if the students continue to complain that they are bored? I heard they did fire a teacher for having an attitude problem but I have always tried my best to be respectful and listen to their suggestions.

I have heard negative things about almost all the English schools here and ET was the only place that would hire while I was still abroad. The other schools I applied to said either nothing was open or they wanted a face-to-face interview. I was not confident enough (nor were my parents) to go abroad jobless.

I also thought maybe every person's experience would be different - so I decided to try my luck.

Do you have any suggestions for places to apply? I also heard Berlitz is terrible and EF pays late and over works you?

Also, if possible, can you point me in the right direction for some games or materials? I did read somethings in the activity forum but I was wondering if you had any favorites?

Thank you for your input

[billy orr]

Hi, I feel real sorry for your situation at the moment, but believe me it can get better. You�ve taken care to prepare yourself well with your CELTA, you just arrived but you are not getting the support you need from the school, it is such a shame. You have been unlucky, but I would recommend trying to stick in your current situation for as long as you can while you learn the ropes. There are more difficult environments than İstanbul language schools.

If the administration aren�t helping you it is probably because they don�t know what to do themselves. You have had a reaction from some students, that may be because of your inexperience, but more likely it is bad luck, you have come across some students who want to be difficult for reasons unrelated to you. As teachers we are all vulnerable to criticism, even after 30 years I get terribly depressed if my students don�t respond positively to what I am trying to do. We have to pick ourselves up and look forward to the next lesson, it all gets better with time and experience.

Try to think about what has happened in your lessons and work out what the students like. Turkish students really can be a lot of fun and love to show their appreciation of you. Generally I find they like being active, and they like things that seem fun, but not too complicated, clear and simple is best. Making regular activities fun, with a sense of humour (like drills, dialogues etc) may be more productive than too many games, especially while you are establishing a relationship with a class. I always feel that no matter how bad the materials are that you have to use, there are likely to be elements of fun in them, and they can surely be supplemented with games and the like from time to time. The internet is a great source of ideas and materials, everyone has their own favourites, I like the BBC/BC learn English sites myself.

You will have met lots of good ideas for activities from your course, but you may not be so well-prepared for working with lower level learners in monolingual classes. Can colleagues provide some ideas for the levels you are teaching, as observation by admin has not been fruitful, is there any way you can observe some of your more supportive colleagues? Is there a teachers centre in İstanbul these days? BC closed but could ITI help? I know they are a commercial operation and it is not their job to patch up the work of all the crummy language schools in town, but they are nice people there, and when you have overcome these initial difficulties you may be a potential customer of theirs for DELTA.

I am in another part of Turkey now, but I have had many happy years in İstanbul. I know how overwhelming it is, especially with the long commute times. Every day must seem like an adventure, so many people, how do they live and work and think.

I do hope you get over these starting problems, if you stick at it things will get better. Don�t let all the negativity from some teachers get you down, it is just a kind of release for them, teaching English is a good job really, and as you gain experience you will get more satisfaction and find better schools to work for in the future.

[eclectic]

[eclectic]

[dudeteacher]

It's hard for me to suggest activities as most of mine are self taught. However, I can message you later.

I did hear that Taboo was popular at ET and there is a game in the Teachers' room.

You have a Celta which is a good start.

I have never heard bad things about EF. I would strongly suggest an interview. British English and Bilge Adam have their problems but are far better than ET.

Sadly, from my experience most of the course schools have some kind of problem or the other, either a dodgy curriculum or inefficient management.

I have however, heard good things about EF and British Side. Unfortunately you don't have enough experience for Brit. Side.

Sticking it out at ET will not help you except for money. Their system is crap and you don't have experience to find alternative methods. Berlizt and Bilge Adam have the same problem with a bit of a silly book but far superior to what ET does. Bilge Adam does treat its staff very well.

There is a branch on Istiklal, check it out.
I reiterate unless you are sweet to your students and on a good footing with your Head Teacher you will have great problems there. Bear this in mind, when I was at ET there were people on their second and third contracts and still had no idea what they were doing in a class. It was amazing. I sometimes thought they were deliberately screwing around, because actual teaching was too stressful for them. Students did complain and very little was done to actually help them. The silliest was teaching two months of Grammar in four or five days with no proper review.

Again - FLEE. It is your only hope. You got suckered in by an organization with no standards. It's up to you to sink or swim. But there is a third option - FLEE!!!

I will PM you some activities later.

Dude.

[Shalana]

My advice is to fake it until you find something better. They are mistreating you and it sounds like you have made the mistake of accepting the role of "victim" and are now trying to bend over backwards to please them and they know it. Do not let the bad students get to you - at least do not let them know they are getting to you. Adopt an air of professional confidence even if it feels phony, do the best you can there and start looking for a better opportunity. Don't worry about your contract - many a teacher has fled from a bad situation here and survived.

I would definitely avoid Berlitz. There are some other schools with a bad reputation on the forum. Start reading to find out what is going on. You may also want to check out www.teflblacklist.org. Other places to look for jobs are:

www.craigslist.com.tr - look under education
www.tefl.com
www.eslemployment.com
www.tefl.net
www.tesljobs.com
www.seriousteachers.com
www.totalesl.com
www.esljobfeed.com

Occasionally people advertise that are looking for English speaking nannies and there is always the possibility of finding private students, although they tend to be unreliable and cancel lessons without much notice.

[sidikitty]

Dudeteacher -

[sidikitty]

[sidikitty]

Billy - you sound very positive. Can you tell me what schools in Istanbul have you worked? I'm guessing not ET or Berlitz.

Where are you teaching now?

[sidikitty]

Thanks for the links and the advice.

I will try to put my resume out there to other places. I checked CraigsList and those opportunities have really terrible pay!

Also, what do you think about lying on a resume? To Turkish schools really follow up on these things? I was wondering if I should leave ET off my resume.