Job Discussion Forums

[Kimac]

How much detail and in what form should I expect a contract? I would be flying-in and would naturally want to see precisely what our agreement were before making a commitment.

If there is a disagreement over some point later on, then even if it is addressed in formal document, you as a foreigner are not going to have a lot of luck in the Turkish system, going up against a local. But at least it would avoid legitimate misunderstandings.

Is it perhaps "normal" practice to have basic terms on pay, etc, sketched-out in an email, then to face a document full of details (in Turkish), on arrival? Or might such a vague email constitute a "contract" in itself? What presents the normal "professional" business practice I should expect from a reputable school?

Should I be able to insist on a formal document that mentions all the details of pay, visa, early termination, etc, in English, or perhaps Turkish with a translation? And when, and in what language, should I expect to see one?

[PC Parrot]

"If there is a disagreement over some point later on, then even if it is addressed in formal document, you as a foreigner are not going to have a lot of luck in the Turkish system, going up against a local."

Turkey is not Arabia.

In the courts, you have the same rights as a Turk. If you have a good lawyer and are in the right, you should win.

Of course, if you sign a contract that you don't understand, then you will be in a much more vulnerable position. Having said that, you would not be the first person to sign a contract in a language other than their own.

Sometimes you just have to take a leap. If it's a reputable place, they shouldn't be pulling any fast ones, and they will be issuing the standard contract that they issue to everyone - with different numbers here and there - but if you go to a dodgy, entry-level language-factory then you just have to roll with the punches until you find something better.

It's not as if you're committing yourself to a life of indentured servitude ... or signing away your kidneys for a dollar.