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El•Gazette 469.qxp_El•Gazette 469 25/02/2020 21:52 Page 33

FEATURES & COMMENT

UMAIR AHSAN Visas and immigration

If you are applying for a job from
outside of Turkey, then you could be
asked to acquire your work visa from
your nearest Turkish embassy before
traveling. If you are already some way
into the process of applying for
positions, it’s a good idea to get
notarised copies of your certificates
and transcripts (translated copies might
also be requested).
Make sure your employer agrees to
pay for your work permit. This should
be a given for any respectable
employer, especially for full time
positions. If they refuse, it begs the
question as to how supportive they will
be in other respects.
It is possible to apply for a work
permit after entering the country on a
tourist visa. For US, Canadian and
structed beginning in 1685 Australian passport holders, a tourist
visa must be obtained in advance (up
to 90 days). For citizens of individual EU
Rent will be your most significant outgoing teaching commitments for the preparatory member states, requirements vary and
– certainly in the larger metropolises of and faculty programmes, and the likelihood should be confirmed before you travel.
Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Check out the of progressing from ‘prep’ to faculty, if that’s Requirements for UK passport holders
residential section on sahibinden.com to get your goal. could change after Brexit.
an idea of current rental prices (it has an In many universities, faculty positions are However, I would strongly recommend
English version, though many of the ads will viewed as a promised land, away from the not traveling to Turkey for work without
still be in Turkish). For a one-bedroom flat in drudgery of prep teaching. This is somewhat a minimum of a contract in hand. You do
a safe and accessible part of Istanbul, budget simplistic – and unfair to some of the better not want to run the risk of overstaying
for 2000 lira/month. Ask your prospective preparatory programmes – however, having on your tourist visa – penalties can be
employer to put you in touch with current taught both in my time, there is no doubt arbitrary, and the Turkish state
staff who could give you tips on renting. that the faculty positions offer greater bureaucracy can be capricious. (I’ve
Commuting in Turkey’s bigger cities quickly autonomy, variety, and scope for creativity in seen minor infractions punished by a six
goes from exciting to exhausting, so choose terms of teaching and materials development. month ban on re-entering the country,
your location carefully. whilst a colleague who overstayed for a
In Istanbul, fashionable expat enclaves like Other opportunities whole year was given a $100 fine when
Cihangir will be well out of a university US and Canadian citizens will have an he eventually left the country.)
teacher’s budget, as will popular areas like abundance of private teaching opportunities
Kadikoy. There are many other interesting open to them. Rates of 100 lira/hour are not
and more reasonably priced areas to live in uncommon, and you should consider group Should you leave your contract early, you’ll
(and the larger Turkish cities have abundant classes to maximise your earning potential. have to hand back your work permit, and the
public transport options). TOEFL preparation is in high demand, onus will then be on you to secure continued
though it is possible to find other related residency, by applying for an ikamet
How many hours will I teach? work (such as proofreading) as well. (residency permit). This brings the burden of
With a private language school, you can If you fancy something different, you could proving you have sufficient financial means
choose your own hours. However, employers offer your services to the numerous voiceover to support yourself and acquiring compulsory
will only secure work permits for full-time and acting agencies found in the major cities. private health insurance for (non-employed)
employees. They often require a standard English or foreign residents.
At university level, the cushiest faculty American accent. The demand for such Secondly, while I had a great time living
jobs require as few as 12 hours a week, services is variable, so don't expect to get and teaching in Turkey, as did pretty much
though marking workloads are high. This can called often; however, rates are generally high. every expat I ever met, the opportunities for
go up to 20 hours, though you should be wary And, if you have any other useful skills meaningful career progression are limited. At
of any request to teach more than 20 hours. (teaching yoga, for instance) then that can also university level you can gain some great
You should take it as a given that you may be be a source of additional income. Just be experience using your own initiative, e.g.
asked to show flexibility and cover for warned that the wording of your contract will developing materials, presenting at one of
colleagues in both faculty English and likely prohibit any outside work; but in practice Turkey’s numerous conferences, etc. By all
preparatory programmes. I’ve never seen or heard of it being enforced. means, do it. Just don’t expect that it’ll lead
Preparatory positions tend to have a higher to promotion.
teaching load – you might be teaching What should I look out for?
anything from 18 to 30 hours a week. These Two things chiefly. Firstly, the higher
positions (usually) come with fewer marking education council (YÖK) issue work permits Umair Ahsan develops and teaches EAP and
duties, though tend to be very busy when it for university teachers, and those permits ESP courses at the London School of
comes to examination and assessments. include your residency. While this reduces Economics. From 2012-2019 he lived in
When corresponding with a potential bureaucracy on your side, it means that your Turkey and taught at several public and private
employer, be sure to ask about the English permission to stay in the country is universities, in Istanbul and Kayseri. Contact:
language department’s structure, the dependent upon your employer. u.ahsan@lse.ac.uk

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