Job Discussion Forums

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

Hi all

I've been on this forum before asking for advice about how to deal with adult Turkish students in the USA. I am currently working in Korea and will be here at least 6 more months if not longer.

My former students have kept in touch and encouraged me to consider teaching in Turkey. I have not been all that keen on the idea mainly because of my experiences teaching Turks in the states, but perhaps being the foreigner in their country is not so bad... Mind you, most of my students in the U.S. were men ages 25-30. They were often quite a handful even compared to the other male students from Europe and Latin America.

I have an MA in TESOL and 3 years experience teaching in the U.S., China and in Korea. I don't want to work with kids at all... maybe... a good solid academic high school (if those exist) but I'd rather not teach below the university level.

Is there anyone out there who has taught in Northeast Asia prior to working in Turkey who could give me a bit of insight?
It seems the market for native English speaking teachers continues to grow there as it does here but I wouldn't have a clue as to how to begin a decent job search.

Any advice from those of you who are experienced in this demographic would be greatly appreciated!

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Ghost, where are you?

If you search this forum I seem to remember ghost writing a lengthy post on the differences between teaching in Korea and Turkey.

tarte tatin · Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 247 Location: Istanbul

Hi, I was also not keen on teaching Turks in the UK. At one point I begged my DOS not to put any more Turks in my class, the other students also found them a handful!

However, I am now teaching in Turkey and on the whole the students are fine. I also taught in Korea but mainly children so it is difficult to make comparisons.

If you teach in Turkey the students are only doing four or six hours of English a week (as a rough guide) fitted in between jobs, other courses etc. so it is quite different. You also get a greater cross-section of people such as business executives, house wives and so on.

The disadvantage to teaching adults abroad (as you will know if you have taught in Asia) is the possibility of a grim split shift. You also have to pick your school carefully. My school is not bad, not perfect but compared to many schools it is reputable.

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

Is your school similar to an adult hogwan in Korea?

How do you find the support system at the school? Do they operate under this "no fail policy"? I dealt with that a lot in China and it was a nightmare.

I also understand that Turkish students often base their progress on the amount of time spent in a course rather than the level of production they actually achieve. One of my biggest problems teaching Turks in the U.S. was that they were all convinced that they could take the TOEFL and get into a U.S. MBA program when they were barely at a pre-intermediate level. They insisted that they were higher regardless of what their entrance tests showed. It drove me and the other teachers nuts.

How do you find teaching the adults there?

tarte tatin · Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 247 Location: Istanbul

Check your inbox I have PMed you.

bigbadsuzie · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

By God if you teach here Noelle you will know that it is THEİR country.

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

If Turks were troublesome in the U.S., then their behaviour in Turkey would be even more so, because on home turf, Turks tend to be even more uninhibited.

Turkey can be a lottery and unpredictable (compared with more predictable, homogenous locales like Korea), and teachers report varying experiences with different schools.

In Turkey though, adult students will vote with their feet within a couple of hours of your class, meaning that if they are not satisfied with your teaching, they will run to the Manager's office to try to change classes.

This happens to many teachers in Turkey. It can be good or bad, because when things go well, teaching adults can be a rewarding experience in Turkey, but then you have the other side as well.

If you teach the students who come from 'nouveau riche' families, you often deal with individuals who lack maturity, and who despite their chronological ages, are more similar to adolescents. The Turks I enjoyed teaching the most came from humble backgrounds, and had won academic scholarships. Those students were the most appreciative and rewarding to work with.

Ghost in Korea

fungus the bogeyman · Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 25

Wow how reassuring is that article! It's not only my paranoias! Thanks Justme!

nomad22 · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Auckland, NZ

oh yes, if you teach kids in turkey, hang onto your hat, and warm up your vocal chords, youll be screaming alot. not a nice way to have to teach. but sadly discipline is a major problem here. teaching adults is different, much better.

osmanhoca · Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 10 Location: South China

Teaching adults in Turkey should not bee too bad. Teaching at a private university of course is somewhat different than teaching at a language school. Try Bilkent, Bilgi, Bahcesehir, Koc, etc. With your experience, I believe you will not have much trouble, other than sometimes putting up with some spoiled rich kids, and that I would expect in China, or even in Korea. Good luck.