IICS New Teachers' Handbook 2011-12 - Istanbul International ...

IICS New Teachers’ Handbook 2011-12 Page 23 of 72
4.3.3. DOWNTOWN ISTANBUL
Downtown Istanbul, which is about 60-75 minutes from the Marmara campus and 20-30 minutes
from the Hisar campus, offers proximity to more shopping, cultural events, and nightlife, but the
apartments are often smaller and vary in age and quality. Below are photos of a typical downtown
apartment. Please be aware that size, age, and condition of dowtown apartments vary. Some may
have a Bosphorus view, but there is no guarantee. Below are photos of one teacher’s downtown
apartment. Please note that it is increasingly difficult to find 2 bedroom downtown apartments within
the housing allowance.
View of kitchen, bathroom, and salon
Views of master bedroom and additional bedroom
4.4. SECURITY IN GENERAL
The military presence in Turkey is very important, but you should not feel discomforted by this fact
of life. However, as a foreigner, you are required to keep proper identification on your person at all
times. Your residence permit is small and easy to carry, however, you should also keep your
passport on you until your work permit is processed. Always keep copies of your identification
documents in case replacement becomes necessary. Although the security guards and “jandarma”
(gendarme/military police) are usually neither friendly nor unfriendly, they may become disagreeable
if they ask you to produce a work permit or passport and you are unable to. For their purposes,
photocopies are not acceptable.
Theft insurance is available and recommended. You may inquire about theft insurance policies with
the Business Office. Alarm system service through Pronet is also available; inquire with Pınar
Demirkan if you are interested in a Pronet Alarm system pdemirkan@iics.k12.tr
IICS New Teachers’ Handbook 2011-12 Page 23 of 72