Turkey: Work experience

Work placements and internships

The ICEP Scholarship Foundation  offers internships in Turkey to students and young professionals. They will place you in a host company in Izmir, Antalya, Bursa, Eskisehir, Adana, Istanbul or Ankara and give specialised training in an area of relevance to your studies or experience. 

Exchange programmes

AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales)  runs exchange programmes which operate within Turkey.

Teaching schemes

These are normally organised through TEFL and there are numerous language schools across Turkey that look to recruit English-speaking graduates as language teachers. These jobs are normally reasonably paid and sometimes include accommodation. Those seeking to be language teachers must be native English speakers, hold a degree in any discipline and have gained a TEFL qualification.

Volunteering

There are often a number of local projects and charities especially in the big cities that are keen to take on volunteers. Easy Expat  has a list of some of the opportunities available in Turkey. It is also worthwhile to contact schools, orphanages, tourism companies and conservation projects directly in the cities or towns you wish to visit, to see if they are looking for volunteers. Volunteer Abroad  can also provide details of volunteering opportunities in Turkey.

Casual work

It is quite difficult to obtain casual work in Turkey as visas and work permits are required in order to undertake work. It is not recommended that foreigners start work without a visa as doing so can lead to deportation.

Short-term opportunities

GENCTUR  offers young people and students the opportunity to volunteer at work camps in Turkey or teach English in order to discover more about the country and its people. IAESTE Turkey  offers paid, course-related placements for students in science, engineering and technology. The placements are usually up to 12 weeks during the summer but longer-term placements at other times of the year are also available. The IAESTE office is based at Istanbul Technical University.

Gap year opportunities

Turkey is not a traditional destination for a gap year and because of constraints on visas and work permits it can be difficult to stay there for a whole year. However, there are some websites that can provide information and advice about planning a gap year in Turkey:

• GapYear.com  
• Turkey in Photos  
• Easy Expat  
• The Backpacking Site