Job Discussion Forums

[rosemachinegun]

Hello, my girlfriend and I are seriously considering going to live in Konya, Turkey, but a few things are holding us back.
Firstly, from what we've been reading, it's a very religiously conservative city, and she's uncomfortable with that. Also, she's Greek, and is afraid of what backlash she might get from other Turks.
Secondly, we're dealing with a middle man, named Ugur Yucesan, who wants to place us in a school called Merve Eğitim kurumları. We went to the site to check it out, but of course, it's all in Turkish. :/ She's apprehensive about trusting a middle man (who, btw, is from Leeds Language Academy) rather than dealing directly with the school.
Has anyone heard of this person, or the academy, and if so, could you relate your experiences with them, or tell of other stories you've heard about them?
We really want to move abroad, and see different places, and, most of all, want better paying jobs than we have now, because, (and this is no secret i'm sure) the U.S. economy is in the shitter. We are afraid, however, of going there and finding out that this was not a legit deal, and then being stuck in Turkey.

Have any of you opinions/reassurances/warnings?
Any help would be appreciated,
all the best...
p.s. this was actually written by the girlfriend.

[Otterman Ollie]

Tread carefully, very carefully. There are a lot more options available to you in the country esp if you are prepared to work outside the big three. Do not under any circumstances pay out money for paper work or documents intended for your work/job application.
Konya is conservative, your gf doesn't have to cover but try not to show too much flesh.

This middleman sounds very suspect to me!

[Listener]

Darn it, I was just speaking to someone last week who has started working with a place in Istanbul through Leeds. but can't remember who now.... I wish I could tell you more details, but she ( remember that much) was feeling ok about it so far, not like they totally screwed her up right off the bat, which also happens.

But then again I even know a couple people who are happy with RFT, so who can tell what ultimately makes people happy?

[ossie39]

Yes Konya is a very strict muslim city. Difficult if not impossible to find bars. I visited there and returned the next day. A very clean tidy city with lots of salep to drink. Serious people generally. As the others say be careful. What sticks in my mind is the fact about 'communication.' If appointed and you accept the position, who will help you on a daily basis as an English speaker? Having worked in a school where few people spoke English (relying on my Turkish) was a difficult experience for me. It's not good to trust this third party. Look further.