Job Discussion Forums

[Grevil]

Dear all,

I am currently doing my CELTA part time - finishing September.

I am an Australian librarian (+ husband who can speak Turkish - I can't)

Hope to get 12 months off from my job next year and come to Turkey.

Expect to leave Oz late January. What's the chances of getting an ESL job in Istanbul about that time?

Can I get/likely to get a work permit/working Visa if I don't have a job lined up before I leave Oz?

Of course I won't have much, if any, teaching experience.

Is my plan pie in the sky?

Any places/organisations I should avoid?

Also, will it be hard to find a flat?
Is there much furnished accom. available? What would be the likely cost per month in somewhere like Sisli?
Are there cheaper suburbs close to there, or other suburbs you can recommend?

A lot of questions, sorry. I would be grateful for any tips.
Thanks in advance.

[ghost]

Finding a job in Istanbul in February is possible. Historically, many teachers leave their jobs in late December/early January to go home for Christmas and many of these do not return.

Finding accommodation will be harder at that time of the year, but not impossible. For affordable accomodation you may have to travel from somewhere on the Asian side where rents are quite a bit cheaper. Ghost recommends Cevizli as a nice area of Istanbul, but it takes about 1 hour to get to the centre with a combination of minibuses and the train, and boat. In Cevizli there is a good place to stay called ``Villa Marmara``

Rooms there cost around $5 per person, and have inside showers. The price includes a good Turkish breakfast with all the trimmings (cheese, olives etc...). Villa Marmara can be a good place to stay until you find something better and closer to your work place. You will see no foreigners around Cevizli, except those who stay at Villa Marmara....

If you call some of the schools around October/November expressing your desire to teach there, you will augment your chances of employment. You will find recommended schools if you back track these forum pages.

Bring copies of your Diplomas with you.

Istanbul weather in February can be nasty with sleet and rain.

[Grevil]

Many thanks for your reply, Ghost. Very helpful

Is there anyone else out there who could add anything?

All information gratefully received.

[dmb]

getting a work permit without a vısa ıs ımpossıble.
fındıng a job at that tıme of year should be easy enough in one of the many private language schools.
I was recently looking for a flat- Myself and my flatmates saw around 50 flats between us-and that was only in one area of town, cıhangır.

[yaramaz]

Hey, dmb, just out of curiosity for next year's house-hunting, how much were the Cihangir flats going for?

[dmb]

For 2 or three bedrooms there is a huge range.
the cheapest was 600 million and the most expensive was super lux for 2000 dollars.(sauna,jakuzi and a hot tub on the teras)
Most were around 1 milyar expect to pay an extra 200 million for a Bosphrous view.

[Grevil]

Thanks dmb and yaramaz for your responses!

I've two further queries:

Is it possible to get a Visa before I leave Oz? Otherwise its a Catch 22 situation isn't it?

The prices that were mentioned for the flats/apartments - was that for a calendar month? Was the district you mentioned on the Asian or European side?

Many thanks

[ghost]

[ash]

Hi Grevil,
I am also from Oz. From what I can gather, we can't get working visas for Turkey without employer sponsorship sorted in Oz before departure. The only option for legitimate work is to sort it prior to departure. A less attractive alternative is to arrive in Turkey with a tourist visa, find suitable employment/sponsorship, and return to Oz to acquire the appropriate visa before taking up the position in Turkey. If you can afford it, and have time to play with, then I guess that's a possibility.

If anyone has information contradicting this, it would be much appreciated.

[ghost]

Most Aussies have descendents from European countries like Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece etc....

Many European countries grant citizenship to Aussies who have the correct lineage from certain European countries.

Getting a second passport is very convenient, and will save a lot of travel costs and visas. Ghost has three passports and three citizenships and would be eligible for five in total if he applied...but not sure about what the limit is for foreign citizenships.

[dmb]

[Grevil]

Thanks everyone for contributing to this discussion

In reply to Ghost - I am told that for me to get a British passport I have to prove I have a Grandparent born in Britain.

I have British ancestors on both sides but because I'm fifth generation Oz, that's not good enough for a British passport.

If anyone knows if that bit about the Grandparent is wrong, I'd love to know.

It seems to be a lot of work and expense just to work in Turkey for one year. Any other suggestions?

[yaramaz]

I checked into the ancestry thing a few years ago, when I was in the UK and wanted to stay in Europe rather than go back to Canada after my work visa finished. I'm a 4th or 5th generation Canadian (and several more generations on my ma's side in Quebec). I had friends who had parents who were born in a European country and some were able to claim a passport, others weren't. It varied from country to country. With Britain, if your mother was bornand raised there and a full citizen but your father isn't, then, well, you only get a 4 year residence permit which can lead to a passport and citizenship if you reside there long enough. If your grandparents were citizens then the same rule applies as with your mother. British fathers get you British passports. Ireland is quite different-- granparents and sometimes even great grandparents can get you a passport, especially if they were forcibly removed from the country for political or social reasons. Didn't help me though, because my Irish ancestors had already moved to the UK or Australia by that time.

I don't know about other countries, as they didnt apply to my own situation. I hear Germany is pretty strict. France and Netherlands less so. Each country varies in its policies.

To be honest, it isn't necessary to go through all that trouble just to work in Turkey. Apply to a school that recruits from overseas-- English Time, EF, various Kolejs (ie TED, Istek) and they will get you the work permit you need. Insist on it! If the job isn't great, you can always change later if it is intolerable. A work permit gives you an enforceable contract and a bit more security and bargaining power.

[ash]

[quote=In reply to Ghost - I am told that for me to get a British passport I have to prove I have a Grandparent born in Britain.

I have British ancestors on both sides but because I'm fifth generation Oz, that's not good enough for a British passport.
[/quote]

[ash]

oops. I just quoted myself, and plagiarised Grevil. ha ha ahem.