Job Discussion Forums

[HLJ]

Hi guys.
So, I need the basics please:
I am an American with a CELTA and 1 year of experience.
I am interested in moving to Turkey to teach.
I understand that Americans get a 90-day tourist visa upon entry and can do border runs to get a new visa.
Do most people work without work permits?
Is it difficult to get a work permit?
How can I go about getting a residency permit?
What's the REAL work situation?

Thanks for the advice, in advance!

[FGT]

The official path is to find work first, from your country of origin. With the contract (and the assistance of your new employers), then to apply for a work visa from home. Furnished with said work visa, you will then obtain a residence permit (again with the co-operation of your employers) once you are resident (and working) in Turkey. OR you can come to Turkey, obtain work, return to your country of origin in order to apply for a work visa etc. Then commence work.

In actual fact, many people find work here, then work without a permit initially. The school may or may not make it possible for you to legalise your position.
Some people are happy to work illegally and to do the three month visa run. You may be able to do this long term.
It's your choice whether or not you want to be legitimate.
Choose your employer according to your expectations.

As Celta qualified with experience you can pick and choose all bar the plum university jobs, you don't need to work for a fly by night establishment.

Good luck!

[Shalana]

I recently started working here and came from another European country but am an American and this is what I have been told by my employer.

They are taking care of all of the paperwork and have first submitted the paperwork for my residency permit which will supposedly take 2 weeks to get. Once I have that, they will submit the paperwork for my work visa which I believe they said will take around 3 months so I will probably have to do one visa run.

I did not do any prior paperwork for either of these before leaving the country I was previously in or before leaving the US.

[lovelace]

Yes, I was told they've changed the rules and now you don't have to go back to your country of origin to process your work permit application. And residence permits are easier to get these days aswell - though you have to be able to show a certain amount of money in your bank account.

[HLJ]

Thanks for the responses.

One more 'basic' question:

I realize that September is probably the best month to find work, but what about-
October?
January?
February?

I probably won't be able to move to Turkey until one of those months.

Thanks...

[atkinson]

[keitepai]

Schools are on holiday here until end of August and half of Istanbul goes south to the beach! Some schools run holiday programmes over this time.

So, in my experience jobs are easier to get before September. There still may be openings around after that but the good jobs tend to be gone early.

Good luck

[atkinson]

Thanks!

[kylemory]

So, if late August and September are out, would July be the best time to get into turkey and look for work?
I'm a CELTA certified teacher with 4 years of experience in Japan and Mexico (currently teaching at a university in southern Mexico) and would like to relocate to Turkey. I am mostly interested in university jobs, but I could do language schools if I needed to. Do you think if I came to Turkey earlier, like say April, could I possibly network for a university job starting the following September and pick up some language school work/privates until the beginning of the year? Or should I just sit tight in Mexico until July?
Also, what is the current situation with working visas for US citizens? According to posts a few years old, it was getting easier to get. Is that still the case, or should i expect to pick up work under the table?
I have never been to Turkey, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kyle

[atkinson]

I've been here four months, and this is my understanding of visas:

You can start working here as soon as you get a job offer, sometimes the same day.

If you work in a private school, there's some paperwork to do, and before your entry visa expires (usually three months), you'll get an İkamet (residence permit) only, and you can work with that. The visa in your passport will expire, but your İkamet shows that you are legally allowed to live in Turkey, and apparently, it's enough to carry that around instead of your passport.

If you work for a university, before your visa expires, you have to return to your country of citizenship to get a proper Turkish work visa put in your passport. The university will pay for this trip.

[kylemory]

Hey, thanks a lot! Sounds like the visa situation has become more endurable since last time I looked into Turkey a few years ago. Any tips on best time of year to show up looking for university jobs? Maybe someone who has been there a bit longer could comment on my plan to show up early and pick up work on the side while i wait for the school year.

[coffeespoonman]

If you're just planning to wait here until the academic year begins, my advice is to just show up and walk in the door at Istanbul's numerous language schools. You should have a job by the end of the afternoon. If not, head to any pub serving cheap beer in Taksim or Kadikoy, and you'll find packs of DOS's crowded together, any of whom will likely happily offer you a job.

It's not hard to find hourly work here.

Keep in mind also that the unis are starting to ask for applications around this time, though most of the actual advertising hits around March-April, so it's worth asking around and sending CVs.

Oh, and our university's hiring right now, so if you want a uni job sooner rather than later, pm me. M.A. necessary though.