Placement Information

Cocuk Gezegeni is a kindergarten/nursery insisting of children aged from 2 to 6. It is a lovely setting, with very friendly, approchable staff and the children at the setting are also very welcoming. A few of the staff have completed a university course on English, and can speak and understand English, however there are some members of staff that cannot speak English at all, and use Turkish as their only language. The children also speak Turkish as their first language, however the school has specially trained English teachers who provide the children with English lesson's teaching them how to use English in their every day life. Overall, the setting is very abitious as they have open doors to international students/staff and they have offered me long term job opportunities, so if you are wanting to work abroard in the future, then this setting is one to consider.

Accommodation

I bought a package deal last minuite, and stayed at a hotel called Topkapi Palace. The hotel was beautiful, and surrounded by a lot of greenery. The beach is right behind the hotel litrally 0m, and is full of many relaxing activities. It has many pools both indoor and outdoor and has a private tower in which you can capture many beatiful sceneries of the whole area. The staff at the hotel are very friendly, and provide excellent service. Rooms are very big and spacious and they are cleaned daily. When booking your stay in Antalya, there are many other hotels you may stay at, the whole Kundu area is a massive tourist area with a long street full of rows of different Hotels.  

Transport

Transport in Antalya is very cheap. Taxis in antalya are a bit pricey however you can travel to anywhere you want via a public bus known as Dolmus. You may catch a Dolmus from anywhere, and you do not have to be standing at a bus stop as you can stop a Dolmus from anywhere and everywhere by just putting your hand out. It costs 1.50 liras to travel to anywhere you want which is ruffly 50p.   

Social life

Antalya has a very bright and colourful nightlife. In Antalya you can choose from a quiet drink in a traditional bar to huge open air dance clubs. There is true diversity of nightclubs, discos and bars in the area and you can try something different every night of the week. The music played in the nightclubs, discos and bars range from both turkish music and english music.               

Kemer is located about 43 kilometres from Antalya. It is really very attractive village at the outskirts of the Taurus Mountains. Kemer has nine pretty villages. The population of Kemer is roughly around 10.000 and it has a coast of 52 kms. In Kemer the forest, the sea and the mountains blend with each other and it offers an ideal environment for a wonderful visit.  

Antalya has a lot to offer to those of you who love shopping. You can enjoy your vacation while picking up whatever catches your fancy. Shopping in Antalya can be an exhausting, but exhilarating experience. In Antalya textiles, cotton clothing, traditional pottery and wood carvings, ornate meerschaum pipes, carpets, prayer rugs, gold and copper work, leather goods and souvenirs, local jams and jellies made from a variety of fruits and vegetables are very popular.
You can also visit the main Antalya bazaar. The Antalya main bazaar has roof. The bazaar has wide verity of products, such originality handiworks, different kinds of Turkish foods, all kind of jewelry, Turkish delight such as Halva, Baklava, Apple tea, Locum, Pines honey and Spices.

Things to do, things not to do

Before visiting Antalya, i was told to be very cautious regarding myself and my belongins, however i did not come accross any problems regarding safety of my self or my belongins. Hotels do provide a mini safe in which you can keep all your important belongings, such as passport, travel docs etc... 

When going out, it is essential to wear a side bag as it is harder to take off, therefore noone can try run away with it, or pick pocket as it is always by your side. Make sure that the side bag you use has zipped pockets so that eveyrthing you carry with you for instance money, mobile phones is nicely zipped up and secure. 

When going out and visiting nightlife, make sure you do not take any drinks from anyone you do no know, as they could have anything in it. Always buy your own drinks. Also when going out shopping, ensure you do not smell anything anyone gives you as there are always people trying to sell perfume, however these perfumes they try to make you smell may be poisoned and used as a way to put you to sleep while they steal your belongins.  

Also learn to speak the key words in turkish in order to make your stay in Antalya easier, words such as:

Hello: 'Merhaba'

Yes: 'Avet'

No: 'Higher'

How are you: 'Nasilisin'

How much: 'Ne kedar'

Where is it: 'Nerede'

Very good: 'Choki'

Bye: 'Gule Gule' 

Useful Contacts

To ring the police in Antalya, you just dial 155. 

Cocuk Gezegeni: 00902423112289

Turkey, Ankara, British Embassy

Address:

British Embassy
Şehit Ersan Caddesi 46/A
Çankaya

Telephone: 0312 455 3344

Before you go

Before leaving to go to Antalya, it is essential to check the British Embassy website in order to see the current news on what's going on in Antalya, Turkey. You must also check the weather so that you know what sort of clothing to take with you.

Make sure you have Travel insurance so that if anything goes wrong, such as you lose your baggage at the airport or if you have any medical situations, you are fully covered. 

Make sure you change your money to liras before leaving England so that you do not have trouble paying for transport from the airport to the hotel.

Also make sure you book your transfers from the airport to the hotel online before leaving, as it works out alot more cheaper.  

Costs