Job Discussion Forums

[killbunny]

Hi,

I have read most of your posts about finding jobs at universities in Turkey (esp. Istanbul and Ankara). Currently, I am teaching in southeast Asia, and I am trying to find a position in Turkey for September. I can visit Turkey in August, or just move there in August.

Please help me by answering the following questions:

1. When I apply to the universities, do I use the general email address on the universities' websites (cannot find a specific HR address)?

2. If I cannot find a job before August, am I likely to be able to find a university job at the end of August/beginning of September?

3. Also, can foreigners drive motorbikes in Istanbul and Ankara?

4. Will travelling around the city by motorbike make it easier to find jobs and a good apartment (or is traffic so terrible that it doesn't matter)?

5. Are there any other websites besides www.tesol.org and www.tefl.org where I can find univerity job listings?

About me: I have a a bachelor's and a master's degree in biology. I completed my CELTA (2010) and I have four years of teaching experience in Asia. Now I am working on my Diploma TESOL (expect to finish in November 2011).

I appreciate any help or advice you can give me.

[chiichan]

Hi! I am also applying to teach at universities in Istanbul for this fall.

Not sure if this is the best way to go about emailing your cv, but here is what I did, and it's worked:

I did NOT send my emails to the general email address for the universities listed on the website. I tried to find the email address of the head of the English prep program and send emails to that person. Sometimes this was listed, and other times it wasn't. When it wasn't listed (but if I could figure out the NAME of the head), I would guess the email address by trying different combinations of first names and last names, together with @(university name.edu, tr... or whatever). If the emails didn't bounce back, I assumed the addresses were correct.

In addition, I noted that the Turkish language pages sometimes had more info than the English ones. Though my Turkish is limited, I knew that 'English Prep Program' was "hazirlik" or "dil yabanci" or something, so I tried clicking on these links.

So as you can see, it was a little time consuming for me, but I had fun doing it. Felt like a detective. I was able to secure about 5 or 6 interviews this way before I arrived in Istanbul. (FYI while many of the people I sent emails to answered me, A LOT didn't either. GUess they weren't interested).

Maybe there are more efficient ways of going about sending emails. Anyone?

[coffeespoonman]

1. Chiichan is spot-on about how to send emails here. HR departments will never reply, and the general email will never even be read.

2. Not very likely, though it does happen.

3. Well, yes you could if you get a license, but motorbikes here are mostly used only by delivery boys. It's not like SE Asia here.

4. No, using public transport will probably be the easiest.

5. Just email the departments directly like Chiichan recommended. Many unis don't advertise because they already have a stack of CVs. It's your responsibility to add yours to their list.