Turkey is one of the most fascinating countries in the world, and Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating cities.
It’s an amazing location at the cross roads between East and West making it the ideal place to base your travel and teach adventure.
Incredible history, stunning beaches, world famous hospitality and wonderful food. With all that combined with a booming education sector with lots of excellent job opportunities, Istanbul is the place to be in 2018!
English Teaching Job Vacancies in Turkey
English teachers are in high demand in Turkey, but it can be difficult to find vacancies that are attractive and contacting the schools directly has a low success rate.
With very few dedicated recruitment departments and a high volume of direct, speculative and even fraudulent applications, many schools prefer to go through reliable consultants like English Jobs Turkey, and we are able to bridge the gap between Turkey and candidates in the UK.
The standard of English teaching is a major factor in promoting a school, so Turkish schools – especially in the private education sector – will always welcome applications from talented teachers from native speaking countries, with excellent pay and working conditions on offer.
English Jobs Turkey maintain strong links with a large number of schools in Turkey – so by applying through us, you gain access to a much bigger potential jobs market than you would be able to reach by applying individually.
What we offer candidates looking for teaching jobs in Turkey
We can help you to navigate the waters when choosing a Turkish school to work at. There is a huge variation in the quality of the education being given at schools that appear similar from the outside so our own experiences and local knowledge will help you to find a good match for your own level of experiences and qualifications.
You may want to consider aspects like the location of the school, surrounding facilities, working hours, salary and long-term opportunities for professional development if you hope to make a career teaching English in Turkey.
Be aware that you may be expected to attend school even on days when you have no teaching hours, and that meetings may take place in the evenings, with parents’ meetings often at weekends.
We can help you to recognise the different working culture in Turkey and prepare for it – along with the lengthy commutes you might face if you work in one of the big cities.
Once you have decided on a suitable vacancy, we can help you to apply. We keep close links with all of the Turkish schools we work with, ranging from kindergartens and primary schools to middle schools and high schools.
The vacancies we offer rank well in terms of basic salary, but also perks such as paid transportation to and from your home, paid holidays, health insurance cover and support in obtaining your work permit.
Applications should be made ahead of the new academic year in September, or in the winter months to start in February, but you can contact us at any time of year to express an interest. There are opportunities all year round but you'll need to be more flexible if you want to find work in the middle of the semester.
We follow a five-step process:
- Send us your initial enquiry with an up to date CV and photo.
- We will interview you to find out which vacancies suit you best.
- We connect you with our partner schools and arrange interviews.
- You receive an offer from a Turkish school if successful at interview.
- We support you through the documentation and work permit application.
Turkish teaching roles we recruit for include:
- TEFL and English teaching contracts.
- English teaching jobs in privately run schools.
- Jobs with students of all ages.
- Jobs in both the Asian and European districts of Istanbul.
- High-end private school roles with high remuneration.
Who we work with
Turkish schools have huge demand for English teachers, making the country one of the biggest markets in the world, especially in Istanbul which is growing all the time as a city overall, with an unusually large number of schools due to local competition between brand-name education providers.
English Jobs Turkey work closely with Turkish schools to provide reliable candidates and to smooth over some of the obstacles that come with applying for a job in a different country.
As the main local market for English teaching jobs in Turkish schools, we have particularly strong connections with Istanbul, and many of the opportunities here are at private schools in both the European and Asian sides of the city.
What we are looking for in an English teacher for Turkish schools
To place you in the best vacancies in Turkish schools, you will need a work permit, and this depends on having both a university degree and a TEFL certificate.
You may find it easier to get accepted if you are physically in Turkey already, as many schools will appreciate an in-person meeting before firmly offering you a job.
Once there though, it typically takes only one or two weeks to find a job. This is especially the case in Istanbul, where there are the most opportunities.
For the best opportunities, make sure your application coincides with either the start of the academic year in September, so apply from March. Or for the the second term – apply in December-January for a February start.
Without a work permit you cannot legally work in Turkey. The first step in obtaining a work permit is to obtain a residence permit, but the process depends largely on you as an individual obtaining your paperwork – not on the school that hires you – so be prepared to persevere with getting it signed off by the relevant authorities.
Once you've got your residence permit your school can then apply for your full work permit on your behalf.
