Job Discussion Forums

[citadel]

Does anyone know the legal limit of working hours for teachers in Turkey?
My contract states till 4pm, but when I got here, they changed my working hours till 6pm. So now, I am working 8am-6pm and weekends ( without extra pay)
Plus, instead of the agreed contact hours, I am working more in classroom with much less planning time.( Planning is consumed with duty and meetings) My contact hours are 29 hours a week.
In all the years of my teaching, I have never seen anything so deplorable in my life.

[PC Parrot]

Sounds dreadful. Have you spoken with the boss. if all he/she offers is a shrug of the shoulders, then start looking for something new.

And don't forget to name & shame them on your way out.

[wander&teach]

As you are finding out the "laws" in Turkey are very flexible. Employers are at liberty to do pretty much as they please despite any contractual obligations mostly because the contracts are so vague and there is no authority to go to to challenge them. And things have not gotten any better in the last few years. If you attempt to report any issues you will find that you will simply be referred from one office to another indefinitely. If you want to keep your sanity, bite the bullet and simply walk as contracts here are inherently unenforceable especially for foreigners and there are unlimited acceptable opportunities to teach English in Turkey for qualified teachers and many more opportunities to teach English in Turkey for unqualified teachers as well.

[citadel]

And don't forget to name & shame them on your way out.[/quote]

Oh, I will. I took a major salary cut because I wanted to move out of the for profit international schools. Huge Mistake.

I live in trailer with mold and peeling paint, especially in the shower stall. I am knee deep in mildew and have peeling paint falling on my head when I shower. I am housed with Gypsies. I have got no kitchen, except a broken fridge that I had to unplug because I terrible crackling noise it makes.

They promised health insurance and permit, but neither has happened.

I worked in Turkey a few years back, except, I had my own nice one bedroom flat, immediate private health insurance and permit ( both work and resident) done very quickly.

And, yes, the powers tht be shrug their shoulders.

I am looking for another job now.

[vre]

As far as I am aware, a working day may not exceed 11 hours by Turkish law.

Yeah, I would get out as soon as you can.... even do a 'midnight run' if you have to.

[sixthchild]

You need to look up the turkish labour laws, there are limits, as you are a professional you are not a street cleaner or toilet cleaner, you have rights and it looks like the place you work for are shafting you big time. Go and find another job, you will have to wait till after the holiday, and then just do not go back to work again. Just leave, you owe them sweet FA!

You will thank yourself and, please try to get a job in a REAL school, forget these courses or dershanes tey really are the pits!!

Btw, anything more than a 6 hour teaching day is illegal!

[delal]

Sorry to stray from the point of the post but I heard that street cleaners earn at least 3,000 tl a month (outside Istanbul) (not dustbın men who I assume must then earn more) and get a golden handshake at the end.
Here, it's a question of dog eat dog and altruism is only for the "weak", so if you've accepted less than employers know you could earn elsewhere they will just go ahead and exploit you because they can.
Whatever happens, Citadel you should be able to get a better job-caravan?! After the semester break there are always teachers who quit.

[PC Parrot]