As welcoming as the community in Turkey is, the country presents a challenge for those seeking work and moving there with children.
Expats relocating to Turkey are welcomed to a community that is considered generally friendly by 77% of the survey respondents in the country. Seven in ten (71%) also confirm the friendly attitude towards foreign residents, and 64% find making new friends overall straightforward, which is mostly on par with the global average of 63%.
Making friends seems to be the easier part, though, since only 55% say it is overall simple to get used to the local culture and just 45% regard settling down in this country easy. Another factor that appears to be problematic is the Turkish language. Three out of five consider learning the local language difficult, and 57% confirm that it is hard to live in Turkey without speaking it – landing Turkey a disappointing 58th place out of 64 countries in the Language subcategory of the Ease of Settling In Index.
The opportunity to travel is enjoyed by 84% of the expats in Turkey, which goes hand in hand with 73% who are generally satisfied with the local transportation infrastructure. In addition, the climate and weather are appreciated by four-fifths of the respondents (79%), whereas the quality of the environment is only approved of by a little over half (53%). The available leisure options are liked by 63% of the expats in Turkey, and three-quarters say they are generally happy with their life right now.
However, a quarter of the survey participants in Turkey (26%) don’t consider the country particularly peaceful, and 45% regard it as politically unstable (globally, only 16% say the same for their respective country of residence). Still, personal safety is rated positively by seven out of ten expats (69%) and 61% approve of the quality of medical care.
In the Working Abroad Index, Turkey is positioned at the 55th place, its worst ranking in any of the main indices. Only a little over half the expatriates (51%) are overall satisfied with their job, whereas globally 64% say the same for their respective country. One in three respondents (32%) doesn’t find their career prospects in Turkey appealing. Job security presents another challenge, with only 44% approving of it and not even half (48%) rating the state of the economy positively, while worldwide 65% favor the state of their respective host country’s economy.
In the Work-Life Balance subcategory, Turkey lands at almost the end of the scale at 61st place. Reasons for this include that 40% are dissatisfied with their working hours (42.2 hours/week on average) and 29% criticize their work-life balance overall.
Regarding money, three out of five expatriates in Turkey are content with their financial situation and the cost of living is favored by more than half (52%). However, one-fourth still feels that their disposable household income isn’t enough for their life in Turkey, which is almost on par with the global average of 23%.
Having children imposes additional costs for expats. As for childcare, 38% of expat parents in Turkey criticize the availability of childcare options and more than half (53%) find them difficult to afford. With regard to education, 51% of expat parents don’t consider the availability of options sufficient, and three-fifths (61%) find it expensive to pay for. Furthermore, only 49% of expatriates with kids approve of the quality of education, while worldwide 65% think it’s generally fine in their respective host country.
While the friendly attitude towards families with children is rated positively by 81% of the expats in Turkey, only about six-tenths of parents (62%) are happy with their children’s health and safety (global average: 76%) and two-thirds are overall satisfied with their children’s well-being (global average: 81%). In fact, 7% of parents in Turkey actually say they are not at all satisfied with this factor.
Last but not least, looking at the available leisure activities for kids, only 35% rate them positively, which is half of the corresponding worldwide average of 70%. Altogether, Turkey thus lands the 39th place out of 41 countries in the Family Life Index, only beating Brazil and Saudi Arabia – 62% of expat parents say they are overall satisfied with their family life in general in Turkey, against 81% worldwide.
Editor in chief
As welcoming as the community in Turkey is, the country presents a challenge for those seeking work and moving there with children.
Expats relocating to Turkey are welcomed to a community that is considered generally friendly by 77% of the survey respondents in the country. Seven in ten (71%) also confirm the friendly attitude towards foreign residents, and 64% find making new friends overall straightforward, which is mostly on par with the global average of 63%.
Making friends seems to be the easier part, though, since only 55% say it is overall simple to get used to the local culture and just 45% regard settling down in this country easy. Another factor that appears to be problematic is the Turkish language. Three out of five consider learning the local language difficult, and 57% confirm that it is hard to live in Turkey without speaking it – landing Turkey a disappointing 58th place out of 64 countries in the Language subcategory of the Ease of Settling In Index.
The opportunity to travel is enjoyed by 84% of the expats in Turkey, which goes hand in hand with 73% who are generally satisfied with the local transportation infrastructure. In addition, the climate and weather are appreciated by four-fifths of the respondents (79%), whereas the quality of the environment is only approved of by a little over half (53%). The available leisure options are liked by 63% of the expats in Turkey, and three-quarters say they are generally happy with their life right now.
However, a quarter of the survey participants in Turkey (26%) don’t consider the country particularly peaceful, and 45% regard it as politically unstable (globally, only 16% say the same for their respective country of residence). Still, personal safety is rated positively by seven out of ten expats (69%) and 61% approve of the quality of medical care.
In the Working Abroad Index, Turkey is positioned at the 55th place, its worst ranking in any of the main indices. Only a little over half the expatriates (51%) are overall satisfied with their job, whereas globally 64% say the same for their respective country. One in three respondents (32%) doesn’t find their career prospects in Turkey appealing. Job security presents another challenge, with only 44% approving of it and not even half (48%) rating the state of the economy positively, while worldwide 65% favor the state of their respective host country’s economy.
In the Work-Life Balance subcategory, Turkey lands at almost the end of the scale at 61st place. Reasons for this include that 40% are dissatisfied with their working hours (42.2 hours/week on average) and 29% criticize their work-life balance overall.
Regarding money, three out of five expatriates in Turkey are content with their financial situation and the cost of living is favored by more than half (52%). However, one-fourth still feels that their disposable household income isn’t enough for their life in Turkey, which is almost on par with the global average of 23%.
Having children imposes additional costs for expats. As for childcare, 38% of expat parents in Turkey criticize the availability of childcare options and more than half (53%) find them difficult to afford. With regard to education, 51% of expat parents don’t consider the availability of options sufficient, and three-fifths (61%) find it expensive to pay for. Furthermore, only 49% of expatriates with kids approve of the quality of education, while worldwide 65% think it’s generally fine in their respective host country.
While the friendly attitude towards families with children is rated positively by 81% of the expats in Turkey, only about six-tenths of parents (62%) are happy with their children’s health and safety (global average: 76%) and two-thirds are overall satisfied with their children’s well-being (global average: 81%). In fact, 7% of parents in Turkey actually say they are not at all satisfied with this factor.
Last but not least, looking at the available leisure activities for kids, only 35% rate them positively, which is half of the corresponding worldwide average of 70%. Altogether, Turkey thus lands the 39th place out of 41 countries in the Family Life Index, only beating Brazil and Saudi Arabia – 62% of expat parents say they are overall satisfied with their family life in general in Turkey, against 81% worldwide.
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