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[kazaho]

Does anyone have any input on teaching with Bilkent University in Ankara? I am trying to gather some information for a friend... I have heard mixed reviews about working there but mostly positive comments about the Academic English dept. and/or First Year English Programme (FYE).

Thanks.

[denizgezmis]

much the same as the other private universities in turkey, but better at making itself look good to western eyes.  ankara is a better city to live in than it is given credit for being though.

[helpful]

much the same as the other private universities in turkey, but better at making itself look good to western eyes.  ankara is a better city to live in than it is given credit for being though.

Please use proper capitalization. Thank you.

[chronicprof]

Anyone has any inside information on the salaries? What is the starting salary range for an assistant professor position in STEM field? Would it be comparable to salaries in social sciences like education or psychology?

[witness]

Bilkent is one of the better options if Turkey is where you are headed.  Along  with Sabanci and Koc, it is a genuine university, and my experience there was good.  During that period the package included salary, accommodation, private health care insurance and private pension scheme.  I would imagine it is much the same now.  The salary is not spectacular, but taken with the other benefits, the package is not bad.  Koc and Sabanci pay significantly more.  Salarywise, you would want around 4000 Turkish lira a month to live well and have enough to save something each month too.  The campus is nice, the library pretty good, and Ankara, whilst less immediately attractive to the foreigner academic than Istanbul, is a pleasant and comfortable place to live.  Bilkent may not prove to be where one would want to stay forever, though quite a number of foreign faculty have been there for long periods, and that in itself is a positive, but it is a perfectly good place to be for a few years.

Beyond the three institutions I have mentioned here, the other private universities in Turkey are rather hit and miss, with more misses than hits, in terms of comfortable working conditions, fair treatment, etc.

[chronicprof]

Hi,

I appreciate your insights, have seen your other posts on Turkis high. ed. You look like someone with a lot of experience. I have one other question on Bilkent, though. Is there a dual salary system? I read someone mentioning in another forum there was a base salary and an additional merit salary, is this true? If so, merit on what? How objective are the criteria for merit?

Thanks a lot,

[witness]

There was, and I would imagine, still is, a departmental hierarchy, albeit one that the higher adminstration did not shout about, though neither did it deny its existence.  Engineering and computer science were tops and humanities at the bottom, with social sciences in the middle.  There were lighter teaching loads for some in the favoured departments and perhaps better salaries too.  There were also finance rewards for publishing and that applied to all departments, and of course publications are essential to promotion, which of course also brings a salary increase.  Two things to note: firstly, if you are coming in at assistant professor level, you need at least one publication in a cited journal, and that means the citation list that Bilkent consults, and it is not the most inclusive of such lists; secondly, surf through the website and see how few non-Turkish associate professors there are, even among foreign faculty who have been there for many years...go figure! 

[emigre]

I basically agree with the previous comments though even Turkish friends say that these days TL 5000 is needed to live--and the currency is plummeting. My salary was paid in US$ -- yours ought to be.

Accommodation is small and can be a bit farflung but there is centrally-provided heating etc. Better than livig in town and coming in every day. There is  a staff club of sorts (I don't know any other of the private universities with such a thing) where staff gather in the evening and some social organisation for foreigners, as well as and reasonable facilities and an excellent library. The admin functions well -- also unique in my experience -- and salaries are paid on time and there is a sprinkling of extremely bright students. (Particularly in engineering.)

Bilkent has reasonable contracts and sticks to them, unlike many another place. But a Staff Association or any kind of collective bargaining would be anathema and no one is told what anyone else is being paid. This is standard or even better than standard as far as Turkish private universities are concerned. The climate is sometimes not all that happy with staff in non-engineering subjects feeling a bit second class and for non-Turks there is definitely a glass ceiling and you may find yourself attending meetings on Sundays or subject to tougher restrictions than in the US. (You are supposed to get written permission before spending a night away for example, even if you don't miss any classes.)

So it would be quite a reasonable place to spend a year or two if you have the option.

[marooned]

Does anyone have any input on teaching with Bilkent University in Ankara? I am trying to gather some information for a friend... I have heard mixed reviews about working there but mostly positive comments about the Academic English dept. and/or First Year English Programme (FYE).

Thanks.

My younger brother graduated from that college 2 years ago, he studied on English teaching and his comments are so positive on that department.