Job Discussion Forums

[gulam2]

Well Istanbul is a real experience. really bad language centres with non-stop complaining students.
The Time at English Crime (or is it another way round) is that the management preaches endlessly about how professional they are while they play favorites and abuse teachers endlessly.
The wages are pathetic by any measurements. The support that most teachers are given is zero. "Can I have an advance on my salary to buy some food" "Sorry it is against corporate policy". "Can I have an advance on my salary to get my hair done (which has been damaged by the cigarettes I illegally smoke in the school)" "Ofcourse my sweety".
I lived in the teachers accommodation (slum) for about 2 months - the teachers had turned over twice in that time - 80% had left the company in less than 2 months. The management says "Oh look at Sarah she has been with the company for 2 years. Look at Linda (Turkish) she has been with the company for three years. The fact of the matter is, in my calculations English Crime has a 100% turnover in 3 months (that is the worst I have seen anywhere in the world.
You need to ask yourself - "Do I really want to work for a really bad company, for $10 an hour, in a very expensive city ??"
NO YOU DO NOT.

[nyc2323]

Yikes!! i was just about to post a question to see if anyone has ever had a phone interview with English Time and could give me some info/pointers. I had heard complaints before, but I figured that it would still be an OK place to work for 6-8 months (I'm not looking to put down roots in Istanbul, just looking for a fun/short experience there).

Since you lived in Istanbul, you must know something about other language schools. Can you suggest any others that hires entry level teachers? I have a CELTA and a BA in English but limited experience. I have done some research into other schools and contact information and just about everything has bounced back to me.

How long have you been in Istanbul and are you teaching at a different school now? Any other pointers for a newbie teacher coming there would be much appreciated!

[dudeteacher]

English Time has always been a piece of crap. However, high salaries encouraged a lot of teacher to stay. It also gave lazy unqualified ones a great opportunity to make money.

Once they lowered their salaries you knew they were screwed. It really doesn't matter if there is a high turn over of teachers. There is very little learning in the classes anyway. Most people get Diplomas without having a clue of what they learnt.

Their management and DOS are clueless as to how to resolve the education crisis at that place.

ncy2323 try English First. As a backup there is British English. As a last resort Berlitz or Wall Street.

Dude

[eclectic]

[Urban_Kitten]

Re: advance for food.

Although I never requested an advance for food, when I arrived @ English Crime, it was a full 6 weeks before I received a pay cheque, as they pay in the middle of the month to discourage bolting. I asked for an advance (after having banked 5 weeks of working hours) to help with transportation expenses (the logement was outside of town) and was given none. Others (the English/Turkish teacher) were given an advance to buy bedding even though bedding was provided at the logement. Favouritism is rampant. Expecting a teacher to fly to Turkey and live off of their own nickel for 6 weeks is extreme, to say the least.

Lowering the salaries has gotten rid of some of the deadwood there - as DudeTeacher said, high salaries, no standard of teaching - and, in fact, practically no teaching - encouraged a lot of crap teachers to stay put. I suppose the question will be whether ET will be savvy enough to identify the problems endemic to their school and clean house. I suspect not.

[dudeteacher]

Advances by course schools in Turkey are not that big a deal. Some schools do and some don't. I worked that those that did and I used it when necessary. I worked at schools that didn't and I learnt to make do.

I even worked at one school that paid half the salary in advance - Bilge Adam - and I took advantage of it every month )

Sadly ET's standard of teaching hit rock bottom about four years ago when they decided to produce their own book/video/audio. It has been an abysmal failure. After about two years of complaints from teachers and students alike with no real response, both complainants basically gave up. Teachers f(*(& around, entertain; students get exams from friends in advance/teachers let them cheat. Diplomas are given out like candy even to the failures who are passed by the Turkish staff. Sadly ET has become a basic idiot factory; with little self respect from either teachers or student. Bad teachers are tolerated only because students know in advance they will pass. The DOS has no idea of how to improve the learning experience. She has the audacity to say the ET book works and that it's the teachers who can't teach. I guess that means EVERY teacher at ET can't teach (which would be almost true even if they had a reputable book).

ET is dictated by money not any kind of teaching standards. The people at the top are too far removed from the classroom to have a clue. However, when enough students and teachers alike flee perhaps it will kick in.

However, with a proliferation of students and teachers who lack ambition and are happy to perpetuate the charade of a school, you never know.

Dude

[nyc2323]

Dudeteacher - thanks for the other recommended schools. I couldn't find a website or any info for British English (which i assume is different than British Side? which i heard only hires more experienced teachers). I have applied directly to the EF site twice but then i only hear back about jobs in China, even though i list my preference for Turkey. Sent info to Wall street as well.

I have a CELTA but basically no other experience so i'm not sure what else I can get. Hard decision after what i've heard, but i may just go for the 6 month contract at ET and see how it goes.

Thanks

[dudeteacher]

Regarding EF Istanbul.
Try the following email address. The name might have changed but I doubt the email has.

Michael Hardern: [email protected]

In terms of Brit. Eng. You can go to a branch very near Cevahir Shopping centre. Get off the metro (sisli/mecedikoy) go up to the street in front of the mall. With the mall on your left walk up the main St. It should be the second corner on your right (the school will be on the left) just ask anybody there for Brit. Eng.

Good luck,
Dude

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

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