Turkey has recently seen a boost in interest from foreigners with a great deal of attention on the remnants of the once-mighty Byzantine and Ottoman empires. This spike in interest has made English more important than ever for everyday people, as they find themselves dealing with tourist and foreign investors on an increasingly regular basis. In light of this, there has never been a better time for teaching English in Turkey.

The shining attraction in Turkey is Istanbul, home to magnificent Aya Sofia, which was the world’s largest enclosed space for a full 1,000 years. Other must-sees in Istanbul include the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque and Spice Bazaar. Roman and Byzantine ruins abound.
Other ancient cities that can’t be missed are Ephesus, Pergamum and Safrenbolu. Each of these claim more than a few enthusiastic English teachers who couldn’t imagine living and working anywhere else.

But Turkey also has a few islands in the Aegean Sea that are as idyllic as they come. Bodrum is best known, and it hosts all the usual water sports along with an ongoing club-and-disco party scene that regularly attracts young travelers and expatriates.

Some schools in Turkey offer free accommodation; others will reimburse their foreign English teachers for their rent, so long as it’s reasonable. Even when teachers have to take care of their own accommodation, the cost of living is low enough to ensure rent is affordable.

In recent years, Turkey has been exploring its European heritage and the increased interest in English that it entails means more native-speaking English teachers are being hired than ever before.

English is taught in virtually all schools, but it’s not a mandatory course of study for students. The middle class has shown the most interest in English studies, which means English teachers have the best luck searching for jobs at private schools and after-school language institutes. Adult learners are common in the latter.

Work permits are only available ahead of time through the Turkish embassy or consulate in the English teacher’s home country. Language institutes may hire teachers on a work permit, though this is technically illegal and means the teacher has to leave the country every three months for a new stamp.

Turkey Links

• Go to Turkey forums
• Go to Turkey photo gallery
• Google search for Turkey
• Turkey wikipedia entry