Job Discussion Forums

[Spionen]

I work for a language school in Istanbul which has decided (after, apparently, years of employing foreigners illegally) to get all of us native teachers work permits. It never really crossed my mind before to get a work permit so I'm curious about what will change with this development.

Benefits? Obviously no more visa runs, as I'm getting a residence permit before the work permit. Job security, I suppose (they'll likely think twice about firing us after going to all this trouble for us). Free medical care?

Drawbacks? Working illegally, of course I never had any taxes taken out. Now it looks like I'll have 15% taken. What are the chances I can bargain my way into a higher wage, especially considering I'm at the low end salary-wise already (18 TL/hr) and can't really afford to be knocked down another peg what with loans to be paid off back home?

Other?

Someone told me they'll probably start to pay a monthly flat salary rather than going by an hourly wage. Think that has any basis in fact?

Also, I really like the school overall and have no plans of leaving, but supposing it ever came to that, what would happen? What would the legal implications be of breaking a contract (presumably just whatever's specified in the as-yet-unseen contract...)?

Are work permits company-specific or are they general permission to work anywhere in Turkey?

Finally, just out of curiosity, what do you think prompted the sudden decision to furnish us with permits? My guess is a nosy official threatening closer inspections...

Thanks in advance

[billy orr]

Most likely they are applying for work permits because the min of ed inspected and asked to see the paper work for the teachers they could see in class or the teachers room. Maybe the school forgot to hide the illegals when the inspectors turned up. I think they have a couple of months to put things right. The owner of a school once told me how they had got hassled by the min because their teachers' permits hadn't come through, even though the permits had already been applied for and were stuck in Ankara at the min of lanour, I think it was. So he had to go to Ankara with the office manager, he found the office tha dealt with teachers' work permits and asked what the delay was. The official pointed to a huge pile of applications. They proceeded to find their school's applications in the pile and presented them to the official who dealt with them straight away, had therm stamped and countersigned and returned to istanbul with the necessary dpcuments. Not sure if this was all true, but it was a good story.

In answer to your other questions, the work permit is specific to that job in that school, if you go to another school a new perit is needed.

As for pay, I don't think you should expect your pay to change at all. Rates quoted in Turkey are invariably net, in my experience, how an employer deals with stoppages is their business, not the the employee's.

Having sgk cover brings a number of advantages. You will enable to use state hospitals free of charge, and get cheap prescriptions. You will be able to use private hospitals that have an agreement with the sgk on payment of a smallish fee. If you hang around long enough you will get a pension.