Job Discussion Forums

[MissPinky]

What is the best amount of money to take with you when starting out and in what currency? I've been told �600. Would people agree with this?

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

The best amount? A few million $ worth of any currency ...

[molly farquharson]

it depends whether you are offered housing or not. i would think a couple of thousand dollars. don't know pounds... there was another thread about this a long time back.

[FGT]

�600 affords basic food, beer, cigs, public transport etc for a month. With the emphasis on BASIC.

If you are thinking of renting a flat, paying the agent's fees, deposit and possibly furnishing it too, think again. Assuming the rent is 500ytl a month (it could easily be more), you usually have to pay that X3 initially. You are therefore looking at approx �500 in start-up costs on housing alone.

If you are starting a job that gives free housing, you can probably survive. If not - think again.

As far as currency is concerned - any hard currency is viable, in cash. Don't change your dollars into pounds or vice versa as you will probably lose out on the exchange rate when turning them into lira.

[bigbadsuzie]

Anybody coming to Turkey needs to know it is not the cheap place it once was .If you fortunate to land a gig with a "package" there are still considerable start up expenses plus you do at least want to have asocial life .Try to think of comfort ,there is no real reason why you should have to take a drop in living standards just because you are going to live in what most people still think is a third world country .
Start as you mean to go ,therefore if you want to live like a refugee bring Hundreds of sterling ,if you want to live like a human then bring as much as you can . Think at least 3 grand . Anything less and you will regret it . Do you drive ?