Working in Turkey

Working in Turkey can be very simple, providing you have the correct paperwork, and know what you want to do. To take up employment you will need a work visa or permit, which you can get from the Turkish Embassy or Consulate in the UK; if you’re British (See Useful Contacts, Turkey for contact details). If not you must apply through the Turkish Embassy or Consulate in the country you are a national of.

You will also need to contact the Turkish Embassy or Consulate if you wish to stay longer than three months. Applications for a work visa must reach the embassy at least one month prior to your arrival date in Turkey. To obtain a work visa you must have your passport, a visa application form and a letter from your employer in Turkey will make the process far less painful. A work visa entitles the holder to a two-year residence permit, which can be extended.

If you're wanting to teach English in Turkey, you should be spoilt for choice for work. Work is also readily available for qualified nannies, and of course those who want to work in the tourism sector over the high-season; check the situations vacant in the Turkish Daily News.

Job Hunting
A popular choice among those who are wanting to work professionally in Turkey is to find work prior to arriving in the country. However this is not to say that job hunting isn't successful whilst in the country.

If you're wanting to work in the tourism industry, you can more than likely drop into a few bars or restaurants and spread the word that you're looking for work, you should find something fairly readily, however do be sure you have the correct paperwork in place as working illegally carries heavy fines.

For teaching work, there doesn't seem to be one place where you can look for work; it's more a case of approaching schools individually and developing a network of contacts. Try the jobs section in our forum, when it's up and running to see if there's anything there that takes your fancy.

Such things as paid holiday, sick leave and such like hold little importance in Turkey's work environment, and as such you shouldn't expect to be paid if you're off sick, or on holiday. You can also, especially if working in tourism, expect very little time off.

However, working in Turkey can be a great experience, you'll meet all sorts of characters and have a great deal of fun.