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[nichtta]

I just wanted to share something more recent about these school after having read the very, very bad reviews about them. They didn't seem too different from what I've personally experienced as well as heard from others about private schools, which I don't think I'd ever do again.

However, just to see for myself I applied to one of their online ads this summer 2015. They were very impressed with my CV and scheduled an interview on a Saturday morning at their Avcılar campus. When I arrived, the secretary and "interviewer" had no clue who I was. It's clear the person who e-mailed me wasn't the "interviewer" and clearly hadn't even given the "interviewer" my CV or communicated with her about my coming, so I gave her an extra copy I had with me.

I write "interviewer" in quotes because she didn't really interview me. She just asked me to speak generally about myself, which was clearly to stall as she quickly skimmed my CV--something very typical of "interviewers" here. I don't even think she was listening to me. Then she asked me my grade level preference and told me that there are two interviews. This would be the first, and the second would only be if I passed this one, which would include or be followed by meeting with the principal of the school where I'd work. Most of the "interview" consisted of my asking many questions I've made it a habit to ask, and I wanted to share the answers she gave me for everyone's benefit:

Campuses: 112

Curriculum used: Oxford materials. This is not a curriculum but rather resources, but most English directors don't seem to know the difference. She added that native English teachers teach conversational English whereas non-natives teach grammar.

Max. students per class: I either forgot to ask this or didn't receive a specific response, such as "it varies"

Max. teaching hours per week: 30-35, although apparently no teacher was teaching over 28 when I asked. That's ridiculous!!!

Length of teaching each hour: 40 minutes

Transportation: Is available for teachers

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Working hours: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, although classes are 9-4. Then she added that teachers are expected to be on campus at 8:15 every morning. Imagine having even a mere 30-minute commute. You're out of the house by 7:45 AM and if your afternoon meetings end on time, which rarely did at my private school, you're looking at being back home at 6 PM. That also means an at least (see note below) 45-hour work week, which is becoming more normal in private schools here.

Saturdays: Expected to come in for seven Saturdays a year. Don't ever forget to ask private schools about Saturdays! I think we should all band together and refuse to work Saturdays because you end up so exhausted you just want to sleep all Sunday then have to get back to the grind the next day.

Breaks: All national holidays, four days for Kurban Bayramı, December 24th and 25th, 10 days mid-year, and a two-month summer break from July 1st to the end of August are off. The summer break is really nice, but the mid-year break has been chopped down from the two weeks it should be.

Work visa: offered

Airfare allowance: not provided

Accomodation/housing allowance: not provided

Salary: This is the first time ever that someone outright didn't answer this question. I was pretty shocked. She told me we can talk about it at a later time if I get a second interview. Sooooo weird

In the end, and by end I mean five weeks later, I was e-mailed saying that she can't give me a positive response but that my CV would be kept on file, i.e., I was rejected because they're still posting ads online searching for English teachers. It's strange because she didn't really ask me much. Maybe I asked too many questions, which I don't regret one bit. Maybe it was my reaction when I said that it seems teachers are teaching way too many hours, which I also don't regret because they should know they're overworking their employees. Maybe it was something else... I don't know, but I'm not sad because someone would have be crazy to put themselves through such a tough work schedule.

[Cosmixed]

I had an interview with Doga a day before the beginning of the academic year, and the interview process was exactly the same for me, except that they waived the second interview with my prospective school's principle because she didn't speak English and no one was on site at the time to interpret. I declined the offer as well, but just wanted to add that I was informed of the salary and it was net TL2,900 (I have one year of experience, so not sure if that factors in). Didn't seem like enough for the amount of time commuting and working.

[nichtta]