STAY AWAY - English Teacher British Side Employee Review

1.0
Apr 11, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Istanbul is a cool city to live in. The students are really nice hard working people.

Cons

This school is full of crooks. When I started out they made it seem like the contract was legit and would come with a work permit. I came to learn that this was a lie. To make matters worse the team in charge of helping to renew my residency permit was so awful at their jobs that they messed up my application so bad that I was denied and forced to leave Turkey. I was not the only teacher that this happened to either. Some teachers that had been in Turkey for more than a decade were forced to leave as well. In the two years that I was with the school it went from one of the best in Istanbul to any other average ELT school in the city. Also, the pay is horrible. They have not adjusted for inflation at all. Less than $10 an hour. Trust me that is not a living wage in Istanbul. Management should be ashamed. Schools in third world countries pay more. Yet this school that claims to be the best in Turkey refuses to pay its teachers a decent salary.

Explore other reviews about British Side

4.0
Jan 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Reputable school with long-term presence and high standards

Cons

Difficult for native teachers to get work permits in Turkey in recent years. If already present in Turkey, you have to go back to your home country and await approval. Manager attempted to get me to promise to wait as long as it took. No one knew how long it could take. I promised three months. Management didn't like that but had to accept it. The permit was rejected between 2-3 months due to faulty paperwork from the school.

4.0
Mar 20, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible hours. Professional and international environment.

Cons

Pay not too good. No job security

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