Is Türkiye a good country to live and work in?

Whether you choose to stay temporarily or live in Turkey permanently, most people know that Turkey is a good country to live and work in. The higher your work ability, the more chances there are to secure a job and get a work permit.

Working in Turkey also brings certain challenges such as language barriers and Turkish work culture. But many people have been successfully employed in the Turkish workforce. Apart from that, living in Turkey has many benefits, including the climate, free lifestyle, food, and a truly welcoming and hospitable society. For more information, you can read the guide for immigration to Türkiye.

Review of working conditions in Turkey

Many foreigners dream of working in Türkiye. These days, the labor market is heavily regulated so that anyone who has a job in this country pays taxes.

Any foreigner who receives a job offer without a work permit will be fined and even fired. It is necessary to have a work permit in Türkiye. But job seekers should also consider jobs and where to find them.

According to the labor law in Turkey, a professional person must work 45 hours a week. Large companies are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., although this may vary depending on the job.

Most Turkish companies give two weeks of vacation every year. Foreign workers should not have too much hope that all standard Western holidays (such as Nowruz, etc.) will be recognized by their employers unless they work for large international companies.

The three major cities of Turkey, namely Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul, host large international companies, which represent suitable job opportunities for people who intend to migrate, and the fourth city can be considered Antalya, which is a pole for the tourism industry of this country.

In the following, we are with you regarding working conditions and the introduction of sites where you can find a suitable job in Turkey.

The position of Türkiye in terms of work and life

Turkey has taken an advanced position among the best countries to live in. According to a survey conducted by the British HSBC Holding Group, Turkey is ranked seventh in the world as the best country to live and work in. More than 18,000 foreign workers from 163 countries around the world took the survey.

Benefits of working in Turkey

• A person can use bank loans
• A person who works in Turkey can bring his spouse and children under 18 to Turkey for a tourist stay. After 5 years of continuous work, a person can apply for Turkish citizenship.
• They can be treated for free in public hospitals in Türkiye.
• Investors can take advantage of the tax benefits, help in choosing an investment target, or insurance premiums that Turkey offers.
• A person can save or spend their earnings in Turkey freely both inside and outside the country.

List of required jobs in Türkiye

Over the past few years, Turkey’s economy has struggled to maintain its rapid growth but is still projected to grow by 5.9 percent in 2023. The main challenges are related to low labor force participation of women, lack of skills, and intense employment.

Popular jobs in Türkiye

• the surgeon
• Lawyer
• Judge
• Bank manager
• Administration Manager
• financial manager
• Orthodontic Specialist-computer engineer
• University professor
• the pilot
• Marketing Director

What are the high-paying jobs in Türkiye?

Senior Managers:

Senior managers in Turkey receive an average salary of 1,112,540 lines per year. This job is the highest-paying job in Turkey and is reserved for the most experienced people.

Bank manager:

Investment bankers in Turkey earn an average salary of 857,460 TL per year. This is a highly sought-after position as it offers a high level of responsibility and significant earning potential.

lawyers:

Lawyers in Turkey receive an average salary of 798,780 lines per year. It is a prestigious profession that offers the opportunity to help others and earn good money.

physicians:

Doctors in Turkey earn an average salary of 740,480 lire per year. It is a challenging profession.

Prohibited jobs for foreigners in Türkiye

• Dentistry and NursingPharmacy and veterinary medicine
• Head of private hospitals
• Lawyer and Notary Public
• security officer
• Any occupation related to maritime or cabotage law, including diving
• Customs officer

What jobs can foreigners have in Türkiye?

• IT specialist
• Information technology project manager
• Business analyst
• DevOps Engineer
• Cloud Architect/Engineer
• scrum master
• Cyber security engineer
• Accountants
• Chef
• Sales Manager
• Bachelor of Insurance
• Administration Manager
• Programming
• Press
• skilled cook

Jobs that most Iranians are engaged in:

programmer:

The income of programmers who work in public or private companies or in independent projects in Turkey is very good.

Company registration offices:

Many people who immigrate to Turkey start their own businesses and apply for company registration in Turkey.

Internet freelance working  in Turkey

This type of work is a lifelong career choice that has emerged worldwide and will continue to be popular because it allows for flexibility. Therefore, many immigrants do this.

If you have a laptop and internet access, you can do things like writing, blogging, social media management, web design, and technology on websites like upwork.com.

Vacation companies and hotels

Most international holiday companies require hotel and airport representatives during the summer season, and most foreigners can apply for one within the first few years of their stay in Turkey.

Once you do this, your accommodation will be provided, which is a big help to foreigners who don’t have good accommodation yet, but this varies from business to business.

The disadvantage of working in an international company in Turkey was the increase in service hours and the tendency to move repetitions, which makes it difficult to settle in one place.

Work in Turkish hotels

Another avenue to try is the large, all-inclusive hotels dotted around Turkey’s Aegean or Mediterranean coasts. Since they employ hundreds of people, owners and managers can easily work permit in Turkey. But wages are low, but employees can enjoy food and accommodation.

Au Pair jobs in Türkiye

If you have childcare credentials and no criminal record, do a Google search to find many local Turkish families looking for an au pair. Most of them live in big Turkish cities like Istanbul and pay an average salary of 400 dollars per month.

They usually give you one day off a week and you live in their house, so you don’t pay rent. This is a great opportunity to learn Turkish.

Teaching English as a second language

However, a popular option is teaching English as a second language. Many private schools hire foreign English speakers with TEFL qualifications for group and private classes. They can also work in fields such as management, marketing, sales, technical, etc.

Educational jobs (teaching)

Start your search for teaching jobs as a TEFL language teacher in Turkey using the following sites:

• Go Overseas – Teach English in Turkey-to-i
• International TEFL Academy
• Teach Away
• TEFL.com – Job Seeker

Are there language requirements to work in Türkiye?

Turkey has a low English proficiency score and only about 17% of the population can speak the language.
While English is a common form of business communication in larger cities, such as Ankara and Istanbul, you will struggle without a minimal understanding of Turkish.

There may not be a standardized language test to pass before entering the country, but knowing Turkish will increase your job prospects and make your work at a high level.

If you are working in TEFL, you must be fluent in English and Turkish as well. However, the more Turkish you know, the easier your daily life will be.

The best place to find a job in Türkiye

There are many places to look for a job in Turkey, but from experience, the best place is to network internationally and put yourself on the LinkedIn job market. LinkedIn has a free service, but the premium version allows you to create a portfolio as your resume for employers to view.

You will also receive notification of any business in your post job listing. This site is easy to use and one of the best for finding an employer in Turkey.

Stay with us to introduce job search platforms for foreigners in Turkey.

Introduction of employment sites

In Turkey, like other developed countries, most companies publish their job ads using various websites, and job seekers search by submitting their resumes. In the following, we introduce the most famous work platforms in Türkiye.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the most important platforms that brings people and companies together, it also has many opportunities for people who want to work in Turkey.

learn 4 good site

#1 job search website, helping job seekers search and apply for new jobs in Turkey and elsewhere too.

Indeed

This site is a global job search platform that offers Turkish ex-pats many business opportunities.
Great job website in the USA has many opportunities in Turkey, especially Istanbul.

Turkey Talent site

is a leading English-language job site in Türkiye. Talent Turkey is a very easy tool to search and apply for jobs in Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries.

Craigslist job site

Craigslist is one of the top classified websites in the world. Craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for businesses in Turkey.

Just Landed site

A well-known classifieds website portal that provides great opportunities to live, work or study in Turkey. Seekers can visit Just Landed to find jobs in Turkey and other countries.

With the following sites, you can expect Turkish employers to respond when you send your CV.

Eleman.net employment site

This site is not as popular as Kariyer, but it is worth checking out. If you don’t know the Turkish language, you can use Google Translate. This site is mostly used for people looking for employees and simple labor.

Kariyer.net recruitment

This platform has been known as the most preferred business search platform in Turkey for several years. Many recruitment ads for foreigners are also posted on this platform.

This site is currently the largest employment website in Türkiye. You definitely need to know Turkish to be successful with this website as it is a platform used by locals.

iSKUR website

One of the most famous job search sites in Turkey, which is one of the first pages to search for jobs in Turkey. This site belongs to the government and every Turkish citizen is a member.

Yenibiris employment site

There are many good quality and professional jobs on this site. This is where you should start your job search according to your specialty and city.

Your search for work in Turkey starts at home, as you need a work permit before entering the country to obtain a work permit. There are many other job sites in Turkey that you can use.
As:

• secretcv.com website
• elemanonline.com website
• xing.com website
• kariyerzirvesi.com website
• Serialeman application website
• cvligin website
• Expat.com site
• Reed.co.uk
• Totaljobs site

Salary of different occupations in Türkiye

job	Monthly salary
Engineering jobs	7730 lira
Manager	11300 lira
Human resources manager	12300 lira
Marketing manager	10200 lira
Teacher	3000 to 5000 lira
Welder	3500 lira
Babysitter	3000 lira
Hotel staff	2500 lira
Cleaning service force	2000 lira
Assembling the work of the sofa	2500 lira
My bar cafe	3000 lira
Waiter	2000 lira

The average salary in Türkiye

The average salary in the recent year (2022) in Turkey is about 94,000 Turkish lira (TRY) per year. This is approximately US$5,040, based on December 2022 exchange rates.

What is the average monthly salary in Türkiye?

The average monthly salary in Turkey is around 7830 Turkish lira (US$420.08). These salaries include employee benefits such as allowances, medical, and transportation. The World Bank classifies Turkey as an upper and middle economy with a GDP of $9,586.6 per capita (recorded in 2021).

To find out if Turkey is an ideal destination for your business, let’s look at some other salary statistics:

salary

The minimum wage in Turkey is set and revised by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security every two years.
The net minimum wage in Turkey is 6471 TRY (347.17 USD) per month and the minimum gross wage is about 7603 TRY (407.63 USD).

Average annual salary increase

In Turkey, the annual increase rate can vary based on several factors, such as the level of experience of the employees and the industry in which they work.

Let’s examine these in detail:

A) Level of experience

Employees in senior positions tend to receive higher rates of increase than juniors and juniors.

b) Industry

Companies in thriving industries tend to increase salaries. However, the increase in income depends on the economic situation of the country.

disclaimer

All salary data is estimated. People’s income and minimum wage vary according to location, education, job title, and other factors.

Now that we’ve looked at salary statistics, let’s look at the factors that affect salaries in Turkey.

5 factors affecting the average salary in Türkiye

Average salaries in Turkey vary based on work experience, education level, location, and other factors.
Let’s compare the average annual income received based on these factors:

1. Experience

Work experience can affect a professional’s salary. Usually, those with more experience get paid more.

2. Education

Applicants with a degree or diploma earn about 17 percent more than their counterparts who only completed high school.

Employees with a bachelor’s degree earn about 24 percent more than those with a degree or diploma.

With a master’s degree, employees can earn approximately 29% more than their counterparts with a bachelor’s degree.

Finally, Ph.D. holders earn approximately 23% more than those with a master’s degree in the same field.

3. Type of employment

Depending on the type of job (permanent, part-time, etc.), a person in Turkey can earn the following:

4. Job title

Average earnings vary by occupation, even in the same fields. It is also influenced by the demand for specialized professionals.

5. City

The average salary of an employee in Turkey can also vary by city. This issue is due to the different costs of living in different cities.

Labor laws in Türkiye

The regulated elements of employment are employees, employers, wages, employment contracts, and workplaces.

Employee obligations

Employees are personally responsible for doing their work and no one else can do the work for them unless otherwise written in the contract or terms.

Employees must act in the interest of the employer and avoid behaviors that can harm the employer economically, commercially, or professionally.

Obligations of the employer

The main duty of the employer is to pay wages in full and on time. A work contract that does not include the employer’s obligation to pay wages is considered void.

This has various aspects including social security, health and safety, trade union rights, personal and professional reputation, protection and respect for privacy and confidentiality, and freedom of expression.

wage

Employers must pay wages regularly in cash unless the parties or the job has specific exemption criteria, the employee’s wages must be determined in Turkish lira.

Türkiye has a legal minimum wage. The government determines and announces the minimum wage at least once every two years.

end of work

certain period

Employment for a certain period is automatically considered terminated at the end of the period.

unlimited period

In certain circumstances, the employer is obliged to pay compensation after the termination of the employment contract. The employer must terminate cooperation after firing an employee who has been working continuously for at least one year if one of the parties to the termination is the employer and the firing is not for a fair reason related to the employee’s unethical behavior or actions.

Severance pay is calculated as 30 days for each full year of work and is based on the employee’s last gross salary.

Termination of employment for just cause

The labor law provides certain fair reasons for both the employer and the employee to immediately terminate the employment contract. If there is a just cause, the terminating party does not need to comply with the notice deadlines during the indefinite period of employment or wait for the expiration of the fixed period of employment.

Additional work provisions in Türkiye

If you plan to outsource to Turkey, it is better to pay attention to their employment methods. Here are some of the regulations for employees explained in the Turkish Labor Law:

Regular working hours in Turkey should not exceed 45 hours per week and daily working hours should not exceed 11 hours.
Overtime is allowed and employers must pay 25 percent of their employee’s hourly wages for each hour of overtime
Employees are entitled to at least 14 days of annual leave after one year of service in a particular employer.
Foreigners who have required documents that the country thinks can contribute to the economy can apply for a Turquoise Card, a special work permit.