Coaching & academic English — in Turkish or English
You left something
behind to be here.
That matters.
When you arrive, everything hits at once — the paperwork, the “what am I even doing here,” the “why did I come.” What you need in that moment isn’t a brochure. It’s someone to take your hand and say: breathe, I’m here, we’ll sort this out together. That’s what this is — from someone who has been exactly there. In English or Turkish.
Six years, two chapters
2015
Graduated from law school in Türkiye
2016
Qualified as a lawyer · won the scholarship
2018
Arrived in the UK for the master’s
2019
Returned home. Built a career, a life
2021
Left it behind — returned for a PhD in Law
Now
Almost finished — and helping others through it
Who this is for
If you left a career to come here, this was built for you.
The professional who gave something up
You had a real career in Türkiye — one you’d worked hard for. You left it to come here. The sacrifice was real, and it doesn’t disappear just because you chose it. You were someone there. Here, some days, you feel like no one. This is the gap nobody else fills.
Lost between two worlds
Not fully at home here. Not quite the same person back there. That in-between feeling is real, it’s exhausting, and it has a name. You’re not alone in it.
Figuring out what comes next
The degree is ending, or you’re at a crossroads. Staying or going back — both feel complicated. You’re not the same person who arrived, and that’s both a loss and a gain.
Finding it harder than expected
You’re capable. You know your field. But UK academic culture has unwritten rules nobody explained. Supervision, writing, seminars — it’s harder than it should be.
About to arrive
You have your offer or visa. You want to know what’s really coming — not the brochure version. You want to arrive prepared, not overwhelmed.
Parents sending a child to the UK
Your child has an offer or a scholarship. You’re proud — and anxious. A preparation session, in Turkish, is one of the most practical things you can give them before they fly.
Why The Sixth Year
Not a platform.
A person who has been there.
"The Sixth Year wasn't built from research or a business plan. It was built from six real years of living this — twice, and the second time leaving a career behind to do it.
It exists because it should have existed already. Not as a platform. As something real, from someone who has been there."
Legally trained
When something feels unfair — a tenancy, a visa condition, a university decision — this isn't just empathy. It's someone who actually knows what your rights are.
Still inside it
This isn't coaching from ten years ago. The experience is current, the challenges are familiar, and nothing has been forgotten or romanticised.
Knows the silence
The feeling of calling home and saying everything is fine when it isn't. The seminar where there was something worth saying and it went unsaid. That's the experience this is built from.
Chose difficulty twice
There was a good life, and it was left behind to come back. That means the weight of the choice is understood — not just the excitement of it.
About the founder
Hilal Cibik
PhD Candidate in Law · Licensed Attorney
Founder, The Sixth Year
For as long as I can remember, I had one dream: to become a lawyer. Then, in high school, after the books I read, a second dream took shape — to study abroad.
In 2016 I qualified as a lawyer. Around the same time, I won a scholarship for a master’s and a PhD abroad. I was holding two different paths that most people never reach even one of — and I didn’t know what to do with them.
I decided to go.
During the master’s, I thought long and hard about whether this path was really mine. Afterwards I returned home, started practising law, and began building my career. I had the choice not to go back for the PhD. But I wanted to finish the story I had left unfinished.
Through all of it, I went back and forth more times than I can count. I learned that life is not a straight line — that every choice means letting go of something, and that each one carries its own weight.
That is why, today, The Sixth Year is more than a business.
It holds everything I wish the Hilal of 2018 could have heard.
Working together
Real coaching.
From someone who has been there.
Start with a single session. If it helps and you want to go further, continue with the programme. All sessions are 1:1, via video call, with written notes after each one — in English or Turkish.
A Single Session
For anyone — wherever you are in the journey
One focused 60-minute conversation. Whether you’re about to arrive, finding it harder than expected, or deciding what comes next — leave with clarity and a sense of direction. No commitment beyond this.
- Space to say it out loud — and not be alone in it
- We break the chaos into pieces and put them in order
- Guidance on academic life — supervisors, writing, seminars
- Online, in English or Turkish, wherever you are
- Written summary after the session
Single session · 60 minutes
Book a sessionParents welcome too — if your child is flying to the UK, this session covers what you both need to know before they land.
Find Your Footing
For anyone navigating a life between two countries
A structured programme for the work that takes more than one conversation — settling in, academic life, belonging, identity, and figuring out what comes next. Built around where you actually are.
- 6 × 60-minute 1:1 sessions, online
- Someone in your corner, session after session
- Academic life — supervisors, writing, seminars
- Belonging, and the in-between feeling — named and navigated
- Identity and career — thought through together
- Written notes and action plan every session
6 sessions · save £100 vs single
Book the programmeNot sure where to start? Email me first — tell me where you are and I’ll tell you honestly what I think would help. hilalcibikk@gmail.com
The second way to work together
Writing & Speaking Classes
Not a language class — communication coaching. Whether you left a career to be here or arrived straight from your degree, the gap between knowing English and sounding like you belong in a UK academic room is real, specific, and learnable. This is for anyone who wants to close it.
Academic Writing
Essay structure, dissertation chapters, academic argument, the tone UK academics expect. For students who know their subject but struggle to write it the British way.
- —1:1 sessions on your actual work
- —Essay and dissertation structure
- —Academic tone and argument
- —Supervisor email communication
- —Written feedback after every session
per 60-minute session
Book a sessionAcademic Speaking
Seminar participation, presentations, viva preparation. For students who know what they want to say but freeze or lose confidence in spoken UK academic settings.
- —Seminar and classroom confidence
- —Presentation and viva preparation
- —British academic communication style
- —Handling questions and disagreement
- —Real practice in every session
per 60-minute session
Book a sessionWriting + Speaking
Both skills together — for students who want to transform how they communicate in UK academic environments, on the page and in the room.
- —6 sessions — 3 writing, 3 speaking
- —Everything from both programmes
- —Review of your actual academic work
- —Progress tracking across sessions
- —Written summary and action plan
6 sessions · save £50
Book this bundleHow it works
Four steps. No surprises.
Book a time
Pick a slot that works for you. If you’re unsure whether this is right, email me first — no pressure, and I’ll tell you honestly if I think something else would help you more.
Tell me where you are
Before we meet, you’ll get a short email asking a few questions. This means we don’t spend the session on background — we start where it matters.
The session
60 minutes, one to one, over Google Meet. In English or Turkish — whichever you think in. Wherever you are in the world, we find a time that works across our time zones. No script, no slides. A real conversation.
Notes afterwards
Within 48 hours you’ll get written notes: what we covered, what to do next, and anything I promised to look up for you.
Questions
Things people ask before booking.
Resources Hub
Tested tools for every stage.
✈️ Before You Arrive
- Monzo FreeOpen a UK bank account from abroad before you land — no credit history needed
- UKCISA.org.uk FreeOfficial visa and rights guidance for international students
- Rightmove / Zoopla FreeResearch accommodation before you arrive
- NHS.uk FreeUnderstand GP registration before you need it
🗣 Language & Communication
- Anki FreeBest way to build academic vocabulary over time
- LanguageTool FreeGrammar checker trained on British English
- Ludwig.guru FreeSee how native speakers phrase things in real contexts
- The Sixth Year Speaking Classes Available now1:1 academic speaking coaching — see programmes above
📚 Academic & PhD
- Zotero FreeReference management — essential for any thesis
- Notion FreeOrganise research: notes, chapter plans, supervisor logs
- Otter.ai FreeTranscribe supervisor meetings automatically
- Connected Papers FreeVisualise how research papers relate to your topic
🧠 Belonging & Wellbeing
- Student Minds FreeThe UK's leading student mental health charity
- Meetup.com FreeFind international communities near you
- Headspace PaidMeditation for anxiety — student discount available
- Toastmasters Low costBuild spoken English confidence in a group setting
Where to start
You left something behind.
Let’s make it count.
If you’re ready, book a session. If you have a question first, just email me. And if you’d rather take your time, subscribe and get one honest email a week until you are.
No pressure, no spam. Start whichever way feels right.