Notes on Teaching English, So Far.

As the weeks here roll on, I find myself slowly establishing a life. I’ve been teaching frequently and my schedule has only just started to be consistent—though I know it will change, soon.

I’ve been trying to stay true to my priorities while acquiring work. I want freedom and flexibility, I want my weekends to be mostly free, and I want to be able to travel this summer. So a contract ESL job was immediately out. Same for language schools that require six-day work weeks. I came to Istanbul to explore, discover, grow, enjoy; taking on a full-time contract with a school might be more responsible, but it wouldn’t be in line with the things I actually desire.

So now I teach classes and private lessons. My students are 55 and they are almost 5, they are advanced and they are beginners.  Some students I’ve seen once and never again: the businesswoman in a house full of orchids, the 26-year-old banker who was too shy to speak, the hyper-energetic twelve-year-old girls who demonstrated that a pre-teen disregard for authority figures transcends language barriers. Others, so far, have stayed with me: the little boy who loves dinosaurs and the color blue and running around like a maniac, the young woman who reads Gulliver’s Travels, the class of seasoned tour guides who teach me almost as much as I teach them. That last class, unfortunately, will only last a few more lessons… which means more hustling, more freelance. It’s exhausting and thrilling and nerve-wracking and rewarding, all in one messy bundle.

At one of the schools I worked at, between classes.

There is a high demand for English speakers here and it’s surprisingly easy to find work, even if it’s not always well-paid or enjoyable. I feel lucky, at the moment; I dropped one language school and the two that I’m currently working with have been good to me, so far. One even had a Latin-America themed party for teachers and friends that spilled over past midnight, until we all stumbled sangria-soaked into the racing stream of Taksim’s nightlife.

I still constantly feel like I have no clue what I’m doing, but the initially panic has subsided and been replaced with a kind of calm. Now I can appreciate this for what it is: a challenge. An adventure. An experience.  I wanted to push myself, so here I am.

I’m ready.