Job Discussion Forums

[svenhassel]

Update for teachers thinking of working in Beykent:

Native Speakers are now only employed as speaking teachers.

Wages are still quite low for a university but better than lang schools.

Management in the uni have very little in the way of qualifications or experience in running a language dept.

It is a good place to get experience in the university system.

The quality of student is much improved.

[Moonshadow_51]

Foreign teachers are still limited to teaching Speaking/Listening, but can give a brief 100 word writing assignment a week. No foreign teachers are involved with coordinating None are involved with advising.

Teachers are not assured of a regular desk to work at, and are often left out of the loop when changes in scheduling are "announced."

Teachers are often verbally or emotionally abused in the classroom (by students). For instance, this week, a foreign teacher was called a Wh _ _ _ by a student during class and was not suspended. Another foreign teacher was grabbed by the arm by an angry student. In neither case was the student held accountable.

Students sleep during class, constantly speak Turkish, throw paper airplanes, and laugh at the foreign teachers.

But we have Smartboard.

EF always pays.
EF has a representative on site to assist.
EF is the best part of working at Beykent.
EF's hands are ultimately tied, and it cannot actually effect any desirable changes .

The administration is superficially friendly, but admits that a company is used for foreign teachers so that it is easier to cancel contracts when students complete the program and cutbacks on teaching staff are (typo corrected in edit) required.

[svenhassel]

and there is currently an annual turnover of staff of 50% (in all areas of the university) it would be 100% but the other 50% are unable to secure alternative employment.

[PC Parrot]

[svenhassel]

At the end of the day that teacher can be replaced immediately but a suspended student risks a potential loss of tuition fees...

It is for this reason that no student has ever failed to reach upper intermediate from beginner in just 9 months at BU.

[Moonshadow_51]

In an earlier post, I praised EF as the contractor with Beykent University but, due to recent events, can lend more indepth perspectives into the employer/employee relations, which are not at all as good as I'd previously believed.

Recently, a teacher received a doctor's letter, recommending bedrest, as the teacher had bronchitis. The teacher was ordered to return to work and did. Five days later the teacher suffered an asthmatic attack in the classroom and was ambulated to an emergency clinic. She received oxygen and bronchial dilators and was then triaged (edit) to a full facility medical center. The doctor insisted that this teacher receive three days' bedrest and scolded the woman's coordinator, who had escorted her to the hospital. And two days later, the teacher was terminated because the employer said the illness was a hoax.

The contract with EF states that an employee may receive up to 10 days of medical leave during the 9 month contract, but reports from former Beykent teachers reveal that a teacher is given slack for ONE missed day.

Two teachers last year had bad cases of the flu. One of them had a fever of 38.8 and had gone to the hospital twice to receive IV fluids for dehydration, but both teachers were forced to come to work, despite their illness.

The contract stipulates that Christmas Day and Boxing Day are holidays, but they are not. All teachers worked both days this year, and did the previous one.

Another teacher was told that medical insurance was declined due to overage, but it was found that the EF staff had mistakenly reported the teacher's age as three years older than the teacher is. And did not correct the mistake.

Another teacher was hired to fill in a vacant slot last winter. EF knowingly brought in someone without a four-year bachelor's degree but misled her into thinking she was eligible for a work permit. Within the probationary period, she was released with charges that 20 students had complained about her classroom performance.

If anyone is interested in working for EF at Beykent, please consider a few factors:

You are subcontracted and, therefore, never a true faculty member of the university. Hence, you have no on site representation, other than a young man with limited English.

The director of languages head, Fatih, openly attests that the advantage of contracting a company to fill foreign teacher slots is being able to cancel the relationship as students complete the program throughout the year and fewer teachers are needed.

EF does not promptly apply for work permits for its teachers and waits until it is time to drop someone before completing the process. Legally, all university instructors must have a work permit in hand before entering a classroom. EF does not follow Higher Ed policy.

When EF cuts back on staff, it renegs it contractual promise to cover the costs of the residence permit, and states that its fee is to be deducted in the final paycheck.

At the end of the day, it is better to work for a public university that treats its foreign faculty as members of its community. Example en pointe is that a teacher for istanbul University was recently hospitalized for three weeks, and was supported and told to take her time in regaining health. Her job was never threatened.

[Moonshadow_51]

Excuse the few typos - dust in the keyboard.

[svenhassel]

Yes they treat the full time staff the same. One person was just fired for being off sick for a few days. Incompetence remains a hallmark of this institution. Cronyism and sycophants abound. Always struck me as a microcosm of the current govt which apparently they have close links to. Turkish foreign minister is ex BU dept head..

Anyway, Very high rate of staff turnover. It's more down to BU than EF though. BU seem incapable of hiring their own NESTs and so EF fill the gap.

[Luxe]

[Moonshadow_51]

The Director of EF was entirely responsible.

[svenhassel]

Did you work at English Time recently?

[Moonshadow_51]

No,-but-I-know-some-of-the-people-involved-with-its-controversies.

[busengteacher]

Hi,

I tried to apply to Beykent, but the efinsthr link is not working...

What are the best paying Prep Programs in Turkey??

Thanks in advance guys

[svenhassel]

consider it a blessing...