Ask friends currently in English classes where they attend and how their experience has been so far. Speak with them about what they enjoy most about the classes and what their challenges are. Find out if any native English speakers teach at their schools.
Research schools, class size, cost and the availability to hear native English speakers. Make a list of your findings. Be sure to include Kent English in Kadikoy and a trip up and down Istiklal Caddesi when searching for your school.
Choose the school that offers a challenge, support and good value. Inquire about payment options and get your class schedule worked out.
Invest in your education by hiring a private tutor who is a native English speaker. Many private tutors can be found at Bogazici University, where many American and British students attend school. A good tutor charges 15 to 45 lira per hour.
Spend at least one hour a week with your tutor. Focus on oral exercises. Most Turkish students need encouragement to speak, and that requires repeating a native speaker's intonation and consonant formation.
Work hard on verb tenses. Turkish students have an especially hard time with English verb tenses because Turkish sentence structure is so different.
Ask what you need to do to improve. Some tutors in Istanbul are new to teaching. Inquire of your tutor in what areas you are strong and in what areas you are weak. Listen to her criticism and focus on improving the areas of weakness.
Listen to English music as much as possible. Music compact discs (CDs) are available at many street vendors and virtually every CD shop in Istanbul. Buy online at iTunes when in rural Turkey.
Watch television (TV), and watch it a lot. Choose from a variety of American favorites, from Seinfeld and 24 to Lost. Do your best to listen to the words the characters speak while reading Turkish subtitles. Repeat phrases you recognize from class and tutoring.
Get online. Read English web pages and try to social network with English speakers on Facebook and Myspace. The more you read, the more you learn.