Job Discussion Forums

[simrishamn]

Hello, I have been offered a job in GAZIANTEP SOUTHERN TURKEY. Does anyone have any experience from that part of Turkey.
Also, what is the price of an apartment and so forth.....

[tvik]

gaziantep is a city with an expanding economy. i haven't been there but i guess you could find an apartment for around $400 that would be very nice. i think the city itseif is a bit of a sh*t hole but as i said i've never been there. the people in eastern turkey are warm and friendly which might make up for the view.

[simrishamn]

Thanks for the information, do you think it is possible to live a decent life with a salary - $1600.

[tvik]

yes, you'll be fine with that as long as the employer pays you promptly every month. i don't know them but you should be very firm about that. not all, but some places will come up with excuses not to pay the full ammount come pay-day.

you should also be able to get some private students too which pay between 40-80 an hour usually but you'll be very comfortable with $1600 especially in the south east.

you should be able to live on $1000 a month there unless you drink a lot in bars or buy carpets and other luxeries.

[KingEric]

How far is Gaziantep from the impending war, out of interest?

[ghost]

Gaziantep is a prosperous city of close to 1 million in the South East of Turkey.

It has many manufacturing industries which give the city a busy and relatively prosperous feel.

You will find the best Lahmacun in Gaziantep - in fact Turks concede that Gaziantep Lahmacun is the best in the nation.

Gaziantep was also influenced by the Alep cuisine (Arab Middle East) and you will find many soups and meals which remind you of Syria.

Baklava, a sweet pastry originated from Gaziantep. You will never go hungry there. You will be surprised at the economic prosperity of Gaziantep, compared with some other cities in the region. I recommend the 'sari burma' - which is mashed pistachio and milk fat - addictive, but ask me for an exercise program following this dish, to combat weight increase.

There are interesting bazaars in the city, where you will be treated like royalty by the locals and invited in for tea and baklava. Just walk around and enjoy your time there. In Istanbul, you are just another 'yabanci' - but in Gaziantep and other cities in the region, you will get much closer to the locals, and they are much more friendly. Be respectful of the general conservative nature of the populace here, and you can't go wrong.

There is a sizeable Kurdish population and they are generally very friendly with foreigners. One piece of advice though - Never, ever, mention Kurdish females when in the presence of Kurdish males. That would be very offensive, and they are very conservative in that respect.

As for the advice on accommodation - the person who mentioned $400 dollars a month, I feel is exaggerating. I think $200 per month would bring you a decent flat in Gaziantep. Ask a Turkish friend or employer to help you. No way would I ever pay $400 a month for accommodation in Gaziantep.


Ghost in Korea

[big3bc]

I was a teacher at Gaziantep University, and its sister school, Gaziantep Kolegi, ten years ago. I stayed one year, and was the happiest person in the world when I left.
I can only speak for what it was like 10 years ago, but with your salary, you should be able to live like a king. The school paid for my flat; another teacher was paying $100 for a decent place. The only semblance of night life was at the 5 star Tugcan hotel, and that is only when foreigners were staying there.
The locals are indeed friendly, but are also incredible gossips. I dated a divorced doctor from Izmir there, and we could not be seen together in public for fear of her losing her job. Divorce is a big no-no in Gaziantep. Divorced women had their chance, now they must remain celibate.
I respectfully disagree with Ghost about the food. The baklava is indeed good, but how long can you survive on baklava? There was no fish or turkey. All of the beef tasted just like liver. I must have cooked chicken in 300 different ways during the year I was there.
The heat was also a problem for me. From May to October, the heat is unbearable. It gets quite cold in the winter, and my flat was heated by an oil furnace in the basement. This meant if everyone didn't pay up on time for a new tank of oil, there would be no heat.
I could go on and on about Gaziantep. I won't mention the incredibly illogical way tenants share the electric and heating bills in each building.
Perhaps things have changed. They did open a MacDonalds while I was there although I am sure they were using local beef. I did enjoy many of my students, and found them to be mush less spoiled than those in comparable schools in Istanbul. I was also able to do a lot of traveling both east and west. I think my biggest problem was the fact that I was completely alone- there were three other Americans living there at the time- a gay doctor, and two henpecked husbands.
Good luck.

[simrishamn]

Thanks guys for your comments. I am still considering the position � nothing has been finalized yet. I spent the last 4 years in Asia (China, Thailand, and South Korea) and at the moment Turkey seems to be something new and exciting. Guess, I can forget - finding a girlfriend there.

[The_Prodiigy]

Some of the people like to boil water in a tin urn and make coffee.

Black with milk, sugar (no sweet 'n' low)

The money that you want (less then 19,000 Euros) is possible if you iron all of your own shirts, blazers and the others.

In Trabzon people will never approach you and ask for directions which always fascinated the girl who came and visited me. We went to see Rowan Atkinson in a spoof movie of Bond ( it was on special release)

All in all - a good offer and well worth iy!!
Cheers!!

[big3bc]

Unless you want to deal with Turkish families, it is difficult to find a "modern" girlfriend anywhere, and not only in Gaziantep. I took a colleague to the movies a couple of times in Gaziantep. Her father waited in the lobby for the film to finish both times. After the second film, he informed the daughter that it was time for me to propose.
If you do accept a position there, you could also teach part-time at T�MER if you wanted to meet more people. That's what I did, and it worked. The only drawback was the pay was horrible (about $1/ hr.)

[ghost]

Is there a T�mer in Gaziantep and do they offer Turkish to foreigners there? I can't imagine many foreigners going to Gaziantep to learn Turkish, although that would appeal to me. I like the vibe in that part of Turkey, and hate tourist places.

I studied at T�mer Ankara and then Antalya in 2003, and both schools were excellent, with outstanding distaff teachers.

Ghost in Korea

p.s. I laughed when the guy said he would have trouble getting a girlfriend in Turkey, because in Korea it is much worse for that.

[simrishamn]

Sounds good guys, regarding the comment about ghost I found Korea to be very easy � female wise.