Study &Live in your teacher's home in Antalya, Turkey (15)

Firstly, the location was very befitting for a language school. It was easy to find and is located in the centre of Antalya. Facilities were great, noiseless classrooms and a suitable waiting area. Perhaps the best thing about the school is the teaching. As an award winning teacher myself who has mentored many beginning teachers in the past, I think it pays to provide potential students with honest, critical feedback. I can say nothing more than I found Zeynep's teaching first class. Her explanations and example made my understanding of such a difficult language that much easier. Finally, I regularly socialised with other students from the school and made some 'friends for life's in the process.

The lessons are of very high quality, staff is very friendly and helpful.

According what I had been told, I was supposed to take a placement test on the first day, which has not been done, they trusted my inscription form in which I wrote I had an A1/A2. So they put me in a A2 level course. I took 1to1 your lesson per day+ 2h groups lessons. It was supposed to be from 9 to 12.30 but it has always been 9-12.

The teachers were nice and welcoming but, as a teacher myself, I saw big issues. First of all their knowledge of English was miserable, I could not ask them explanations of the grammar parts because they just couldn't understand my questions, or just answer with 'yes, yes' even though the question wasn't a yes/no one. There were aspects in grammar that needed to be translated, but it was just impossible.

Second big issue, to me at least, they only followed the book. Istanbul A2. Before enrolling in the course I was planning to buy and study the A2 book to get ready for the course, but luckily I decided to not do it, and I'm glad cause the course would have been even a bigger waste of time. It's ok to use activities from the book, but, for instance, the last day we saw the past tense, which we had been using during the all week, so what's the point in studying something we already knew?

To conclude, the price I paid for this course wasn't really worth it.

The Language school is in the center of the city. The teacher is very helpful and experienced.

Above an A1 level, the training courses are generally only offered as individual lessons, which then also achieve the best results in a short time. The commitment of the teachers is excellent and definitely goes beyond the booked and expected performance. However, one should not have too high expectations that the teachers have good knowledge of English or any other language. The lessons are almost exclusively in Turkish, which I found to be very beneficial.

I can definitely recommend the Babil International Language School for a combination of vacation (Antalya!) and language refresher course or for language students for professional reasons.

I stayed in a hotel very close to the school it was in Antalya old town not far away from the beach as well.
My teacher was nice and friendly. My experience was perfect to me in one to one lessons.

I liked everything over there even if sometimes the air conditioning wasn't working properly I didn't mind cause after classes I always spend some hours at the beach or swimming pool.

If I go back to Antalya I'll definitely book a language course at the same school.

Overall it was a very nice stay in Antalya, which I really would like to recommend! The school is great. The teachers know a lot and they are very helpful. From the very first moment I felt welcome and there was enough space to get to know each other and to ask questions.

The level was also good (and fast), however I exprected to be in a more advanced group, since I already took some lessons before. In the end the grammar was not very new, however so was the vocabulary. I still have the problem that I am searching for words and I can not find them once I need them. So that was and still is a challenge for me.

The teachers are very nice and willing to help. It was good to start in English, however in order to learn a language you need to practise, and our teacher really knew how to stimulate the class.

What I didn't like and what I didn't know before booking this course, was that there was a four day celebration of an Islamic feast, so we got a few days off. If I would have known this beforehand, then I probably would have booked another course or at least in another week. Now I missed a few days and the school didn't offer an alternative program (excursions or something else you could spend time with) during the days of the feast.

The housing was very good. The lady of the house was very friendly and really wanting to help me. Although she couldn't speak English, she really tried to make it the best time for me. The house was very clean and I really felt as a part of the family. I went grocery shopping with her and we really could have fun, even with the little knowledge of the language that I knew.

That was really great experience: we started studying in small group - just 3 people. Because of that the course was very useful for all of us. The first week was really hard, but we learned a lot. After 2 weeks we were able to understand some texts and talks. After 3 weeks I was able to keep up the phone dialogue: talk to bank, telephone company and order water.

Classrooms are quite comfortable and have air conditioning system - and that is great. From some sits in classroom one can see the see throw the window. We were very impressed by that.

Most teachers speak little english, but it is enough to explain grammar and words meaning. The key thing is that they all are native Turkish speakers, so it is good for students to practise.

I would prefer that school would be located in Konyaalty, so students can get to the beach after lessons. But the locations is good, it is near the old city center and it is interesting to walk there too. It is located in flat in regular building.

Teacher and materials were good, location very good, facilities were not great, activities non existant, but that was not a problem for me. I would book again

Host family and accommodation excellent

My experience is overall very positive. The staf, as for me that is Akif, was very friendly and reasuring. My teacher , Cüneyt, was very patient , humorfull and could explain the grammar in a good way.
It was only 10 days I could attent classes, but he tried to teach me as much as possible, so I have a better knowledge now. It all comes down now in putting it into practice

My experience with the school was great from the moment of contact through my education. I feel that the teacher's and staff genuinely care and want you to learn their language. It is as easy or difficult as you want it to be. If you are serious about learning Turkish you will. I had to leave prematurely and return to America, however when I land back in Antalya I will definitely resume my education.
I highly recommend this program and school.

I really like this school. Everyone was so nice and liked to help you if you had a problem, either about the lesson or a private matter. My teacher, Çise was really good. She made a very good lesson, and if you didn’t understand so much English, she explained it very well. We also had a little old lady, Efadime hanım. She was very cute and she talked with you all the time in Türkish for you to remember what you learn during the day. She also helped correct your sentences. My class was good too. We had so many different people from different countries, and we all had a good connection with each other.

It was very nice to learn this way. I took private lessons, but I think it would have been better if I went to the course every day. I just went 3 times for 2 hours (and will do it again in December). This way you would get an even better result.

Babil language school is centrally located in Antalya on the 4th floor of the building (there is an elevator available), easily accessible by public transport (AntRay). There are two classrooms, an office, a bathroom and one small balcony for smokers. There is not much space apart from that to sit down and socialize with other students before and after class, basically it is a sofa. There is also free wireless Internet available.

My teacher was Hayriye. She was very friendly, quite young, spoke some English, but not very fluently (sometimes it was not easy to ask something), and the lessons were done very closely by the book page by page, exercise by exercise.

For us, there were no other activities with other students, such as socializing. We basically arrived for class, and then left the facility right after class.

There were some like snacks and beverages, Turkish tea available for sale. Downstairs there was a Turkish restaurant.

The guest family was friendly, but I would not necessarily recommend it to complete beginners due to lack of English language skills of the hosts. Also, it is important to understand that both mother and son work at the language school and there was nobody to talk to during the day. Breakfast was served, but you will not eat breakfast together with your hosts. Also for dinner or in the evenings you will not sit with or spend much time with your hosts. Mother and son take their dinner alone outside on the balcony. The atmosphere was like this: The 3 bedrooms in the apartment were all rented out to students. The hosts slept in the living room. There was a table with 3 plastic chairs in the hallway, for students to sit and eat, but rarely together. Students mainly stayed inside their small bedrooms. It was allowed to store items in the fridge. It was possible to use the washing machine on a Saturday. It is not really possible to hand-wash anything in the bathroom sink because there is no way to close the sink. A trick is to use a plastic bag inside the sink and wash some small items inside the plastic bag.

Breakfast consisted of Cucumber and Tomatoes that were already cut and put onto your plate including a small portion of fruit also pre-cut onto your plate (for example some pieces of peach or half a banana). There was a bag with white bread pieces. On some days each student received a boiled egg. Once a week, the mother made some Turkish pancake with spinach and cheese inside which was delicious. There was chocolate cream, one type of jam, some cheese and olives also available for breakfast and of course some Turkish tea.

I would not exactly describe the apartment as modern, it is definitely not spacious, and the rooms are quite small. On one day the main entrance to the building and stairs were full of dead cockroaches and it was hardly possible not to step onto one. Next to the apartment building is a mosque, please be aware that the calls for prayer start at 5 am and are quite loud, they are repeated several times during the day.

I would recommend the guest family only for people who already know some basic Turkish phrases and who have no high expectations of luxury, spacious rooms or spending time with the hosts.

Overall I had a great experience in Babil Language School. I felt welcome straight away, in my host family as well as in the school.

There were only very few students in my class, but this probably made the class much more effective. There was a 10-minute break after each lesson of 45 minutes which I thought was perfect. The teacher was about my age and I found a new friend in her. She was also very competent in her teaching style and was never tired to explain things again if needed.

I did not find that many things to do in Antalya but did not mind this as school kept me pretty busy.

I would definitely recommend Babil Language School to anyone who wants to improve their Turkish in a relaxed atmosphere. Make sure you stay in a host family though, because that way you will use the language much more.

The classes were small. Sometimes I was alone, which was good for me because I got to practice. Unfortunately, the classes turned into private lessons so I moved from 20 hours a week to 6 hours a week, and I didn't want that.

Despite this, the teachers and the team were very friendly. I liked every minute in this school.

The location was ideal because it was situated at the center of the city, just five minutes from all the activities.

The classes were small with lots of individual attention. A sense of humour helped the learning process.
The teacher was helpful, patient and attentive, and very kind.
The location was very suitable for me, only 6 minutes' walk from my accommodation.
The facilities I saw were traditional and quite sufficient for the course.
We has few out-of-class activities, because the January weather was unpredictable. Class members made our own activities.
I stayed in a hotel.
I liked the entire experience. I did not like saying goodbye!

I spent four of my most beautiful weeks in Antalya, attending Babil School in the morning and visiting Antalya and its surroundings in the afternoon and evening. My Turkish skills definitely improved. Classes have a low number of students (one time we were 7, then 4 and then 3) and the school is in a good location, in the center, near Kaleiçi and the main roads. Everyone was really polite and helpful, and also very friendly. One teacher even invited us the her wedding! And sometimes we ate together and even there they encouraged us to speak Turkish and not English. Maybe one little thing that I didn't like is that my host-family's house was quite far from the school (40 minutes by bus), but only my house; other host-family's houses were about 15/20 minutes walking. And the school is also a great opportunity to make friends from all over the world, like I did: now I have English, German, Belgian, Japanese, Chinese, American, Syrian and Turkish friends that I miss a lot. At the end I can only say that I'm ready to repeat everything that I did there.

Class was perfect; a mix of people from all countries. A teacher who could keep up with all those languages being spoken in the classroom and still maintain control. The location was convenient, in the centre of town, right opposite the tram stop. The activities (playing games in between lessons, having breakfast together, etc.) were very nice and my housing was perfect: I will be friends for life with my host mother and son. We already talked with a couple of people from class about meeting next year.

The host family was very welcoming and friendly. I had my own room, which was very good and provided breakfast was very delicious. In the classroom we were only three students, so we had a lot of attention from the teacher, who explained everything in detail.

I liked to study at the Babil School very much! Unfortunately I had only 1 month; it was not enough for me and I hope that I will come back to Babil School one day! Thank you to the best teachers- Fatma and Cicdem! And the best group-mates for company!
Ekaterina

The school is located in the city center of Antalya. The school itself is very small, just 2 classrooms. But that makes the school so special and familiar. The Babil Language School is a famliy business. I loved to be there and enjoyed every day. The people working there are very helpful and friendly. Our teacher was great. She did the best job ever. The only thing is that you have to know English because they teach from English to Turkish.
I can warmly recommend this school to everybody and it won't be the last time that I visit them.

I travel to Antalya from the UK as often as work and other commitments allow. Some friends and I had wanted for some time to do a Turkish language course in Antalya so we took the plunge and booked a week's study course at Babel in Antalya. We had little information or access to reviews about the College beforehand, but our decision was a good one.

The college is in a great location in the centre of Antalya with great views over the sea from the terrace where we took breaks from classes.

The teachers were well organised, friendly, but clear about our learning goals as a group and individually. The materials we had access to were varied and helpful as were the teaching techniques. The reasonable fee included a range of digital material which will help us continue learning now the course has finished. I wish I had spent more on learning Turkish instructions commonly used in tests to fully understand the test I took at the end of my week's course.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience in a friendly college and one we look forward to repeating again very soon.

My experience at Babil Language School in Antalya was a great one. The owner, Mehtap, is a great teacher who is dedicated to help you learn Turkish in a positive environment. I came to the school with almost no Turkish skills, and left with a comfortable knowledge of the basics. The school is located in a great area of a beautiful coastal city, within walking distance to the tramway and the old city. The homestay was in a comfortable home with a warm, hospitable host who made me feel at home (and made delicious breakfast!) I would definitely recommend Babil Language School to anyone!!

This experience was really great.
There is nothing I didn't like actually.
Everyone at Babil Language school was nice, hepful , listening to the students, and willing to do everything they could to help us improve our Turkish.

It was a very good experience. I went there for two weeks. The host family was very nice. I had my own room. I had classes in the afternoon (13.30 pm to 16.00 pm). It was given by a native speaker, I appreciated it.
In my classroom, there were 6 people (but sometimes we found two). The teacher was very friendly and we learned very well. The director was also very nice and was always available to help us (anything). I had a wonderful stay. Moreover, Antalya is a very beautiful city. There is always something to do.
In conclusion, I loved this trip and maybe one day I will return.