pgtips

My sister has decided to move to Turkey to apply for a job teaching English after doing a TEFL course in UK. Can anyone tell me what it is like for a single Christian woman living in Istanbul ? Is it safe etc ? Are there other ladies in Istanbul doing a similar thing who would be willing to show her the ropes. Any help would be much appreciated. I also posted this in Middle east section as I was not sure where to post it.
She is leaving this week so quite urgent.

Azarel

I lived in Turkey for a number of years. I am, however, male and I left in 2004 so my info is neither perfectly insightful nor recent. I knew a few single women living there so I can relate a few things second-hand.

On the whole being christian shouldn't be a problem, provided you aren't to forward with your views. I had less problems with religion in Turkey (I'm an atheist) than I do here in Romania. Apart from a very small number of extremists, most Turks are reasonably nonchalant about religion. If your sister started preaching too them or trying to convert them or insulting their own religious practices it would obviously be a problem, otherwise not. There are also quite a few churches of various denomination in Istanbul if she is practising.

Being a woman might cause some problems, depending a lot on how your sister handles them. A lot of the Turkish guys are of the opinion that western women are 'easy'. For most traditional Turks that'll mean they'll consider sex before marriage far more readily than a 'good Turkish woman' would. As a result some of the local guys are more likely to show an interest in your sister, especially if she looks 'western' (i.e., tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, scantily clad, etc etc etc).

One woman I knew there (a tall blonde Australian) loved the place. She had a few problems initially with guys but once she'd got wise to things she had a very nice stay (she was also teaching).

On the whole I would say that Istanbul is a 'safe' city. Obviously any large city is going to have its dangers, but on the whole Istanbul isn't too bad once you've learnt the ropes. One good thing I noticed there is that bystanders are more likely to step in and offer assistance if you are in trouble.

Istanbul is a fascinating city and very rewarding and often frustrating. Good luck to her!

pgtips

Thanks Arazel,

I think I may make a short trip over once she's settled in.

Lindamary

Hi Im teaching in Turkey right now. Ive got a room in my apartment if she wished like a flatshare. I too am C of E. There are plenty of schools in my area that would be willing to employ her.

Ive been in Turkey for 4 years now. Im a 56 year old woman. Ive been teaching for the last 2 years.

contact me on <email removed> if you wish to know more.

saffie52

I also live in Turkey and have lived in Istanbul but now am living on the West coast.

The religion thing really isn't a huge issue here as most Turks are very tolerant of others beliefs and as has been sadi,so long as your sister doesn't attempt to convert anyone she will be fine.

As for teaching here,she does need to be very careful. Most places do not offer help getting work permits( despite purporting to but never carrying through) and to work without a valid permit is illegal and carries a stiff penalty. I know of several who have been deported instantly for not having the correct papers.

To obtain a permit as an individual is nigh on impossible.

So she does need to be very aware that she may encounter problems by working here witout papers.

I wish her good luck,


saffie52

pgtips

Hi saffie52, can one earn a good living teaching English and live a good lifestyle in Istanbul on the salary ? Is there enough left over to make some savings ?

saffie52

I wish I could answer your questions with some authority,but let's hope that someone from Istanbul can advise you further.

I'd like to say yes,but have no idea what these colleges pay and I do know that many of the colleges say they will help with work visa's to get you to work there,and then do not follow through leaving the poor teacher with no comeback working without a permit.I was offered several teaching jobs myself but had the same problem because of the permit,and was warned off as I knew of others that had suffered by either a) not getting the pay they were promised and b) not getting any permit help and then running into trouble with the authorities and being left high and dry by the colleges. I only knew of 2 teachers who were being well paid and they were both fully qualified teachers( not TEFL),working for private schools with pupils whose parents were working for large companies and both were actually married to Turkish citizens and therefore did not need the said work permit since they both had dual citizenship.

Sorry to sound negative,but unless she is a fully qualified teacher with a degree,she is unlikely to get work in the big colleges and with only a TEFL she is more likely to be snapped up by one of the many less reputable places which mainly offer quick 'learn English' agencies.


I do know that Istanbul is very expensive as far as getting accommodation is concerned and is a lot more expensive than the more touristic places along the coast. There are opportunities to flat share which makes things a little less expensive but rentals are very high in the areas where your sister might be thinking to try for work. I ended up having to pay almost twice what I was paying in Marmaris for a flat which wasn't nearly so nice. Having said that, I do believe rental prices are a little less since the credit crunch,but still very expensive. This is marginally offset by the fact that sundry goods and expenses( clothing,food,furniture etc) are considerably less expensive in Istanbul than elsewhere in the country since most of the manufacturing is in Istanbul and transported all over the country making it more expensive to buy elsewhere.

Do please tell her to be very cautious.

Again I wish her all the best.( and not to believe everything she is told )

This is a fabulous country and Istanbul can be a very exciting place,but tell her to remember it's an enormous city and there can be many pitfalls to a young woman on her own is such a huge place without reasonable finances to fall back on should the need arise.

saffie52

Azarel

I would second everything saffie has said.

I worked as a teacher in Istanbul for about 5 years. Fortunately I had residency (married to a Turk) so I didn't have to worry about permits. This meant I could teach privately and so choose who I worked for and how much I charged. As a result I could live very comfortably doing around 15-20 hours per week, and increase that a little when I needed some extra cash. Working with Turkish students was, for the most part, and absolute pleasure.

However, friends and colleagues who worked for language schools were often being cheated; late wages, incomplete wages, no permits, terrible split shifts, and so on. Nearly every street in Istanbul has a small private language school and a lot of them are run by crooked small-time businessmen.

As saffie says above, if you want a stable, well-paid teaching job you have to work for one of the large language institutes or a college/university.

As for the cost of living, I don't know how things have changed since I left, but a quick look at www.sahibinden.com seems to suggest you can get reasonably priced accommodation. When I was there is was pretty cheap. We lived in a 3-bedroom, 2 balcony flat in Bakirkoy (a moderately nice district) and were paying about 300 Euro a month. I see from the site that prices are still not too bad (certainly cheaper than Bucharest!). However, if you want to pay a decent price you should look for your own accommodation, get a Turk to call for you, and avoid the agencies that target (and overcharge) foreigners.

Schools are also famous for providing low-quality accommodation for their teachers and overcharging them.

For updated teaching information from teachers on the ground in Istanbul, opinions on various schools, and so forth, I really suggest you check out www.eslcafe.com, which has a specific section for Turkey and plenty of contributors.

All the best

dusty35

Hi there,
I am guy who lives in Turkey/Izmir. Izmir is located on west part of the country.Check the map. It is smaller than Istanbul around 5-6 million people.
And as a general view it is more beautiful and certainly more secure city than Istanbul. Here especially young people are paying huge interest about learning English. So I think finding a job would not be a problem. A lot of language schools are available all around the city ,and there is great demand for native English speaking teachers.

Why don't you try this;
Choose Izmir instead of Istanbul,teach (in your leisure time) me and my wife enough English to get necessary points at IELTS , I need 7,5 and my wife needs 4,5 points. We are planning to move to Australia or may be Canada.

And I provide you accommodation for at least 6 months for FREE. You should pay only electric and water consumption bills 100 mt square home it is a house with garden, 3 bedrooms,bathroom,toilet,balcony,internet,enough furniture inside.This is first floor and at second floor are living my dad and mom who are social teachers.
House is close to center approx15-20min with easy transportation(bus ,subway). Beside this I will provide full assistance. Think about this.
Best regards,