Teaching in Turkey - bad experiences

[Linda53]

I just want to warn native speakers thinking of teaching in Turkey that its not as easy as one might imagine.

My first job was with Dilko in Bakirköy. One day I got sacked for no reason and so did another perfectly good and qualified Turkish teacher. We were gobsmacked when the manager trumped up complaints made by students that didnt exist. This was pretty frightening since I was in free accommodation and had to leave it. I was short on cash and had to scrabble around for another job. Free accom, 100 lira help towards visa, no rent allowance etc..

I later found out that the manager of that school was stealing money and he was sacked.

I then started working for American Kultur. I was there for 8 months. The end product of that school was I got starved out. There were two natives and a Turk all having a go at each other constantly. They were doing all kinds of dirty tricks and scratching each others eyes out so they could get hours. Death by petition and other low down tricks were done on other native who were there. I was in the middle of all this and one particular meglomaniac female native seem to have the bosses twisted around her little finger so they didnt listen to anyone else but her. They didnt give me hours for 5 weeks and they wouldnt take any hours off the other natives so consequently I was unable to pay my rent so I had another desperate crawl around for another job. American Kultur had the damn cheek to phone me 4 months later and try to get me to work in a state school under their control. Needless to say I told them what they could do with that. No help with visa,accommodation,no rent allowance,pay late, no residency help. Just pay by the hour. 19 lira

I ended up working for Gokdil. Again the promises of hours and pay on time didnt materialise. When I tried to contact the head office of the Time Education Group I got a deafening silence. No help for teachers in any shape of form. No help with visa, no help with accommodation, no rent allowance etc etc just pay by the hour 15 lira

I found another language school American Academy teaching the Callan Method. This school is run by 3 sisters. I got all the usual BS about how I would be paid a certain amount and that they could offer so many hours etc so I began working for this school. This school was moving to a new building and I was unaware of the fact that I might not be paid for 4 months whilst they did this. The teachers there were literally starved for 4 months whilst the owners of the school shopped in Ikea to kit out the school. Evertime we asked for money we either got lying emails and promises that they didnt fulfill. Three perfectly good long term natives left that place. They sent an email to say if you dont like it you can leave. They still owe me money but wont pay it. They began working me to death doing 190 hours a month but only paying me for 130. They rubbed the contract in my face on that one and then changed the contract so all the teachers sign a new one. I left of my own accord since I wasnt going to be worked to death. I was sick of the lies and the BS from all the schools in this area. I was then sent an email from the boss of that school it said something about sending two men around to my apartment to 'fist' me . I was appalled! Another older woman who complained was spat on. I was told visiting my family in the UK wasnt a discussion option. Again no help with visa, or accom, or anything really!

Native teacher abuse is rife in this country particulary with the private language school. Its getting worse.

I was about to give up on Turkey and planned to go back last week when a teaching agency got in touch with me Leeds Academy. They took me to the school but again it was all the usual BS and of course I was ready for this. I found out various things about this agency from friends who had worked for them they dont pay on time. When you try to get your salary you cant get in touch with them etc etc...........So I told LA I wasnt going to work for them but contacted the school behind their backs. The high school was still interested in me and I decided to go and see them again but without the intervention of the agency. They offered me a job with a good salary so I hope this school restores my faith in Turkey because at the moment its at an all time low.

My advice is stay away from the private language schools here and teaching agencies. They are using all kinds of trickery and BS not to pay you. And of course using the economic crisis not to pay you.

[Linda53]

[Linda53]

Further to my othe posts I was interviewed by a guy who runs NPL in Taxsim. This was another dubious set up. This guy does hypnposis on his students and natives are used for conversation. I noticed it was all guys there teaching. I went for an interview and so did my female friend and so did my other female friend and none of us got taken on. It was just a guys only set up. Again the money he was offering per hour was 15 lira an hour. This guy reeled me in to do a 2 hour lesson and never paid me, He seems to pull teachers in to give students there a false sense of security that he has an army of teachers at his disposal when in actual fact hes just using you for a lesson or two and then pissing you off. My advice is to steer clear of this school.

[JasZhou]

You can't put this just on Turkey , this is everywhere. Like any job you must research the company.You can do a google search, if they cheat and steal don't go there. If you find no information on it at all then you should also check how old their website is.

There is many useful tools you can search on google about find age of a website. If its a new school the you should also be careful. If its an old school and there are no complains on line then the job will look a bit more positive.

[Linda53]

Thanks for the reply but I was already living in Turkey when I began in these schools. I actually went into the school to speak to them so how can you know they are bad schools this way? Like I said they feed you BS. Others I got from word of mouth in the area but I actually spoke to all the patrons of these schools I didnt go online and just google search a school. So the warning is. Even if you go in and speak to the patron of these schools in Turkey you WILL be fed a load of BS to your face. This is the whole point of my posting. False promises lies BS to your face and on paper. The contracts are not worth the paper they are written on either. So if this is the face to face case then how can someone EVER know what these schools are like just by googling, applying, flying and landing on their doorsteps........far more of a risk than face to face I should think........incidentally Im not LOADING it on Turkey Im sharing my experience strength and hope on here which at the moment is pretty abysmal since Ive had to return to the UK....teaching career in tatters and no money due to these shafters.

[barbgal]

Maybe you can ask Dave to set up a forum or survey or some such, by country/city, so that people who work there can rate them.

[Linda53]

Good Idea I think he should do this on this website. There are too many unsuspecting natives falling foul of these language schools in Turkey.

[Syl]

Hi Linda

I certainly agree to a kind of poll, which would be fair at the same time, but on the other hand also subject to personal points of view.

What I don't agree is generalizing it here, even if I most empathize with you. I'm in touch with many colleagues from Turkey, not foreign teachers but local ones, and they are so wonderful and kind.

I'm against this kind of public lynch and agree absolutely with JasZhou.

Let's go for the poll!