Kelkit Vocational School Project

Kelkit is a town and district in Gümüşhane Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 63,510 of which 19,090 live in the town of Kelkit. The district covers an area of 1,438 km2 (555 sq mi), and the town lies at an elevation of 1,377 m (4,518 ft). The district covers an area of 1,438 km2 (555 sq mi), and the town lies at an elevation of 1,377 m (4,518 ft).

Kelkit has inland weather characteristics unlike the rest of the Black Sea region. The winters are very cold and the summers are very hot, but still you can see the sun most of the time. In spring, it rains a lot. As long as you dress accordingly, there is no need to fear getting sick.

Kelkit’s population is approximately 20,000 including the surrounding 105 villages. Locals are either farmers or small business owners. Kelkit's neighboring cities are Erzincan, Gumushane and Bayburt, each about 45 minutes away. The closest airports are in Trabzon and Erzincan. Kelkit is very close to many historical places in Turkey.

Kelkit is a small town so there are not so many restaurants, cafes, pubs or places for socializing. You may not have easy access to museums, galleries or social venues unless you go to big cities like Trabzon or Erzincan.

People in Kelkit are mostly conservative. Therefore, foreigners may face difficulties in understanding the cultural differences. But this doesn’t mean that the new generation is the same. The new generation is changing. On the other hand, people are very kind to outsiders as long as the foreigners respect the way they live.

The school’s name is Kelkit Aydın Doğan Meslek Yüksekokulu. It was built by a well-known businessman, Aydın Doğan. It is a vocational college where students attend a one year English Preparatory program followed by a 2 year vocational program. The English Program is an intensive language program during which students can learn enough English to be able to communicate with others in their field.

The school provides accommodation for English teachers. The houses have enough basic furniture and home appliances. English teachers should bring their own personal belongings but most things are available in the area. The houses are shared but teachers have their own bedrooms. The houses are just 2 minutes away from the school on foot. Living in a campus community feels really good.

The school has a cafeteria that both teachers and students can use. Apart from the academic staff, there are non-academic staff and workers of the school. They know either a little English or none at all. It is unlikely for English teachers to be provided with private offices; therefore big-shared offices are provided. Generally, 3 or 4 teachers share an office.

The school is in a big building and has 5 departments. They are Accounting, Computer Technology, Industrial Electronics, Organic Farming and Civil Aviation. The school has approximately 500 students in total. The English department has about 140 students. We usually have 5 or 6 classrooms dedicated to the English department. The average class size is 15-25 students.

In the school, teachers have Internet access; photocopy facilities and some electronic devices such as projectors. We have a conference hall where we show weekly films for the students. Teacher can also use their own computers at the school.

In the school, the school day starts at 08:00 a.m. Teachers are expected to come to school at least 15 minutes before the lesson begins. They spend this time reviewing the preparations made the previous day. The lessons are 50 minutes each and the teachers are always prompt. Teachers dress appropriately (no blue jeans). Since they usually share working environment, they also work collaboratively.

Our teachers are from all over the world and also include Turkish teachers of English. They are well-qualified and energetic people, all with a completed CELTA, DELTA or TESOL including 120 hours of in-class-teaching-practice. Moreover, our teachers have at least 2 years of ELT experience.

Teaching English is only one part of the job, here in Kelkit. Teachers also have to deal with some other related activities. Exam preparation and assessment, extra curricular activities and language related clubs constitute the other parts of the job in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts. Apart from this, teachers provide skill related English courses to the academic staff upon request from the school management. Rarely teachers work overtime.

We follow a curriculum in accordance with The Common European Framework (CEF). So all the materials are congruent with the framework. The level generally progresses from Elementary to Pre Intermediate. Grammar is the least reinforced skill while speaking and listening are the most reinforced ones since they are more important in communication.

In this program, when teachers are teaching, they are observed in many ways such as pop in observations, peer observations and official observations.

The day usually finishes at 15:00. After that teachers usually prepare for the next day’s lessons. The rest of the day is totally free. You can spend your spare time doing different activities. Since the school campus is surrounded by meadows, teachers sometimes go for walks around the campus. The serene environment can make you feel refreshed and can help you think about your future projects.