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Search for a Job in Istanbul Round Three

Search for a Job in Istanbul- Round 3I have a good feeling about the English Time chain of language schools in Istanbul. There is something about their bright yellow signs with a depiction of Big Ben that gives me a good impression.Perhaps I am a sucker for presentation. Perhaps I listen to my intuition. Either [...]

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Search for a Job in Istanbul- Round 3

I have a good feeling about the English Time chain of language schools in Istanbul. There is something about their bright yellow signs with a depiction of Big Ben that gives me a good impression.

Perhaps I am a sucker for presentation. Perhaps I listen to my intuition. Either way, I sent my CV to them via email and a few days later walked into their Taksim center to follow up.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Istanbul, Turkey- February 18, 2009
Travelogue Travel Photos — Travel Guide
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On this visit I was able to check out how the school presented itself, and I was kindly greeted by a secretary who gave me a telephone number to call the hiring department. An hour or so later, the hiring department called me.

The lady on the phone was obviously from England, and basically told me that they were looking for someone who could commit to a longer term of employment. I thanked her for calling and said goodbye. I thought that it was an interesting gesture to decline my application with a phone call, and later than night I sent off an email to the lady to tell her so.


The next day I received a text message from a different branch of English Time asking when I was available for an interview. It seems as if the woman who previously denied my application called around to the other branches of Istanbul’s English Time centers to inquire if they were in need of a temporary teacher. A good gesture. I replied to the text message and set up an interview for the next day.

The next morning I prettied myself up, tucked in my shirt tails, and neatly pinch rolled the overhang of my trouser legs. I then caught a minibus to the Besiktas district of Istanbul, and strode in through a door beneath a big yellow sign for my interview.

I met first with a secretary who called the women who I was suppose to meet with.

“Mimi, your friend is here,” spoke the secretary in good English. I found it interesting that some dude walking in for an interview was referred to as a “friend.” I sort of liked the sound of it.

I soon met another English woman by the name of Mimi, who in turn introduced me to the branch manager as we all sat down in a big office to discuss that issues at hand: I needed work, and they needed a teacher. Mimi photo copied off a duplicate of my CV for the manager, and we began the interview. It was short and to the point.

In fact, it was far too short and far too poignant to have been a good sign. In four minutes flat the company was finished interviewing me. I needed to hang on a little longer. As I was about to be dismissed, I started up a new round of discussion by offering to teach a special writing course for students who wished to pursue university education in English speaking countries.

“As you can see from by CV,” I began, “my degree is in journalism and my strength is in teaching written English.”

This was the hook I needed. The interview then turned into a dynamic conversation that jumped between teaching English to traveling in India and back again to teaching English and living abroad. I laughed at intervals, Mimi laughed at intervals, and I left with the slight impression that there may be a minor chance that I will actually be called in to work.

The intro pay is 20 Lira an hour. This is close to $15, and enough to float my boat in Istanbul and replenish my travel funds.

Waiting for a phone call from the folks behind the big yellow signs. I just completed round three of searching for work in Istanbul.

Related Pages:
Round One
Round Two

Search for a Job in Istanbul- Round 3

Filed under: Eastern Europe, Europe, Turkey

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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