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.  

.

Thank you for all the replies, particularly the honesty of them.

But WOW, some very negative and scary responses!

I emailed about 10 hotels and restaurants in the Bodrum area and Le Cafe Bodrum was the only one that got back to me. She said that she would pay me 700TL before tips which I think is about average. Lady in Red, you say that you like in Yalikavak, have you seen this restaurant? or do you know anything about it? My mums fiance lives in Yalikavak and he says he hasnt seen it before :S.

The woman who has been emailed me requested a photo, but I didnt think anything of it; she also hasn´t mentioned anything about a work visa, so I dont think she cares about me getting one before starting.

I´m starting univeristy in October and wanting to work abroad to get experience and due to the lack of jobs in England at the moment there isnt really any alternative offers. In terms of speaking Turkish, I currently know basic and once my exams are over I plan to concentrate on learning the language before going over.

watch the movie  Taken  also a documentary called sex slaves in turkey

you can watch online at http://freedocumentaries.org/int.php?filmID=161

I am not saying this will happen but it can especially in a country where you are unfamiliar with customs and language and look at a smiling face as someone who can help you...beware not everyone is really nice  some could be a snake

I wouldnt advice you to believe everyone in touristic places. there might be some fake hotels or companies.

Here´s Le Cafe Bodrum´s website

http://www.lecafebodrum.com/eng/index.html

I don´t live in Yalıkavak but I know it.  This restaurant does exist and it has a website here. However, the woman who wants to employ you obviously isn´t bothered about being fined or you being deported if you are caught working illegally (although I don´t think she´s planning to sell you to white slavers!!).

700 tl before tips isn´t  bad money - if you don´t mind working 12 hours a day 6 days a week - and of course if you actually get paid. Illegal workers don´t have much of a leg to stand on if their employer decides business is just not good enough to pay the wages.

Sorry to be so pessimistic about the chances of your working but as you can see from the other posts, everyone else is of the same opinion. 

And do you think you will work 8 hours/ day or something ?  And weekends free ?

Yeah the film Taken is scary and I have just watched the documentary that was suggested and I have to say that I was quite niave about such crimes being so close to places I have visited. After reading all the responses I am now putting a lot more thought into the dangers of living in Turkey. Previously I have had the ideal hope that upon my arrival and time there I would come to know the people living around me and working with me; I also imagined they would look out for me. But maybe that´s just the response they have to tourists

After talking to people who live there during visits, I did find that they work between 12 and 16 hours a day and rarely get days off...I realise this will be a challenge but as I´m young I hope I would manage.

I think that when visiting most countries alone there´s risks similiar to the ones discussed, even for tourists- maybe these risks can be reduced by being aware of whats going on and dressing appropriately.

as if all that stories mentioned above are only happening in Turkey...

I will sincerely tell you, EnglishGirl, if this is what you really want! go for it! you may face with some troubles! but there is always ways to handle those beforehand...

Good luck to you at your new survey

It doesn´t only happen in Turkey, but for a 19 year old girl to go to any country, where she has no support system and doesn´t know the language is a big risk. And in Turkey, the hours are long and the pay is low, even if everything would go perfectly.

If you want a special work experience in Turkey, and don´t really care about pay or something, but you just want that foreign experience... perhaps you could contact some organizations who send volunteers to summer camps for kids in Turkey. Great experience, good for your resumé too Better hours then being a waitress and the pay will be almost the same Close to none.

I guess she would be much happier, when she is doing what she is planning... I dont think she would face much problems, as she has her mother to care of somethings for her. In addition to that, she is saying she will have a WORKING VISA, this means she will be legally working and the laws will be working for her as well...

And i believe she is clever and full of life enough to sense the troubles in advance... just let her do what she is dreaming for

 I would always advise a person to take the bull by he horn when opportunity comes.Of course,all need a bit of common sense as far as living in a foreign country is taken into consideration.Anyway,I threw myself into Italy and Spain,knowing a language definitely helped ,and I do not regret.

I don´t think Turkey is more dangerous than other countries,but I do think some precautions should be taken.Why don´t you ask your mother´s future fiance ´ family to help?

When I travel to Turkey I am assisted from the airport gate,my friends and my family always organise a guard for me to look after me and help.I remember once I was sent alone from Yenikapi to Bursa and got scolded by ferry´s officer for answering sms "where I am and what i am doing?"but in fact all my doting Turkish angels were with me to keep an eye ,even via phone ,on what is happening with me.

I sometimes found myself tired of giving account of every moment of my stay,but ,on the other hand I understood it was because they cared and worried about me.

You said you have friends,if they are real not fair weather they will help for sure,why don´t you ask them for help?It is always better to trust ppl u know ,already,than newly met ones.

at least! somebody is speaking!

I have travelled alone in Turkey, as a young female (from 22 onwards, doesn´t make much difference with 19 I guess). But at that time I had travelled to Turkey many times with family, and the first time I went without family I had friends picking me up and "guarding" me when I arrived in Turkey. Only the year after that I ventured alone

My point was, that she said that her visa and stuff weren´t worked out yet, and she didn´t have many people to look after her there. That´s why I thought a more organized project would be a nice alternative, since she hasn´t gone to Turkey much. Also, living in a house with a bunch of young men doesn´t seem very handy.

You have to take smart decisions in any country. It´s not about taking boring decisions...safe decisions can be fun too I always made sure I had a support system if I went on foreign adventures. I wouldn´t want to live with a bunch of young guys that I don´t really know in any country.

Anyway, I hope you can get a support system together and get more info on the job, so you can make a good decision

What I could hardly accept in Turkey that I couldn´t know the exact price of stuffs. I don´t like bargaining about prices. The salers were extremely friendly in the bazaars and I was surprised that they knew some Hungarian phrases to entertain us. But they were not fierce at all. Everybody must handle them somehow, because such cases can happen eveywhere, so if you don´t plan to buy something, then tell them firmly. And I tried to say some Turkish words as well for which they were grateful.

Istanbul was full of policemen. I know they are protecting the tourists, but it was a bit strange to see so many there. I could see their commando uniform too with plexi shields, because there were Kurdish protest somewhere on the streets.

What about the women? Maybe we were afraid of being insultated, but there were not such cases. They looked them of course, but there were so many chadorless women on the streets, that our trip-mates were only some of them. And I can´t blame the local guys, because there is a proverb in Hungarian language : "I choosed allegiance, not blindness." 

When I booked my bus trip to Balkan, my relatives were worried about me. But I wanted to see and feel Turkey with my own eyes. My final conclusions are that they were politer, friendlier than Greeks or Bulgarians. There are some basic rules which must be kept. It is a shame that so many Christian visitor don´t know anything about mosques, the Muslim faith. So the first shock was for them, when they had to put down the slippers and sandals at the entrance door. I was bit angry, because our guide could have talked about this basic requirments on the bus... My other nightmare became true when we stayed at the center of the Great Mosque of Bursa, while the imam began to call the believers to prey at afternoon. Males were in the front of us, while the women stayed behind us. Then our Hungarian guide translated and yelled every sentence what our Turkish guide had said. I wished we should leave the mosque. And do you know what has happened? They began to make photos about locals (even about preying women in the sacred temples). I was so angry, because they crossed a very important cultural line. I was so ashamed because of my group. As we left the mosque, some locals asked from which country did we come from? They were a bit disappointed, but they smiled after we told them we are from Hungary (Macaristan). After this terrible cultural gathering we visited the Green Mosque too, where some member of my group asked whether they had to do it again or not? Bah...  I could not find words ...

They were a bit strange in Istanbul, because they were interested only in the bazaar or the harem (Top kapı palace)....

Turkey can be as dangerous as any other country. I think for a girl of 19 there are mainly 2 things important: common sense and having a back up when needed. Common sense: simple, don´t do anything you wouldn´t do at home. Avoid dark alleys, unlit streets, don´t accept drinks from real strangers, don´t go with strangers to places you don´t know. It might sound protective but I think it´s necessary because unfortunately there are things as date rape, robbery and human trafficking. Besides these I think it also can be different of how much travel experience you have. Is this the first time you go abroad alone? Then I would choose to have a real good support system, some guiding you, someone who knows culture and language. 

I travel around for many years now by myself, but I always make sure there is a back up if needed. I carry a list with important phone numbers with me, I learn the national police number by heart, I make sure I have a sufficient amount of money available if I would get in trouble, any kind of trouble, e.g. if something might happen to me that makes me want to go home I can afford a one way ticket back home. I have a health and travel insurance that covers almost all from theft to accidents and hospitals. 

 SuiGeneris the movie Taken happens in PARIS