Job Discussion Forums

[eurobound]

Hi.

With just a TEFL certificate and a year's experience in Asia, what sort of salary will I be looking at from a run of the mill language school in Turkey? Or, more pertinently, what is the lowest wage I should be prepared to accept?

Thanks to anyone who can advise.

[coffeespoonman]

Huge amount of variation here. If you're working full time in Istanbul, I'd say that you should be able to pull in between 1500 and 2000 USD a month. Having said that, there are people here with the same amount of experience as you working at language schools and making much less... and much more.

The lowest wage you should accept, in my opinion, is around 2500 TL, which is something like 1700 USD, I think.

[eurobound]

Thanks Coffeespoonman; I'm thinking of applying for a summer school at the moment, wage 1,500 USD p/m. Comes with half-board and isn't Istanbul, so hopefully that's more than enough to survive on for a few months while I figure out if Turkey might possibly be for me for a longer period of time. Thanks again.

[CallieWho]

For anyone checking out this thread.
Pay varies widely here. I know people working at Universities for 4000TRY per month and more. I've got friends working in K-12 schools in Istanbul making 3000USD per month. and i got friends doing speaking classes for 15TRY an hour in Antalya. it fluctuates depending on where you live, experience, who and what you are teaching, AND a bit of luck. Some of the people that i have met that complained about getting ripped off and not paid - there's a reason. I've met these kinds of people and I wouldn't pay them either.
Every country has its drawbacks and its positives. Just depends on what you can put up with, and what is most important to you.

[bulgogiboy]

[coffeespoonman]

Or at least to make them think you can afford to date them.

[eurobound]

[coffeespoonman]

Oh, I wouldn't say that, exactly. They know that foreigners have a different money culture. Just keep in mind that showing your money = status here, and status is a MUCH bigger thing in this part of the world than it is back home.

For your typical Turkish girl, keep in mind that she probably expects you to pay for everything, at least at first, no matter how much she insists that she wants to pay something. If you like the girl, don't take her money. In fact, even discussing payment here is seen as a necessary evil. If you can settle the bill without her even noticing, such as on the way to the toilet, that's the best way to handle things.

Added to the frustration is Turkey's habit of not clearly marking prices in some nicer restaurants (especially for fish and starters). Drinks may be also be outrageously expensive - 100 Lira for a bottle of wine that costs 20 in a store. There also may be hidden charges like gratuities or charges for bread and water. Arguing about any of this is usually seen as distateful, and the majority of Turks just pay what the bill says, no matter what. If you want to impress, do the same. The perception here is that higher prices mean higher quality (though we know that's not true). To ask why something is so expensive is to say that the quality was less than you expected - rather insulting.

Until you get used to things, I would recommend only suggesting you go to places that you've eaten before and are comfortable with, both in terms of the menu prices and any kind of service fees.

Having said this, there will inevitably be a thousand people who will disagree with what I've said above. Hell, I've had lots of examples in direct opposition to what I've said above. But, in my experience, regardless of the numerous exceptions to the rule, this is, I think, the safest mindset with which to enter the Turkish dating world.

*didn't mean to turn this into an advice column*

[bulgogiboy]

[coffeespoonman]

Well, I have to admit that I'd feel a bit uncomfortable paying for every little thing after the first few dates, but I guess I feel like this: If I invite her out to dinner, I should be prepared to pay for it - it was my idea. However, if after dinner she suggests that we go for a beer, I'm perfectly happy to let her pick that one up, even if I'm smitten.

[westbrook1]

When I was seeing a Turkish girl here in London she told me that, more or less, $ is everything in Turkey. She expects to be paid for almost 100% of the time. I was a poor student at the time, and when we'd go out and I couldn't pay and told her before hand, she paid but warned me not to go out with Turkish girls in Turkey if I wasn't able to pay. Today, she expects to have an easy life and have her husband pay for everything. She expects him to expand his business, open another shop and 'give' it to her for her to run. She also got married to him despite not really loving him, but because he loves her very much and can potentially provide her with an easy life. She told him this before she married him, and in one of the most remarkable displays of cultural differences I've ever seen, he married her no problem! It's ironic because she was essentially saying to me, 'what kind of a man would take out a woman and then only offer to pay for half the meal'? But I was saying, 'what kind of a man would marry a woman if she told him she didn't love him as much as he loved her, but was happy with the thought of a comfortable life he would be able to provide'? This woman wants an easy life. When I told her that my future wife/girlfriend will absolutely work and pull her weight, she was shocked. It was a funny night of cultural clashes, that one was.

All that being said, I have no intention of changing. If I date a Turkish woman in Istanbul if I end up there, I will politely suggest dividing the bill in half. If they're offended or shocked, then I'll just stop seeing them. No sweat off my back.

[Sashadroogie]

Dear oh dear. There was a time, not so long ago, when even in Western Europe and the States the man was the man and paid for dinner. What's up with you guys?

[billy orr]

Westbrook, did she sing this?

'I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind.
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And an old fashioned millionaire.'

[Sashadroogie]

As my very European granny used to say: never marry for money, marry for love. But love where the money is!

[Otterman Ollie]

So if we are believe half of what was said earlier, the average Turkish female is just a gold digger who will sleep with or marry anyone with money. Judging by the amount of fit looking females around with blokes who look like a bulldog, then that seems to be true. If I was dating and a female expected me to cough up all the time I would soon get pissed off or expect something back in return, get my meaning.
Clearly the working females who don't expect the guy to pay all the time are in a small minority. Thats the price girls pay for emancipation!!