Istek School in Istanbul?

[Ottoman]

I have been offered a teaching position at Istek School in Istanbul and I was wondering whether any members of this forum have taught there or had any experience with the school.

[jonbonjon]

I haven't worked there, but worked in Turkey for four years and I have Turkish nationality.
The Istek Vakfi was founded by the governor of Istanbul, Bedrettin Dalan as a group of private schools. He is a well-known figure in Istanbul, and a very succesful businessman. The quality was top, and the schools were very popular and successful for a period of the first 10 years. Then he decided to expand more, around 15 schools all over Istanbul now, but the salaries and the education quality went upside down. He also owns/runs an affiliated university, Yeditepe. I don't know much about the current situation, but in general you should expect:
- no delays in payment,
- unprofessional management
- long meeting times
- working days extended to saturdays, either as a part of curriculum planning meetings or national day ceremonies
- spoiled, rich, and unbehaving kids,
- minimum support from the management regarding teacher vs parent/student conflicts,
- wonderful city that offers everything and anything,
- nice expat and warm local community,
- Some wonderful kids, who are diamonds in coal mine,

I would rather go to another school, but Istek might be bearable for a two-year contract, unless you are tempting to stay for a longer period.

Find the teacher named Mark in Acibadem Istek, he will tell more in detail; he is a nice British chap but I lost his contact information.

[sibelsibel]

Istek Schools has a good reputation in Turkey as it is one of the few that is not run strictly as a small business. It is a huge organisation with dozens of schools and colleges which seeks academic excellence at a high price for the parents. Labour laws in Turkey were changed in 1980 and for that reason, teachers and workers in general are more vulnerable and less protected than before that date. As you can notice from the International Schools Review, a lot of Turkish schools have problems with changing contracts and benefits not being forthcoming, yet Istek appears to one of the few Turkish schools with a bit of integrity which perhaps only reflects that it is a foundation with plenty of money and a good reputation which will not be sacrificed for the sake of saving a few dollars on an individual teacher.

It is important to remember that Istek is not technically an international school, but a Turkish billingual school, which presents a number of challenges for the foreign teacher. The housing is of a high standard, transport is good, and they give you a free lunch every day. The salary is average, but on the whole, the extra perks make it into a fairly okay package. Most of the teachers at Istek are moderately happy, which when compared to other Istanbul schools is a big step forward.

[Laptop]

Unfortunately, Turkey has a bad reputation for dodgy schools run by narrow minded businessmen who know nothing about education but they know a lot about how to make a profit.

It would be true to say that Istek Schools are the only school foundation in the country with its credibility intact. You only need to read the long list of reports at the International Schools Review homepage to see the horrendous list of broken contracts, broken promises, and teachers with broken spirits in Turkey. There is a great community of expat teachers from all the Istanbul schools who get together and swap survival tips and share nightmare stories every Friday evening in Taksim.

I have yet to hear a bad word about Istek, but they are difficult to get a job with. They do not return emails, they do not hire locally, they are vague on the telephone and you have to attend the rare job fairs that they decide to go to, in some far off land.

The general consensus here is that if you are keen to teach in Turkey, then Istek is the only respectable choice. You are lucky and we are amazed and slightly envious that you were offered a contract from them. All of us here, sitting around a bar in Taksim would love to know how you did it? If you eventually turn down the offer, contact us and we will happily offer to take your contract off your hands. If you do come to Turkey, please join us at the Irish pub near the French Cultural Centre every Friday night at 8pm. You will love the country.

[jonbonjon]

[quote][b]The general consensus[/b] here is that if you are keen to teach in Turkey, then Istek is the only respectable choice.[/quote]

no, it is not, at least I don't agree the first part of the sentence. But happy to hear ISTEK is going back to its old days.

[radikal3]

If Istek is the best you can find in Turkey then don't bother coming as it is not for seasoned professional teachers making the circuit. If however you are a newbie to the international circuit then it is a good way to get your foot in the door and get the coveted two years of experience that most real international schools require.

All the positions are heavy on ESL and there is no real English Lit teaching. For the backpacker ESL teacher this would be an excellent gig but those with actual teaching credentials should look elsewhere.

[Jand]

I worked in one Istek school for one year about ten years ago. It was not an experience I would care to repeat. I do not recommend them.