Can I work on my residence permit?

Residence permits are issued to people that want to stay beyond their allowed visa stay period for the purpose of touring the beautiful places Turkey has to offer.

All the rules that apply to a visit visa applies to your residence permit – including no employment.

You should never work anywhere without a work permit, no matter the offered wages.

If you’re caught working anywhere without a work permit, you’ll be arrested and deported with an entry ban. The ban could vary from 3 months up to 5 years. It’ll be at the discretion of the duty officer at your departure gate.

Just because you have a work permit to work at a school does not mean you can work at another school or a language center in the evenings or on the weekends.

Work permits are company/school specific. It is issued to you to ONLY work at the school that applied for your work permit. If you want to change your school, you need to get your work permit transferred to your new school. Usually, the HR will take on the task of doing this for you.

The law is very clear that you should have your work permit in hand and ready for inspection by a ministry inspector before you start working at a school. Even if your work permit is in the process of being approved, you cannot legally work. When your work permit is approved in the system, a SMS notification will be sent to your phone by the Ministry of Labor. Normally, the permit will be at your home/school address within 3 days after the confirmation SMS.

Posted on | 26/08/2018 | Shan S.Haider

Should I surrender my documents?

You should carry your passport with you at all times in a foreign country.
Schools can only demand to see your passport but should never ask to keep it.

Your passport is the most important document you have to prove your identity in a foreign country. It’s illegal to hold onto someone else’s passport in any part of the world. Only government authorities like the police, courts, or embassies/consulates can hold onto your passport by issuing you a legal receipt for it.

The same applies also to your credentials! Schools will often ask to see the original degree and teaching certificate or ask for it to get it translated/notarized. You should only part with it for the interim period of getting your paperwork done. The originals should then be returned to you and should always stay in your possession.

Some schools practice unethical methods of keeping the originals, so teachers cannot run away or jump to another school during the contract or the following school year. It’s illegal for them to do so!

If in doubt, please consult with an attorney. Ask the school to issue you an official receipt for the passport and original documents. Chances are they won’t be able to issue you anything.

I remember my first teaching year in Turkey, a recruitment agency that got me the job was holding my original degree and teaching certificate and would not return them unless I worked with them for three consecutive years. I struggled and finally got an attorney involved who threatened to file a complaint with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labor. My issue was resolved, and it left a strain in our relationship but not many teachers know their rights to fight back and normally cave in to pressure.

Most schools practicing such illegal actions will not fight and return your documents if you threaten them with official complaints or even if you threaten to expose them on social media.

Posted on | 28/08/2018 | Shan S.Haider

Money needed until Payday!

This is a very difficult question as everyone has their own lifestyle and spending limits.

As a rule of thumb, you should have enough money to survive at least 90-120 days if you’re coming to Turkey without a job offer.

If you have a job offer/contract, then two month’s spending money plus rent deposit should be enough until you get paid.

Between $2000 t0 $3000 should be about enough for you to survive until you get your first pay. You’ll need to pay a deposit to your landlord for the apartment. You might need to pay deposit to have the electricity and water turned on. You’ll probably need money to get internet setup and a local SIM card.

Eating is not expensive in Turkey. You can eat for as low as 15-20 TL for lunch or dinner. Transport cards can be topped at 200 TL with unlimited travel on bus/train/ferry/tram.

Rest deposits depend on the apartment and your monthly rent depends on the location. We always advise teachers to choose a location close to the school where they will be working. Traffic is INSANE in Istanbul and it’s not worth spending a total of 3-4 hours commuting. It’ll drain you of the energy that you need to work.

It is not difficult to find a roommate if you do not want to bear the burden of rent alone. There are many websites where you can search for roommates, but we recommend sharing with a fellow teacher or someone professional.

Be ready to spend approximately 2500 TL per month if you plan on staying on your own and roughly around 1500 TL per month if you resort to sharing the apartment with a roommate. The estimates include all utilities, but it could vary depending on the area.

Favorites and central spots for foreigners are Kadikoy, Taksim, Sisli/Mecidekoy, Levent and Besiktas. The transportation system is excellent in Istanbul – as long as you factor in the wait and transfer time.

Clothing and apparel are relatively cheap. There are many malls with the usual shops and some quality Turkish labels, too. Most foreign food brands are available in Istanbul and if you can’t find what you are looking for, then be sure to visit the grocery store called Macro Center. They even carry my favorite Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies!

Posted on | 26/08/2018 | Shan S.Haider

Work and Residence Permits explained!

Yes, the system sounds confusing but I’ll try to make it easier for you to understand. At times, most schools do not completely understand the procedure of hiring a foreign teacher.

There are two ways of hiring a foreign worker under Turkish law:

• A foreign worker who is residing in his home country
• A foreign worker who is already in Turkey at the time of hiring

Within the country: More than likely a foreigner is on a 30-day or 90-day visa, depending on his/her nationality. Canadian, British, and American citizens get a 90-day visa whereas a South African citizen gets 30 days visa.

A person must first obtain a residence permit. A residence permit can be obtained by making an appointment on the government website before the expiration date on the visit visa. (It must be made before the last day of the visa or else your application will not be accepted, and you’ll be asked to leave the country within 10 days)

No one can apply for your residence permit. It is something you need to do for yourself.

 You’ll need to have a health insurance.

 You’ll need to have approximately $6,000 deposited in a Turkish bank,

 You’ll need to have a rental contract for 12 months showing the place you reside in Turkey.

 If you can obtain these documents, then you should not have any issues getting your residence permit.

 Once you receive your pink card (residence permit), a school can file for your work permit with the Ministry of Education to get your credentials approved. After that, they will file with the Minisrty of Labor to get your white/blue work permit card.

 A residence permit is called a touristic residence permit. You file it yourself. You do not need anyone to help you. No one can enter the residence permit office with you but an attorney (optional) that you have hired.

 Work permits can only be filed by your employer. The whole process is done by the school and normally schools pay the fee.

You’ll require three things to be translated in Turkish and notarized by a Turkish notary.

1. Passport
2. Degree
3. Teaching Certificate

You can do this at any public notary (noter). They usually have a translation (tercüman) office in the same building or on the same block. The approximate cost for getting all three documents will cost you around 500 TL.

You do NOT need these for Residence permit. You’ll only require the translation and notarized document for work permit. Usually, the school will ask you for these documents.

Outside of the country (You’re in your home country): In this case you do not need a residence permit. Your work permit will double as the work/residence permit.

This is called the consulate/embassy processing of your work permit.

The school will explain the process to you. You’ll make an appointment at the nearest Turkish Embassy/Consulate in your home country. The school will send you signed/sealed/stamped contracts in English and Turkish. (The Embassy/Consulate will only accept the original signed/stamped contract and not emailed ones) You’ll take this contract to the consulate with you on your appointment date along with your passport, degree, and teaching certificate.

The consulate will then issue you a reference code. The school will process your visa through the ministry in Turkey. Once all the process is done, the consulate will contact you to bring your passport for visa stamping. This will be your work visa (not Tourist visa). The cost will be around $200- $250 USD.

The process takes anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks.