Job Discussion Forums

seabrookgirl · Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Prague

Hi. This is my first post here so please be patient with my questions.

I have just been offered a contract with English First in Istanbul (Levent area) for nine months. I have been an English teacher in America for the past three years and have a TEFL, a B.A. in English and a secondary teaching certificate from America. I need some advice before accepting the offer please.

First, what is the average cost of an apartment in Istanbul if I share with someone? I don't need anything fancy, just the basics.

Is 1.2 billion lira a reasonable salary for 26 teaching hours? Enough to live on, pay rent, and go out occasionally?

Does anyone know of any positives and/or negatives about working for English First in Turkey?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Gomez · Joined: 13 Jul 2004 Posts: 30

I've always had a good relationship with the people at English First. The Levent branch is newer, or rather, it's moved to a new building two years ago. It's one of the better schools to work for. There was a thread about English First a few weeks ago, you can have a look back for it. Rents are going up and in the area near the school, you'll find from 550 million lira to 800 million and up. If you share with someone you'll be in good shape. There are lots of places to live in Istanbul and you can find cheaper places. There is a metro (subway) stop near the school and so you can get there from the center of town pretty easily. If you got an offer from them, I'd take it. There are some other schools that are on a par or just below them. You could do a lot worse I guess I would say and I've never had a problem there. I like the owners and the other teachers. But again, read the old posts because some people didn't like them or the school and it would be valuable to see what they had to say and why. Good luck.

calsimsek · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 775 Location: Ist Turkey

Hi seabrook,
Just saw your post. 1.2 T.L per month is now just above what the trade Unions regard as a 'liveable' wage. You will get lots of people telling you that 1.2 is more than what alot of locals make a month. That just shows you how messe income distribution is. Place like E.F offer aleast 1000$ and some benifts. However with your paperwork and expereiance you should consider perhaes school job (Pri/High School) Shocked

You could get around 1300 to 1800 $ depending on the school. Also go for Dollars.
O.K T.L has been high against the green back for some time but, the talk in town is for a drop of at least 15-20% against the dollar within the next 3-4 months. You should consider your opions before you agree to what I think is a low wage.