Indeed, Turkey is not in the Middle East. It straddles Europe and Asian.

May be a mute point, but Turkey is in Asia, with only half of Istanbul being in Europe. Just wanted to clear up a common misconception.

Can you please help me on housing side of things. Where have you lived previously whilst teaching in Istanbul ideally I prefer to in Taksim Square.

thanks
sid

Hi Jonathan, I am a South African lady wanting to teach English in Turkey. I have a Degree in Public Relations Management. Having worked for more than 20 years. I want to enroll to train as a teacher in Istanbul. What are the requirements?

Culturally, Turks on the whole have no desire to use English. They might be excited they can speak a few words to a foreigner, but other than that, the nationalism and pride that permeates every layer of society here prevents most Turks from adequately learning something that would benefit them immensely. For instance, my students do not review their English outside the classroom. Why? No one here speaks English, nothing is in English, and so they come to me a few hours a week, hoping to, by osmosis, learn the language. It just can’t happen. Unless your students are highly motivated to learn, teaching at a language school is just awful. DO NOT DO IT.

Last point – permits. Both of my schools dropped the ball on getting legal papers. My current one knew since last June I was coming… It’s currently March and no paperwork has been filed. Despite my reminders, they don’t want to spend the money. Now they act like they want to, and I’m leaving in a few weeks… It’s all a show. Don’t be fooled – make your employer PROVE TO YOU they are getting the papers filed and everything is being worked on!! Do not trust them. They are lying to you.

i am sorry that you had a difficult time but I struggle to believe hat this is the whole story. I have been working with them for two years and have had no problems at all!

Thanks ! They just emailed me the job description and I felt something going on.

I would strongly discourage teachers from working for Oxford as Academy, Bursa, Turkey. While this agency is not a complete scam and that they actually send their teachers to work in schools, they lie to their teachers about being able to work legally in the country in order to get the teachers there, only to put them at a disadvantaged position when problems arise.

The company would tell potential teachers that they would receive a residency permit which would allow them to work. That’s a lie. Residency permits DO NOT allow foreigners to work in Turkey. You
need a separate work permit.

One reason the company lies is so they can save money while still getting teachers to go work for them. Teachers will only realize that they have been tricked if one of the following situation arises: 1.
When they read the Turkish words in their residency permit, clearly stating that the holder is not permitted to work. 2. When a Turkish friend or colleague inform them that. 3. When they go to the police for help and get told/caught by the police.

Some other problems with this agency is that they put money over their teachers’ well-being and interests. They pay lower than average wage and never on time (you can get much higher wage and better benefits with many other companies). Their apartments are extremely small and they never fix your apartment when there is a problem.

Additionally, if you ever quit work with Oxford as Academy, they will threaten you for money (I have proof if you’d like me to show you and I have no reason to slander this company). They will say that they have connection with the police and they are going to catch you unless you pay them
a lot of money. They will also turn you out of your apartment, cut off your phone and internet, and steal your things. And you will have no one to turn to because you are an illegal worker.

Do not work for Oxford as Academy. They are not honest people.

The reason we are not Mongolian is because we where two separate people’s living in the same area (Steppe). Middle East is still Asian, modern Turks are still descended from ancient Turks… from the Steppe. last but not least, Erdogan is busy improving the country’s economic and moral situation. everyone crying that he banned alcohol late at night, like every other western country…

Thank you!

Woah, woah, woah! Turkey is within the region we refer to as the Middle East. Hence, it can be called Middle Eastern: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

Also, studies have shown that there was very little genetic mixing between Mongols and Turks. Modern Turks are in fact descended from Anatolian tribes.

Has Erdoğan been messing with your history books as well?

Nice, hope you enjoy it there.

@ShamYes you do need a university degree in order to get a work permit and work legally.  Unless your degree is in education or something like that you will also need some form of TEFL certificate (120hours minimum) as well as your degree.  There are a few places that will still take you on for cash but I don’t recommend going down that route at all if you intend staying any more than a couple of months.

Its a booming market at the moment and anyone with the right paperwork, some experience and a good work ethic can do pretty well http://englishjobsturkey.com.  You can definitely save money and its a good base to do some traveling from as well.

I have built up a little network of teachers and schools during my 4 years here and I can help newcomers get a job and get settled.  I post all the info on http://englishjobsturkey.com if anyone is interested.  Its all free :)