Following an intensive day at their respective universities, a group of students rushed to a classroom in central Istanbul for their Chinese class, with the hope of having more options in future careers.

"We see that there are not too many Chinese-speaking people in Turkey," said Koray Saglar, a sophomore, as he was putting down his course materials on the desk.

"This creates a huge demand in the business world," he said before the class began at the Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association. He wants to continue his studies in China on trade and commerce in the coming years.

"In today's fast developing business world, English, as a secondary language, is not enough anymore," he said.

For him, the Chinese language ranks the top of the list after English, not only in Turkey but also in many parts of the world, and a growing number of university students, with future careers in their minds, are learning Chinese.

Ismail Kural, a student from Marmara University, said the companies with which he has been in contact since he started to learn Chinese have begun to offer him a full-time job after his graduation.

"So I suggest to my friends to start to learn Chinese as soon as possible, as there is a huge gap in many sectors," he said.

Apart from the association, the Confucius Institutes across Istanbul have been opening Chinese courses as well to Turkish students and others.

Deniz Iscan, a high-school student aged 17, decided this year to take the Chinese course with the Confucius Institute at Bogazici University (CIBU).

"I want to learn as much as possible about China, its culture, society and the language before I start my university years," said Iscan. On graduation, she plans to live and work in the tourism industry in China as a tour guide.