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Can someone share their experience using a private tutor vs Dilmer? Will a private tutor have a structured syllabus though?
What makes Dilmer better than Tomer?
Since my earlier response 4 years ago, I have completed another course at Dilmer.
As I stated earlier, a good private tutor is always the best option in my opinion. They can structure lessons to suit your level and requirements. It helps if they can also speak in your native language. My private tutor was happy to follow course textbooks (Dilmer & Tomer) and also had her own materials, put together after years of teaching. We negotiated suitable times, normally she had 1 hour lessons, but I wanted a weekly 2 hour booking to maximise my learning while in Istanbul. She also provided homework, to revise language points, and that was reviewed at the next meeting. For example, I needed extra help with passive and causative verbs, and was given examples in English, to translate to Turkish. She would then go through my answers, to see my approach, and recommend changes or correct as needed. I did spend a lot of time speaking and explaining in English, as it was quicker and resulted in more effective time for learning.
Expense and time availability are the disadvantages of using a private tutor. They may not be available when you want to use them, and unexpected situations may force lesson cancellations. Skype is also an option, when you aren´t located in the same city.
I found Dilmer Language School was also useful. They evaluate your Turkish level with a multi-choice test paper, and also have a face to face meeting to check your speaking and listening skills. They then place you in a class that they think is suitable, from 1 of 6 levels. You have a choice of either morning or afternoon, depending on your preference. Later, teachers can suggest moving up or down levels, if they think you are struggling, or too advanced in your current class. You cannot select a teacher, because of their system, and teachers are not named before you begin. They have some very good teachers, and some other teachers that I and others in my class were very disappointed with, (used when our regular teacher had family problems).
The lessons were taught completely in Turkish, and some teachers were better at explaining and simplifying language points than others. The intensive 20 hours per week lessons took a lot of concentration and homework study time afterwards. Unfortunately some teachers were regularly late, always coming in with their coffee or tea, and occasionally apologies. Each day´s classes had a mix of speaking and listening practise at the start. Then homework revision and corrections and explanations if needed. Later new grammar topics with rules, explanations and book exercises to go through, followed by 2-3 samples provided by every student. Occasionally small tests were done to evaluate progress, with revision of previous grammar learned. Students also had to prepare small talks to the class (about themselves or a topic of their choice). After their presentation, they had to answer teacher & class questions.
I enjoyed the group learning experience at Dilmer, but the classes aren´t structured to individual needs, and the teacher quality and interaction can vary, and you have no control over that.
You can always change your private tutor if you aren´t happy, but it is more of a lottery with a language school.
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