Randolph G.
two-week intensive course at Turkish Language Center in Izmir.
I did a two-week intensive course at Turkish Language Center in Izmir. I found the school through the Language International Website, and Ms. Hall from Language International did a fantastic job advising me. So this would be 5 stars. Why only 3 Stars? Because, in short, my language course in Izmir at the "Turkish Language Center" was a mixed experience. Of course, Language International can't be aware of the specific situation at every single school they recommend; there were a few surprises, and my stay was quite different in some respects from what I had expected based on the descriptions of previous students. The following, therefore, refers only to the "3 star situation" on the ground. I was the only student in the class and therefore received one-on-one instruction. In return, the number of lessons originally agreed upon was reduced by half. I was informed of this beforehand, and it was ok for me. I was taught by the same teacher for the two weeks; she was very friendly and motivated. However, her grammatical explanations were sometimes uncertain, and she has no specific didactical training in teaching Turkish to non-native speakers. Since I've already completed several language courses and have some experience working as a language teacher myself, this was ok for me, though not ideal. In class, l worked through various lessons from a workbook that was provided to me in photocopied form. The lessons included reading, speaking, and grammar exercises, but unfortunately, there were no structured listening comprehension exercises (which were included in the textbook). This was due either to the malfunctioning audio equipment in the otherwise well-equipped classroom or to licensing issues with the teaching materials. The reason remained unclear, and my questions during the second week of the course were met with the response, "We'll start listening comprehension exercises tomorrow," which never really happened—apart, of course, from the discussions during class, which were not always in Turkish but also in English. In quite a few situations, the teacher could have continued to speak to me in Turkish; switching to English is naturally easier for both parties, but not really effective for learning. I should have insisted more. As I see it, the Turkish Language Center" is not a language school in the true sense, but rather a facility where various teachers tutor local Turkish students (in Mathematics, English, etc.) and also offer Turkish lessons when there is demand. This didn't seem to happen very often so far; much of it felt improvised. I assume there are any other Turkish teachers besides my highly motivated and friendly one, but I didn't encounter any. This is regrettable, as it would naturally have been helpful for learning progress to be taught by different teachers. The technical and spatial facilities are generally good, and the institute's director is very helpful, but he apparently has little experience with the needs and expectations of foreign learners of Turkish. Accommodation was in an apartment right next to the Center. Other than I expected when booking, I wasn't staying with a family, but with a very friendly retired man living alone, with whom I got along very well. I stayed in a small room that essentially only had space for a bed and a wardrobe, but I could use the bathroom, kitchen, and living room, and do laundry. However, the apartment's cleanliness was borderline acceptable; more discerning guests would certainly have had major issues. I had booked half-board (breakfast and dinner) but it was not my host who was responsible for meals, but rather the Center. Accordingly, I consistently ate my breakfast at the language school during the first break. The question of when and where I would have dinner was essentially a daily matter; a few times I had dinner at the language school (sometimes with the director), the other evenings dinner was brought to my apartment. On the weekend in the middle of my course, when the Center was closed, they arranged that my host cooked for me (tastiest meals I had :-). Overall, the accommodation was very unsatisfactory in relation to the price I paid (significantly higher than the language course fees!). This felt very unjustified, and according to my host, he received only a very small amount for my accommodation; so I don't blame him for anything, especially since he was very helpful and friendly. I enjoyed the stay and was able to improve my Turkish, but there are numerous things in the organization of the lessons and accommodation that urgently need improvement.