Job Discussion Forums

nyc2323 · Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38

I was looking into English Time, emailed them and they got back to me, then i read some horror stories on this forum. I saw someone mention British Side as being better, but there isn't much new info on here (more discussions from 2007)....does anyone have any updated info? I'm a US citizen, have a CELTA but very little experience, but i'm really interested in teaching in Istanbul. Any help is much appreciated.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

Ive never been 2 Turkey, but I hear there are tons of jobs in Istanbul, and that means there's the full range of quality, from high to low. As with any new place one ventures to, one must carefully check out the entire situation: I feel all of those negative reports/complaints about ET probably have a significant amount of validity, but I also feel "different strokes for different folks", i.e. you might want to take 15, 16 or 17 lira/hour, whereas another might not settle for less than 30 lira/hour.

In addition, you might feel OK with working off the books, and another might find it intolerable, say.

I'd say apply to a wide range of places.

nyc2323 · Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38

right, i'm definitely aware of all of that, that's precisely why I was hoping to get some up-to-date feedback from people who have had actual experience working at these two places.

melsabee · Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 9

English Time and British Side are the extremes of the spectrum...English Time being at the bottom and British Side at the top. You will not be hired at British Side without at least 3 years post-CELTA experience (according to their standards when I emailed and asked). It is much harder to find work in Istnbul when you are not here. I recommend coming with some savings and feeling your way around for a month, walking into schools and speaking to people, etc. Oxford House has a pretty good reputation these days if you are interested in evolving as a teacher. There are also smaller schools all over the place. Hope that helps a tad.

nyc2323 · Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38

that does help, thank you! good to know about British Time, I won't bother wasting my time at this point since i'm not qualified. So, i'm really looking for just come for a year for now for a fun/challenging experience in Istanbul. Do you think English Time is really that bad, if I'm not looking to stay on/develop my career there anyway?

melsabee · Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 9

I can't comment personally but from friends, I have heard they work you like dogs for not much money. But, they will hire you. I would say look for other options, either in Kadikoy area or Besiktas/ Taksim/ Levent on the European side seem to have a lot of schools and if you can't find anything, go to English Time. Or you could always work there for a bit to get your foot in the door and then look for other jobs. You're contract is technically invalid due to the fact that you would be teaching illegally. Good luck!

nyc2323 · Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38

great thanks, that's good advice!

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:23 pm Post subject:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=82918