Merhaba,

I am hoping to gain some advice from people who have experience living in Turkey, I am student, I have visiting Turkey twice before and loved it both times. The last time I visited I stayed in Yalikavak and thought it was amazing, while there I also began learning the Turkish language. After a lengthy search for a job in Yalikavak I have been offered a waitress position.

Although I have yet to organise my work visa and accomodation, fortunately my mum is going over in march (to visit her fiance) and is going to try and find me a place to stay, I will also be visiting with my family before I go over to work to meet the staff at the restaurant and finalise my accomodation.

Although my mum is hoping to marry a Turkish man, she and the rest of my family have great concern over my safety during my two and a half month stay this summer. I am nineteen but people often say I look around sixteen or seventeen, I have made friends in Yalikavak and I´m still in contact with them but they will be staying about 20 minutes away from the restuarant. My mum and family believe with me being a young girl, going over alone will be very dangerous and depending on the type of accomodation I find I may have to live with young Turkish workers.

Does anyone have any opinions on the matter? Any advice on finding affordable safe accomodation will also be greatly appreciated

Work permission for an english girl to work as waitress in Turkey ? WOW ! İ can imagine what authorities will think when you will apply for it 

I had kind of the same situation, where i wanted to work there for a few months either in yalikavak or gumbet but i was told i would probably have to share a room or something with someone i dont know. So in a couple of years when we´ve sorted visa´s etc. im going with a friend. Is there anyone that would go with you?x

If you are going there before you or your family sort out accomodation and other needs then you will be pretty much at the hands of strangers, should you fall into a desperate situation. You sound inexperienced and you are still too young. You must be able to take care of yourself. If you have any concerns about this point, it would be better to wait a little more until things have shaped up.

Bad things happen when you lose control of your own life and become dependant on others who might abuse your weakness. Turkey is neither particularly dangerous nor extremely safe. If you can´t hold onto your own life, shit happens regardless of where you are.

This sounds absurd! Do you really think there is a need for girls who can´t even speak Turkish, or have a working visa, to be waitresses in Turkey?  Do you think it´s hard to find a young Turkish woman to work as a waitress in Turkey? 

I would NOT give any serious thought about this job. Turkey is not particularly any more dangerous than other countries....but in this day and age human trafficking is big business....and the most desirable prey is young women.  Any country where you don´t speak the language, know the system for proper and safe functioning, or have trusted and reliable people to depend on in an emergency is a dangerous country for you...or anyone in the same situation.

You may be ok, and you may not, but the stakes are too high and horrific for such a gamble.

I agree with this, Turkey is not suffering of a scarcity of young people as many European countries, unless you would work in a hotel or a place that caters to a mostly foreign clientele, there is absolutely no reason for someone in Turkey to go and request a working permit for a foreign waitress who doesn´t even speak any of the language, since there are plenty of young Turkish girls who can do it, with much less bureaucratic hassle, also, the authorities may refuse the work permit in such a situation, because there is absolutely no need to hire you over a Turkish citizen unless the company can show they NEED someone who speaks native English, hardly the case for a waitress I think.

The OP did say she would be going over for a visit with her family before starting work so hopefully she will realise all this at that time.

As an afterthought - you actually very rarely see a Turkish girl working as a waitress in the resort restaurants - and there are very few working in the hotels too - at least in the area where I live (which is the area she is planning to come to).  But they still don´t legally employ foreign girls (or boys) - and if they´re caught they´re fined and the employee is usually deported. 

Dear original poster; DON´T!

-First of all this all sounds fishy. Lady in red is right, there aren´t even many waitresses in Turkey to being with. You should have noticed this if you have been to holiday in Turkey, but most such workers are uneducated young males(your to-be coworkers). Of whom many have the impression foreign women are loose and get by exploiting them (money, sex etc.) You wouldn´t be safe! Warning again: You wouldn´t be safe, fear the worst!

-Turkey is not Britain; we do not have immigrants who freely work in any field they want. Those few foreign people that work in Turkey are either language teachers or executives of foreign corporations etc. Unless that job offer somehow absolutely requires a foreign person this whole thing sounds really weird. Is it in one of those British / German ghettos(sites) in Turkey?

-Are you aware of the average and minimum salary gap between where you come and Turkey? Why would you want to have such a job and do you really think you can survive on it? If your answer is that you don´t care about the money, then simply don´t bother with a job, just come to holiday. Do not risk it.

Sorry for sounding pessimistic but please consider these.

Oh, Englishgirl, I would have to agree with the other posts.  There is NO WAY that any Turkish restaurant would EVER employ an English woman as a waitress.  There is something very odd about this offer.  Unless you work for a UK company based in Turkey, there is little hope for an foreigner getting a job in Turkey.  I would venture to say that 99.9% of all Turkish jobs go to the Turkish population and NOT foreigners.  I can almost promise you that you will not be able to get a work visa in the timeframe you have stated. If you get caught working in Turkey without proper work papers, you will be deported and barred from re-entry for a period of time.  

Hope this helps you make a better decision.  

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