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WWW.TEACHINTERNATIONAL.COM

Istanbul Study Overseas Program Guide

Your guide to:

• COMMUNICATIONS

• THE STUDY OVERSEAS PROGRAM AND TIMETABLE

• HIDDEN COSTS and OTHER BITS AND PIECES

• MEETING POINT

• ACCOMMODATION

• IN-CLASS VENUE

• PRACTICE TEACHING

• TRANSPORT

• SECURITY and CULTURAL ISSUES

• COURSE EXPECTATIONS

• EMPLOYMENT and GRADUATION

• VISA

• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

An updated copy of this document may be provided to you before the start of the programme. Carry this document with you during your Study Overseas Program, so that you can refer to the maps and addresses.

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COMMUNICATIONS

On the first day, if you are lost, text the trainer’s mobile - we will give you those details before the programme starts. Since your trainer will be emailing you before the course they should give you their phone number, so write that down and/or enter it into your phone memory if you have international roaming. On the first day also double check you have the right numbers and get the phone numbers of the other trainees. We will encourage this so you can keep in touch during the course.

Local mobile Trainees sometimes use their own phones on international roaming – keeping the cost down by texting, but others if they are staying on, may find it useful to buy a local prepaid mobile.

Pre-course contact You will be contacted by the trainer/s and/or Teach International staff closer to the course time. This is an opportunity to discuss your overall plans in terms of travel, working and progressing through your studies. You may be a resident in Istanbul or on a one way ticket with a plan to find employment, or you may be returning home after the course. If you are planning to graduate at the end of the course we will be checking with you that you have the other online work underway so that you can complete your studies at the end of the Istanbul overseas study programme. The trainee numbers on your course will be between 7 and 25. When there are more trainees we organise more trainers. When you receive this Guide and any updates it will be emailed to you and the other students, so you will see the email addressed of the other students. We don’t want to give our more details than that due to privacy, but by all means reply to all and encourage pre-course conversation. You could also start a thread on our Forum or a Facebook group.

Laptop Bring your laptop, if you have one. You will have free access to the Internet from your hotel reception area. A popular method is to set Skype up on your computer. With a headset you can use Skype to phone people internationally at a very cheap rate and Skype to Skype calls are free.

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THE STUDY OVERSEAS PROGRAM and TIMETABLE Your Study Overseas Program involves thinking about the parts of your Teach International course that your Study Overseas Program covers – the in-class component and the practice teaching component. Teach International policy generally requires that you are with us for the full overseas programme. You will also be needing to sort out accommodation, know where and when to meet up, and understand the general scheduling that the period involves. Outside of your Study Overseas Program commitments you may also be thinking about adding on some holiday time of your own. By now, you will have booked, or in the process of booking your flights. For accommodation, we recommend initial accommodation options. These recommendations have been checked out by us and are comfortable, have internet access, and are not too expensive. You can book them online. We recommend after you have stayed in one of these hotels for a couple of days to move to a cheaper one – so don’t book anything for more than a day or two. We have selected accommodation options in areas where there are many other hotels. We suggest you make changes locally – the cheaper hotels won't have websites or be listed on tourist websites. See the Accommodation section below. There is a meeting point, explained below, where we will meet on the first day. The in-class venue for the first week will be a ferry ride over to the other side so we’ll work out the travel to and from the in-class venue together. The practice teaching will be at the same place as the in-class venue (Oxford House College, Istiklal) or at some other schools locally. We’ll work out together how to get to and from these places.

NOTE: You can get your visa when you arrive (being the stamp they give you when you arrive). The tourist visa is valid for 90 days. You book your own flights and accommodation (see accommodation information below). Just make sure your passport is up to date and is valid for at least 3 months from your date of arrival. If you are Australian you just go to the Visa gate just before going through customs. It is a cost of about $30. If you are a New Zealander, you can go straight through customs and they will stamp your passport as you go through.

You will have been mailed your TESOL Manual and a Lesson Observation DVD before your departure. Make sure you take these with you and if you have time have a look at the material. The Lesson observation DVD will give you a really good idea of what you will be doing by the second week. If you are planning to complete your certificate training while overseas, you should have worked through any other electives and online units. If you are not sure what those are have a look at this file - Your course - An overview of the components and procedure (includes an introduction to verb tenses).

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The first day of the programme is Monday 14 November - The last day of the programme is Sunday 4 December.

Monday 14 November: Meet 9.00am outside the Main Ferry terminal at Kadikoy. The trainer will meet you at the entrance area and will be carrying a Teach International flyer. Training all day: In-class component Orientation dinner in the evening Tuesday 15 November: Training all day: In-class component Wednesday 16 November: Training all day: In-class component Thursday 17 November: Training all day: In-class component Friday 18 November: Training all day: In-class component. Finish the day off with a drink. Practice Teaching schedule will be provided at this time. Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 November: Class observations and/or Lesson preparation workshop and/or practice teaching. It may be some people are scheduled for practice teaching on the Sunday or even Saturday. Your first practice teaching class: You will be reteaching the lesson your prepared during the in-class and taught to your peers, so you will just be tweaking this lesson for your first delivery. Day Off: Practice teaching scheduling starting from this Sunday, so we will be scheduling so each person gets at least one days break a week, more likely two. Please do not plan free time in the evenings - you might well need to be working on lesson plans and/or teaching.

Monday 21 – Friday 25 November: Lesson preparation and scheduled practice teaching. Likely day off according to your scheduled practice teaching. Saturday 26 – Sun 27 November: Lesson preparation workshop and/or practice teaching. Dinner is possible on this second weekend or it will be one night in the following week. This dinner will be the formal graduating dinner, since after this time some trainees might be finishing off their practice teaching according to the schedule. Monday 28 November – Friday 2 December: Lesson preparation and scheduled practice teaching. Saturday 3 & Sun 4 December: Lesson preparation workshop and/or practice teaching for the last trainees on the schedule.

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HIDDEN COSTS and OTHER BITS AND PIECES

A grammar reference book We like you to invest in a grammar reference book at the time you do your practice teaching and you should get this before you arrive. This will cost you between $50 and $100. See details in the Practice Teaching section below. Then allow an overall budget of about AU$500 for incidentals over the three week programme. If you add up the incidental costs covered below, that should about cover it.

Airport taxis Don’t forget to allow for costs to travel to and from the airport, unless your hotel is going to collect you. Some of the hotels you book with will arrange it at no extra costs, but really the ones we suggest are three star and won’t offer this service.

Taxis and other transport costs You will need to spend some money for transport while on the course. This will be for getting to and from the in-class venue and travelling to schools and back for practice teaching. As a general rule, allow for a budget the same as you would to get to work and back in your home country.

Currency exchange You will get the best exchange rate by changing cash that you take at Ataturk Airport, Istanbul. After you go through customs find the money exchange. This rate will be better than banks or money exchange booths in your home country and banks in Turkey. After this use money exchange booths around Istanbul. There are bank ‘hole in the wall’ terminals around Istanbul, so you can use you bank card and credit cards with your pin numbers. There is a maximum withdrawal per day of 800 - 1,000 Turkish Lira, depending on the terminal. For bank transfers using this method you will be charged around 30 TL a time for the transaction processing. Later on, if you are staying on to work in Turkey you can set up a Turkish bank account.

Photocopying You need to set aside some money for photocopying, which comes up just a little during the in-class component, and more so during the practice teaching. Maybe AU$20 in total. For practice teaching you might be photocopying lesson plans and worksheets for the students. You can do some photocopying at the school where we are based, but you might find some annoying technical issues and so it can be easier to photocopy at a local Internet café of photocopy centre. If you stay over at Kadikoy, there are a couple of handy photocopy shops.

Phone See above for our advice for buying a local prepaid phone and SIM card (or just sim card if you have an unlocked phone. This is the best option if you are planning to stay. A good second hand mobile phone with SIM card will cost about AU$100. Otherwise you might well use your existing mobile on roaming and refrain from phone calls to only

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use SMS messaging. Even then, it may be $1 to send an SMS message since it is routing through the country your account is at. By far the cheapest way to phone home is to use Skype on your laptop. The hotels we recommend have free internet access, so Skyping on your laptop will be an easy option.

Laptop Skype is one reason to bring your lap top – the other being for lesson preparation when you write lesson plans and make up worksheets. There is also some access to computers in the teacher’s room of the school, but depending on that might be frustrating. It is possible to do it by hand and then photocopy, just not as convenient – so you don’t absolutely need a lap top.

Using Internet café’s

The hotels listed below have internet access, at least from reception and sometimes from your room, but in Turkey they don't seem to have computers at the hotel. If you do not have your own laptop you can use internet cafes. A session at an Internet café may cost you between $2 - $5.

Food and drink

You will need to allow for food and drink. Allow a budget of around the same as you would in your home country. Of course this cost will depend on how flash or otherwise you want to eat. Takeaways from food stalls are cheap and more wholesome than in Australia. In Kadikoy when you get off the ferry, for less than 3 TL you can buy freshly grilled fish in a role and you can buy fresh squeezed fruit juice for between 1-1.5 TL.

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ABOUT ISTANBUL and KADIKOY AND ISTIKLAL

Istanbul is divided into two parts that are referred to as the Western side and the Asian side. These sides are separated by high bridges, which span the Bosphorus. Large ships sail through the Bosphorus to and from the Mediterranean and Black sea. These two sides (Western and Asian) are very connected, with regular ferries. Buses and taxis also travel regularly over the Boazici Bridge.

The western side is also bridged, with a waterway called the Golden Horn. There are three bridges over the Golden Horn. So when you look at Istanbul, to get your bearings, work out which larger waterway is the Bosphorus and which smaller waterway is the Golden Horn.

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Kadikoy

You might think the Asian side is less modern, but the opposite is true, at least in terms of roading. Many people live on one side and work on the other. Kadikoy, on the Asian side, also has the main train station for other parts of Turkey. Kadikoy is away from the Tourist area, being a pretty peaceful and safe area to be, where also the accommodation is cheaper. Kadikoy has traditionally had a blend of Armenian, Christian and Muslim people (over thousands of years).

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Istiklâl Caddesi

We are going to live in Kadikoy on the Asian side, ferry over and back to the Western side for our in-class venue and some of our practice teaching and we will most likely also be doing some practice teaching in Kadikoy where we will live. Our in-class venue will be at a school called Oxford House College, which is in the historic Beyoğlu district on the Western side - in İstiklâl Caddesi. İstiklâl Caddesi is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul. It is visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends.

Finding the school is a little difficult, so we will do it together. This is Istanbul!. Once you know the system, it becomes easy and also a good feeling to be using the public transport like locals (and not like tourists). From Kadikoy we get the ferry to Karikoy (Kadikoy – Karikoy).

Then we walk through an underpass to the tram, which goes through a tunnel:

Then we walk for about 3-5 minutes up Istiklal to the second Marvi Jeans shop. This is past Burger king. Oxford House is in the floors above Marvi Jeans:

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The doorway to Oxford House College is from the arcade to the side of Marvi Jeans:

Oxford House College takes up all seven stories of the building with a café on the top story.

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MEETING POINT

On the first day at 9 am we will meet outside the biggest ferry building at Kadikoy on the Asian side – the one where ferries come to and from Eminönü. The trainer will carry a Teach International brochure and will be in the area circled.

Karen and/or Warwick will meet you

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ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation strategy We recommending booking accommodation only as a strategy for the first few days. Then when you are on the ground you can do a cheaper deal or move to a close by hotel according to your preferences. The reason we recommend Kadikoy is that there are numerous hotels at reasonable cost and Kadikoy is away from the Tourist hub, so you will be experiencing living more like a local. By being in Kadikoy you won’t be bothered as a tourist either. We will travel to the school/in-class and practice teaching venue by public transport (Ferry and tram) rather than live near the school because the school is located near a night club area, which is not suitable for our accommodation needs. The hotels we recommend in Kadikoy are in the three-four star/cheaper range, have internet access and can be booked online. By making your initial booking at either of these places you can settle in with a degree of comfort. This accommodation will cost you up to 100 TL per night if you book over the internet, but around 60–70 TL per night when you negotiate face to face. If you are lucky with the exchange rate that will be about 50 TL per night – not bad.

When you arrive in Kadikoy, it will look a bit like this. See the green bus (which is in a big bus terminal area) – walking behind it will take you around the right side of a bus station:

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Then you will come to the main road.

Cross the main road, looking to your left. That is the general direction of the numerous hotels, which are in the side and back streets:

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The first worth while street is called Resit Efendi Sokaği. You can recognise it because it has a fresh fruit drink shop on the corner. The street before this has three hotels, so check that out too if you like:

At the first intersection up Resit Efendi Sokaği you will find the Zumrut Hotel: Zumrut Hotel

This is a four star hotel. It has internet access and is a good option to book for a day or two, but it is the most expensive of our suggestions. Frankly, the two options below are the best overall, if you are happy with three star living. Zumrut Hotel. Rihtim Caddesi Resitefendi Sokak No: 5. 34714 Kadikoy, Istanbul. TEL: +90 216 450 0 454 Fax: +90 216 450 0 457 Email: info@kadikoyzumrutotel.com Web: www.kadikoyzumrutotel.com. Should be under 100 TL per night if booked on the Internet. In person 90 TL per night.

In this street (Resit Efendi Sokağ) you will also see the Hotel Nova, Otel Zirve and others, but we don’t recommend them. The Hotel Nova is cramped and the Otel Zirve is overpriced.

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If you walk up the street (Resit Efendi Sokaği) and turn right after the Hotel Nova.

You will come across a hotel called the AS Hotel at an intersection on your left. It is opposite another hotel called the Grand As hotel.

As Hotel

The AS Hotel is a good price (around 60 TL). It has Internet access and a desk in every room. Even the breakfast floor at the top has a nice view. An excellent option for the period of your course. http://www.budgetplaces.com/istanbul-hotel-4077-as-hotel-kadikoy.html

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Back at the main street, walk two side streets further:

Find “Recaizade Sokaği” which is the street beside the corner restaurant called “murat”:

When you walk up this street you will go past the Daisy Laundry (take note for laundry needs):

Laundry is about 5 TL a bag from here

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Then you will come to Hotel Kervanseray on the left:

Hotel Kervanseray

This is also a good price (around 60 TL). It also has Internet access and a desk in every room. An excellent option for the period of your course.

Rıhtım Caddesi Recaizade Sokak No:27 Kadıköy - İSTANBUL Tel: (0216) 338 64 03 Fax: (0216) 345 52 25

http://kadikoykervansaray.com/

Value for money the Hotel Kervanseray and As Hotel are the best we have found. They will be around 60 TL a night if you stay for a while and ask them for a good rate. Staying in either the Hotel Kervanseray and As Hotel will also mean there is some company from other students on your course. This will be useful when it comes to lesson preparation i.e., to have other students to bounce ideas off. You can of course hunt around for other accommodation. There is also a backpacker’s called the Hush Guesthouse. This will be the cheapest option of all (around 20 TL). To find it, you walk further along the main road again and up the side street which is quite steep. It is the furthest walk from the ferry terminal and a little way from the recommended hotels. If you do stay there I would suggest you stay with another of our trainees.

If you are early and want a tourist stay for a day or two at Sultanahmet?

Some of you may arrive early and want to stay in the Tourist area for a day or two to look around. Actually, though it would be just as nice to settle in Kadikoy and get a ferry to the Tourist hub of Sultanahmet. Want a recommendation? For about 60 TL you could try Yakamoz Guesthouse, Cankurtaran Mahallesi Kutlugun Sokak No. 24, Sultanahmet, Istanbul. TEL: +90212458 6916 FAX: +90 212 458 69 17. Email: hahmudgedik@hotmail.com or gedikabdurrahman@hotmail.com.

Sorry no website – one reason why it is a bit cheaper in an expensive area! Or book another hotel in Sultanahmet though a search at www.istanbulhotels.com

To get to Sultanahmet the best way will be to get a taxi from the airport. Don't try and get the train – you have to swap from train to tram and that is hard with luggage.

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Later, to get to Kadikoy from Sultanahmet, you go down the hill via the local tram. Getting off at the bottom you then locate a ferry building, which will have the sign “Kadikoy”.

When you arrive at Kadikoy follow the instructions below.

Apartments

For apartments you can rent apartments/flats on a monthly basis. In that case you are better off to find a local real estate agent near the school and get them to take you places that are . If you ask your course trainers, we can help you to at least locate a local real estate agent.

Once you have been in Turkey a while you might want to sort out an apartment or flat. Have a look at http://www.sahibinden.com/en/ and browse the section for Residential>For Rent>. You will be able to explore the options by District. From that you can locate the agent for any one apartment and email them asking if they have monthly rentals. But it will be better to find a local real estate agent, and ask about monthly rentals when you are there because you can view apartments. You may also meet others on the course who would like to share an apartment with you.

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From the airport to Kadikoy Hotel transport method A: via Bakirkoy and Quick Kat (best recommendation) Bakirkoy is relatively close to the airport and from there you can get a Quick Kat directly to Kadikoy. From the airport (a) get a taxi to Bakirkoy – about 20TL. Sk the taxi driver to take you to the ferry or Quick Kat at Bakirkoy, (b) or a bus (there is a white bus that regularly leaves for Bakirkoy – about 5 TL. The bus will leave from the lane one over from the taxi lane at the airport. Just ask anyone looking as though they are selling tickets or putting luggage into busses where the bus is for Bakirkoy, then double-check as you get on). You will buy the ticket from the bus drive, who will be by the bus. Do not get caught by the people approaching you inside the airport. They are independent businesses collecting people to ferry them to hotels. Do not try and buy any tickets inside the airport. At Bakirkoy, if you got a taxi, they will drop you off at a street roundabout and point the way to the Quick Kat. It is a little hard to see, but trust it and walk in that direction (to the sea). You will soon see the Quick Kat terminal. The bus will take you directly to the car park for the Quick Kat terminal. The price is about 6 TL to Kadikoy. Just look for the signs that say “Kadikoy”.

If your plane arrives very late e.g., 9 pm, don’t use the Bakirkoy method. Instead take the Eminonu route, since the Eminonu ferries run later than the Quick Kats form Bakirkoy.

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Hotel transport method B: via Eminonu From the airport (a) get a taxi to Eminonu – about 50TL. Ask to be dropped off at The Eminonu ferry building. We advise you not to pay for a taxi right to Kadikoy. You can, but it will cost you about 80-100 TL. Take the ferry – it's a nice trip. At Eminonu there are a number of Ferry buildings. Look for the one with the sign to Kadikoy:

The ferry, as many are, will be one of the big government ferries:

If you are not sure, just ask by saying the word “Kadikoy” and you will be pointed in the right direction. You will pay about 1.5 TL and get a small special token that you use to get through the turn-style gate.

Hotel transport method C: public transport There is a blue (or could be green) bus that goes from the airport to Kadikoy. It will have the number “10” in the bus window. In total the cost is about 2.5 TL. This is more difficult to find, but it will be in the far lane, beyond the taxi and private bus lanes. Just keep asking until you seem to be in the right place and check again with the bus driver. Not a bad option to explore if your plane arrives early enough in the day.

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IN-CLASS VENUE

The in-class venue will be held at Oxford House College, Istiklal, on the Western side. We will ferry over each day, get a one stop tram ride up the hill and walk up İstiklâl Caddesi (see pics and information above about this famous avenue). The school is on the right after Burger King. We’ll find it together. Oxford House College, Istiklal is an 8 story language school with a nice café on the top floor.

What should you wear?

You should wear smart casual dress as is fitting for the TESOL industry. The venue and practice teaching is at Oxford House College and the management will want you to dress according to their dress code because after the first week you will be teaching their students. They want you to be viewed as teachers. Women: Wear conservative dress with covered shoulders and skirts/dresses around knee length. Trousers are okay, but not jeans. Men: Long trousers and collared shirts. Be prepared to put on a tie if the be prepared to put on a tie if the teachers at the school do. Outside of the course hours, you will find the public wear a range of styles and ranges of conservative to liberal dress and so you can relax into your own style of dress, as in what you would normally wear.

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PRACTICE TEACHING

You will be scheduled for practice teaching. We may also schedule some teaching at some local schools and/or visit the Director of Studies at some local schools. The students that you teach will be young adults of various levels. Your assessors will be Teach International assessors and local teachers/trainers. In some cases you will be provided with photocopied material from course books as a base to prepare your lessons and in other cases we will provide topics for you to prepare your lesson. We will also provide you with a Lesson Observation DVD before you start to give you a good idea of the style and manner of teaching communicative classes. Be sure to read the Practice Teaching Handbook and to have purchased the recommended Grammar reference resources. The Practice Teaching Handbook has an internal attachment called “Recommendations for Preparing Lesson Plans.doc”. Read it as it’s helpful for your lesson preparation. We have run practice teaching with language schools and even run our own classes at a local hotel, so the practice teaching classes may be in either or a number of these places. Grammar reference book At this point in your training, you need a grammar reference book. Get this sorted before you leave for overseas. If you do not yet have a grammar book, you should buy one now! Visit a bookstore where there are ESOL resources for sale and ask for teachers’ grammar reference books (University bookstores are a good place to start). There are suggested Grammar reference books on page 124 of your TESOL manual. Have a look for one that you feel helps you. Try:

� Practical English Usage (3rd Edition) by Michael Swan, OUP. � Grammar for English Language Teachers: With exercises and a key by Martin Parrot. CUP. ISBN: 9780521477970 � A Practical English Grammar (4

th Edition) by A.J. Thomson & A.V. Martinet, OUP. ISBN: 9780194313421

If you also need a simpler grammar book, useful for setting student homework and for your own understanding of levels, try: � Essential Grammar in Use Edition With Answers : A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Elementary Students of English (Paperback) by Raymond Murphy, CUP. AND � English Grammar In Use with Answers and CD ROM : A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English by Raymond Murphy, Cambridge. ISBN: 9780521532891 If you want something in between the above options, have a look at: � Oxford Practice Grammar Basic, OUP. � Oxford Practice Grammar Intermediate, OUP. � Oxford Practice Grammar Advanced, OUP.

You can buy at least the Raymond Murphy book in Kadikoy, though it won't be any cheaper than in Australia or New Zealand. You can buy second hand students’ course books in Kadikoy- easily. There are two floors of second hand bookstores in one street all stocking ESL students books. But they don’t have many teachers Grammar reference books.

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TRANSPORT

Istanbul does have a fairly good bus, tram, train and ferry transport system to and from main areas. It is just a matter of swapping at certain point, usually at the end of the line. For tram, train and ferry rides the cost is 1.50 TL, so if you are travelling two steps e.g., tram and then ferry you will be paying about 3 TL. You can also get buses and/or mini bus-taxis. Mini bus-taxis are about three times the price of a ferry or bus. Taxis are about five times the price of the mini bus-taxis – but that is not too bad if you are with a group, sharing the cost. If you have followed our instructions to get to Kadikoy, you will easily know how to get ferries from Kadikoy to the Western Side of Istanbul and back again. If you go over to “Eminonu”, you will be able to get a tram up the hill to the Blue Mosque. To the right of that tram line as you go up the hill, you will discover a maze of bazaar type shops. Kadikoy has a tram that goes from the bottom of town, up the hill. This tram veers right at the bull roundabout (There is a bull statue in the middle of the roundabout).

The tram, having veered right at the bull roundabout, carries on up the hill doing a loop back to the bottom of the town. If you do get taxis, there are two kinds. The one with the sticker is registered to the Ministry of Transport, so are more accountable – use them rather than the ones without any sticker.

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SECURITY and CULTURAL ISSUES

We are in an international city and there are risks. Money The first rule of security is to split your cash and credit cards. Carry enough on you for your present needs and a bit extra, but don't keep it all on you unless it is in a body belt. Either hide the rest in your luggage at your hotel or keep it in a hotel reception safe (if you have that option available). Imagine you are robbed or cheated in some way – at least your main resources are back at the hotel. At Kadikoy you can use Visa, Mastercard and EFTPOS to access money from the banks. When shopping, you need cash. Retail Especially in tourist areas there is a hard sell approach to the selling experience. In the bazaars up from Eminomu you will be pursued. It is an experience. Shops and restaurants in Sultanahmet have staff out front and beyond to scout out and coerce potential customers into their shops. In some cases they call out to you to draw your attention and thinking of you as a tourist, they will try and conversationally coerce you into their shop. Someone may also approach you, strike up conversation, then lead you to a certain shop. The approach will be made in a very friendly manner, so as to make it difficult for you not to engage with them. When approached, If you want to stay on your way, simply say 'no thank you' and don’t make eye contact – and do not hesitate your step. You can also show disinterest with a cast off wave – just a small nonchalant gesture, when someone you do not know tries to get your attention. If you do this casually, like the locals do, they will see you as not a naive tourist and won’t pursue you. Similarly, if you are standing somewhere and you are approached just say “thank you” in a polite but disinterested way without making eye and then turn your body slightly away from the person. In a shop, always ask for a discount. One thing you need to be aware of is that in Turkey's “free economy” you might look at a leather jacket in one shop for 80 TL and the same jacket will be 250 TL in the shop next door. So ask the price at the start to get a feel for the range. The seller, might say “No, let us talk about what you want and about the price later” – in that case our advice is to only deal with people who will give you a ball park price range up front. Sure you will trade down if it is the bazar, but if you don’t have an idea of the range, by the time they have befriended you in the process, you could find yourself paying an excessive amount. The befriending sales strategy is used extensively with tourists. However, Kadikoy, where we will be based, is mostly a business-residential centre and so you will find very little, if any, of these issues. Dress code and Gender issues See also under “In-class venue” section above. You should wear smart casual dress as is fitting for the TESOL industry. This means women should wear conservative dress with covered shoulders and skirts/dresses around knee length. Trousers are okay, but not jeans. Men should wear long trousers and collared shirts and be prepared to put on a tie if the teachers at the school do. Outside of the course hours, you will find the public wear a range of styles and ranges of conservative to liberal dress and so you can relax into your own style of dress, as in what you would normally wear.

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However, for women there are a few precautions to consider. If you are a woman who looks foreign and are on your own, you may incur bothersome behavour from some Turkish men. Do bear in mind that the vast majority of Turkish men will be very polite, it is just that there is a small majority who see women tourists as fair game. By “bothersome behavour”, I am meaning insistent pick up routines and bottom pinching. If you follow the dress code above, generally you will not look like a tourist, and my suggestion is to generally avoid traveling alone. You will notice that generally Turkish women themselves are not alone. In Turkey the correct way for men to meet women is by introduction through friends or the wider family, never by directly approaching a woman. However, Kadikoy, where we will be based, is mostly a business-residential centre and so you will find very little, if any, of these issues. Night life In Kadikoy the other side of the tram line from the hotels there are many restaurants and some bars. They are buzzing with Turkish people out and socialising. The more hard core night clubbing experience can be found over at Taksim, up from the Oxford House school. The Taksim night club area does have a bit of reputation, so if you do venture there, go with other trainees or Turkish acquaintances, not on your own. Adventurer beware! In Taksim and Aksaray there have been cases of tourists being coerced into night clubs which then includes being coerced to buy drinks (without knowing the price) at astronomical prices. However, Kadikoy, where we will be based, is mostly a business-residential centre and so you won’t find this issue there. The principle is to go out at night with others, as the Turkish people do and check the prices before you buy. Politics Kadikoy and Taksim are designated as official areas of the city for demonstrations. This simply means groups of peaceful protesters will sometimes parade through the main streets at Kadikoy and Istiklal.

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COURSE EXPECTATIONS

Travel and extra-curricula activities during the Study Overseas Program Teach International aims to make your time overseas enjoyable and memorable. To ensure you are able to handle the experience of being in another country, and the intensity of your training, we recommend that you limit your after-class socialising and avoid late nights until you have a free day to relax. It is important to have a clear head to fully understand the new concepts being presented each day. As per the Practice Teaching Handbook, you will be seen as a real teacher to the students you teach, so please remember that professionalism is all part of the experience.

Your commitment to the practice teaching whilst overseas You have made an excellent decision to do your in-class course and practice teaching in Istanbul. To make the most of this opportunity, it is vital that you ensure you are available for all your scheduled classes. As per the Practice Teaching Handbook guidelines, you will be expected to fulfil your commitment to the classes you have been assigned. On the days allocated to practice teaching, you must be available should a change of schedule or short-notice alteration occur. We understand as a new teacher you will feel excited, apprehensive and maybe a little nervous before each practice class, but this is all part of the process and we are here to help you every step of the way.

Flexibility Part of the fun of the Overseas Study Program is the chance to meet employers and students from another country. Just like any new cultural experience, we ask that you keep an open mind to getting things done and a flexible attitude if things don’t go quite the way you would expect them to. Living and working overseas, and indeed doing your TESOL training overseas with Teach International, is a unique and life-changing experience – smile, have fun, and just enjoy the amazing journey!

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EMPLOYMENT and GRADUATION

We realise that some trainees will be hoping to gain local employment after the course. Bring your CV in a Word format as on the in-class course we cover how to adapt your CV. We will provide to you all a letter in Istanbul summarising the in-class and practice teaching components that you have completed. This letter will be on Oxford House Letterhead, so it will be helpful for employment endeavours, even if you have not finally graduated. You can also fully graduate in Istanbul, if you finish off all your on-line work. You can complete everything before you get there, except a few units which are linked to your practice teaching. In this case you complete the units in Istanbul and either the trainer there will mark them or they can be marked by emailing them to a Teach International marker, with a same day marking turn around (we will provide the details on this when you are there, or just beforehand. So, if you are wanting to graduate the units to finish in Istanbul are:

If you are enrolled in Certificate III: Certificate III auxiliary unit (just the last question, which asks for your reflection on your in-class peer teaching and/or your practice teaching. If you are enrolled in Certificate IV: The Certificate III auxiliary unit (as above) and the Certificate IV Auxiliary unit number six (TIC4U6). This unit is a reflection on your practice teaching, so you could do this in Istanbul. NOTE: For Certificate IV students: You can complete the TIC4U5 before you leave for Istanbul, by observing the lessons on the Lesson Observation DVD that will have been mailed to you. If you do not have that DVD yet you can look at the lesson in these links: TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Warm Up http://vimeo.com/30464344 TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Review http://vimeo.com/30466142 TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Target Language http://vimeo.com/30469348 TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Controlled Practice http://vimeo.com/30470072 TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Free Practice http://vimeo.com/30471715 TESOL Lesson (pre-int) Homework http://vimeo.com/30471985 Here is the lesson plan for that lesson, as broadly followed: http://www.teachinternational.com/downloads/plans/PreIntermediatespeakingfocus.pdf

Research Do some research and set up some interviews by email ahead of time: If you want to work in Turkey, google for schools in Turkey and prepare an email. Likewise if you are thinking of working up in an Eastern European country, do your research and prepare and email. The same goes for North Africa if you would like to scout out employment in Egypt, Morocco, etc. Western Europe has more restrictions if you do not have an EU passport. If you have an EU passport then those options are open to you. If you do not have an EU passport, a good strategy is to work in Eastern Europe or Turkey and fly in to Western Europe for face to face opportunities. In Turkey, here is a website covering a range of schools and franchises: http://www.eslbase.com/schools/turkey Email From your research, build a list of contacts prior to emailing and phone them if you can to double check the correct email. Then work out a travel strategy so you know ahead of time when you can arrive in the particular city where the school is located. Here is a draft email: ------------------------------------------

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RE: local native English speaker seeking employment as ESOL teacher - <your name> Attached: CV for <your name> Dear Sir/Madam <Replace with name of person if known>, I am looking for work in Istanbul <replace with name of city if different> and will be arriving in the country on <enter date of arrival> I would really appreciate it if I could visit you or an appropriate person for an interview on my first week of arrival being <date period>. I am a trainee ESOL teacher presently undertaking my TESOL course with Teach International (www.teachinternational.com) and am coming to Istanbul for my in-class and practice teaching components. Therefore, I will be available to commence employment and expect to have my TESOL certificate from <add date when it could work for you>. <Optional paragraph: I would also be interested in temporary summer camp work if it is available before or after <dates of in-class course> Although, I have asked for a face-to-face interview when I arrive in <city>, I am of course also available for a telephone interview at your convenience. I have enclosed my CV for your consideration and look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely <Your name> -------------------------------------------------------------------- Contacts in Istanbul ENGLISH TIME The Academic manager of Oxford House College recommends English Time as a good employer for first time work in Turkey. They do not have a fantastic reputation, but they employ about 200 teachers a year. I am almost certain this is the biggest franchise group in Turkey. Along with English Time they also own some other franchises - so they do place a lot of teachers. I know this too because I once met with the Education Coordinator who oversees employment for the group. I think it will work if you send your CV to her stating your present availability. If there are a few of you even sending a group email could be a good strategy. Her name is Karen Fay karen@englishtime.com. Of course you could approach any individual branch. In that case I think the Director of Studies, if wanting to employ you, would take you to see Karen, or get permission from her on your employment. I have this number 2733868 160 and 2733868 161. I think this is the head office number, as I cannot see it on the website. See also www.englishtime.com I met with Karen Fay at their head office to discuss working in with their schools for practice teaching. While I was there they were signing up a teacher. Another contact at English Time is Ian Boga (ian@englishtime.com). Ian is a Teach International graduate and an Area Manager for one of the English Time schools in Istanbul (I don't know which one). Ian emailed me a while back offering help. So if you use my name, saying something like, "Warwick Thorn, the Academic Manager of Teach International said you might be a good person to contact. I am in Istanbul having finished my in-class and practice teaching TESOL training, which I did here on the Teach International programme in Istanbul in October". Some kind of introduction like that. DILKO

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On a previous course we worked in with Dilko Kadikoy and Bakirkoy for the practice teaching, so I have met these people personally. I have a few contacts with the Dilko franchise, so here they are. In these cases I would use an intro like, "Warwick Thorn, the Academic Manager of Teach International said you might be a good person to contact, since I am looking for work in Istanbul. I am in Istanbul having finished my in-class and practice teaching TESOL training, which I did here on the Teach International programme in Istanbul in October". Here are the contacts. These are area managers and so may be moved around the branches, so I am not sure which branch they are at: Murat Enustekin, Branch Manager, Bakirkoy - Verrin was the Director of Studies murat@dilko.com.tr. The phone number of the Bakirkoy branch phone number is (0212)570 12 70. Ceren Manas, Director of Studies, Kadikoy cerenmanas@dilko.com.tr. The Kadikoy branch phone number is (0212)570 12 70. Deniz Tipi, I think the Areas Manager for their Taksim branch. denizlip@dilko.com.tr. The number I have is (0216) 414 91 51 www.dilkoenglish.com OTHER The biggest forum on the web to help you would be at http://forums.eslcafe.com/. go to the Turkey forum, as of today there are 2,697 topics and 35,701 posts. More localised in Turkey go to http://www.mymerhaba.com/ and check out the 'Community billboard' and 'Forum'.

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Visas The situation regarding visas in Turkey is as follows: 1. You will be welcome on a tourist visa, which you can extend for up to three months. 2. A first step is to gain a residency visa, which will be for 12 months. You will need proof of 6,000 TL via a bank account statement to obtain a residency visa – yes, it happens that this often arranged on a temporary basis. This visa has nothing to do with work – it is issued to people who want to live in Turkey. 3. You obtain a work permit. The cost of about 1,500 TL is usually covered by the school. This step takes up to three months and is heavily bureaucratic. Yes, you can expect the school to help you through this whole process, undertaking at least the third step on your behalf. For those of you interested in working in Turkey, you can explore many links on the web. Here is one to start with: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0701/teaching_english_in_istanbul_turkey.shtml If you exit Turkey and return the three month visa is restarted with a new visa stamp. Hence, the term, “border run”. There are many English teachers working while on a tourist visa in Istanbul - without work permits. This is because of the bureaucratic process and for reasons such as if you do not have a degree or permanent residency or reasons unknown, so that you are denied or do not try and gain a work permit. In this case teachers take a three monthly trip the Greek or Bulgarian Border. They either go through the border and return the same day or spend a day outside of Turkey to then return. This “border run” procedure is very common for English Teachers in many countries.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Do I need to bring course books? A: You only need to bring your TESOL Manual and a grammar reference book. The Teach International trainers will have a number of course books on hand that you can refer to and they can show you were to buy your own second hand ones locally if you want to collect some useful course books. Q: As all the students are learning English (as a second language), what is their general level of English proficiency? I would imagine most of the students are able to communicate using basic English, however, I’m not sure if we will be teaching absolute beginners or students with some knowledge of the English language. A: You may be asked to teach different levels (these will most likely include Elementary to Intermediate levels) and different ages. However most of the students in Istanbul will be high school students or young adults. Q: Are most or all of these students learning English because they want to or because they have to? A: They will either be paying students or they may be attending a free class. Young adults in these classes will be very well behaved, though your lesson will determine whether they are really engaged in the lesson. Teenagers will be well behaved as long as you teach a good lesson, therefore keeping their attention. Q: Is it true that while we are teaching, students must only communicate in English and not the local language? A: Yes, it is almost always a policy of the school. The degree of policing this policy can be light because you won’t know the students that well. You might simply remind students to speak English. Q: If we have unfinished online units, can we complete them in our own time in Istanbul or will it need to occur within our 2 week course time frame? This is more applicable if you plan to stay on and look for work. In that case see the explanation of what to do with the on-line work under the “Employment” section above. Otherwise you can work on the on-line components before or after the Overseas Study Programme. In reality you will have very little time or incentive when you are underway with the In-class and the practice teaching.

Q: We have been in touch with the Turkish Embassy regarding our wish to purchase a one-way plane ticket to give us maximum travel flexibility and they say that this will not be a problem once we arrive. Have you heard of any issues with this? There will be no issues. Many people fly into Turkey, planning to travel on by land, so it is never a question. See the information under the “Visa” section above.

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Please ensure you have read and understand this program guide. It has been written to assist you during your training with us overseas, and to help you have the best possible time available. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me with as much time as possible before the course commences. Congratulations on signing up for Teach International’s Study Overseas Program – this is just the start of your adventurous new life.

Regards

Warwick Thorn Academic Manager, Teach International - expand your world Level 2, 370 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4000, Email: warwick@staff.teachinternational.com Ph: +61 7 3211 4633 Fax: +61 7 3211 4644 www.teachinternational.com Print this document and carry it with you to reread on the plane. An updated version may be provided to you on arrival.