Job Discussion Forums

happeningthang · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 117

Hey people,

I'm thinking about making the move out of Korean winter to somewhere, anywhere not Asian, with beaches.... Turkey sounds good.

I'm just starting to do some research, so I've only got a few vague questions that I'm sure will betray my ignorance.

First, this Turkey New Lira currency... Whenever I see jobs posted they give the wages in YTL, but when I look for currency rates online Turkey's currency is listed as TRY. They are the same thing right?

I've noticed there's a spate of advertising for jobs in Turkey, on Dave's at least, is this a hiring season in Turkey, or can you expect to find vacancies year round? Should I rush to interview now, or can it wait? Who's a better choice to interview with, Wall St, English Time, the unis?

I might be forced to wait, because I don't have a CELTA or equivalent, and I understand this is a neccessity. Is that the case? I have my BA, a MA in Linguistics, and 5 years experience in Korea. Is that enough?

What little research I've found, says that Turkish students are unmanageable? What's up with that? More, or less that Korean kiddies, or is it a few teachers with high expectations?

And lastly, and really the big question, is it worth my while travelling to Turkey to look for work? Are there more opportunities for work, not being presented on Daves and TEFL.com - that I could reasonably expect to find - or is it newbies to the big schools, and get in line?

Any help appreciated, and will get you drinks whenever I see you.

Cheers

happeningthang · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 117

Helpful bunch, aincha?

Lucy2 · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 12 Location: North Carolina

happeningthang · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 117

Thanks for the response Lucy - very kind of you - I'll chase up these job fairs you mention.

Actually, re-reading my post I guess I'm the 8 millionth person to ask the same questions that could be answered by a little research - and I've pretty much found all the information I needed.

I would appreciate knowing if there's a window of opportunity at work in Turkey at the moment, if anyone can help out.

I'll be working on a CELTA somewhere near a beach over the next month or so, hoping that the job offers will still be there when I finish. I'd feel a bit easier about making the investment of time (and money) if I could get some feedback on this one.

Anyone?

big3bc · Joined: 27 Oct 2007 Posts: 132 Location: Turkey

With your credentials, finding a decent job wouldn't be difficult.
The universities and private high schools won't be looking for teachers for September for a few more months. April and May seem to be the best time to start sniffing around.
I work for English Time, and with your background, you would get a contract here starting out at 24 - 26 million TL/hr. That is good pay for Turkey.

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

If you look for a job, there is indeed more than Dave's and those TEFL boards.
The job fairs seem to be okay and if you are anywhere near one I'd always give it a try.
Your B.A./M.A. and experience should be enough for Turkey, but I it might not land you a job at one of the top notch schools. They usually require an educational degree.
What I could suggest is looking up the websites of the private schools and just send them an open application. Not all of them advertise on Dave's and frankly I'd be a bit vary if a school recruits via Dave's.

For a job at a lanugage school, from what I gathered, you can just come here and then look. They always seem to be in the need for teachers and you could always move on to another place once you have a foot in the door here.

As for the kids, they are not unmanagable. You just need good class-room management and you need to be aware that when it comes to disciplining children you won't get a lot of support from the admin.
That makes your job more difficult.
Many TEFL - teachers here move into k12 schools from language schools and many of them don't have any experience with kids nor do they have the pedagogicael training/skills. Makes it twice as hard to deal with them.
30 turkish 13-year old in one class-room can be a bit nasty at times, but individually most of them are nice kids with good manners and real sweathearts.

Lucy2 · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 12 Location: North Carolina

Dedicated · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 972 Location: UK

Happeningthang,

Sorry, I didn't spot your initial posting before. Just to answer a few of your queries: because of chronic inflation from the 70s through to the 90s, the old lira experienced severe depreciation, so on 1st Jan 2005, the new lira (Yeni Lira) was introduced basically removing 6 zeroes! The word "new =yeni" will be officially removed on 1st Jan 2009. So yes, YTL =TRY.
Remember most of Turkey (about 755,000sq.km) is in Asia but only 23,000sq.km in Europe, so you are not escaping Asia!!However, it is very different from South Asia, being 99% Muslim.

With your qualifications and experience, I think you would get a university post, and they are recruiting from now. Try Bilkent University in Ankara, who recently advertised, or the newly opening Ozyegin University in Istanbul (start date July), who put in an ad in tefl.com a few days ago.
Not many universities advertise, so you can apply direct. The best university, with highly motivated students, is Middle East Technical University in Ankara. At uni level, there would be no discipline problems.

Of course, you may prefer teaching teenagers, but the classes can be huge (30-40), and you need strong classroom management skills.

Hope this helps a bit - I really don't recommend arriving on a tourist visa for 90 days (what passport do you hold?) as the bureaucracy in changing to work permit is troublesome. Make sure accommodation is included wherever you go, especially Istanbul, as rents are soaring.

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

Dagi said:

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

I can't give you much advice about job openings as I am in a language school and on the whole wouldn't recommend one.

As far as escaping the Korean winter goes, you should be aware that winter here is much the same as Korea!

Turkey is a lovely country and when you consider job offers, make sure enough holiday is included to allow you to see something of Turkey as it is not compact like Korea. You may need to fly from one city to another or take a 12+ bus journey.

You will also be financially worse off especially if you come to Istanbul. The cost of living is much the same as Korea (myself and several colleagues have come here from Korea and have been discussing this rather bitterly) and the salaries and perks much lower.