A Pilot's Guide to Living and Working in Turkey

There are many benefits to working as a Pilot and one of the top-rated benefits cited by our candidates at GOOSE Recruitment is the flexibility to live anywhere in the world.

With the demand for Pilots greater than ever, more Pilots are relocating to further their careers overseas and enjoy better opportunities. For many other professions, it isn’t always easy to relocate, but with many airlines providing Pilots and their families with top benefits such as relocation packages, visas, health insurance, living costs etc., it is easy to see why so many Pilots are choosing to join global airlines abroad.

At GOOSE Recruitment, we have seen an increase in interest from Pilots who are looking to relocate, and as a specialist Pilot Recruitment firm operating on a global scale, we are always happy to support our candidates when they are searching for a new role abroad.

So, if you are a Pilot and have been thinking about making the move but are unsure where your next opportunity awaits, the GOOSE Recruitment team can help.

In recent months our team have been recruiting for a number of First Officer vacancies for a leading Turkish Airline, Pegasus, based in Istanbul, Turkey. We have received a huge amount of interest from candidates who are interested in the fantastic roles on offer, as well as the opportunity to live and work in Turkey.

If you too have considered working in Turkey, or perhaps have never even considered it as a place to live and work, the GOOSE Recruitment team has created this Pilot’s Guide to living and working in Turkey just for you.

The cost of living

For both families and individuals, working in Turkey provides a huge variety of benefits. For starters, if you are used to the prices of European countries, you will find the cost of living in Turkey considerably lower. This can be applied to everything from accommodation, food costs and other household goods. Of course, the main cities (in particular Istanbul) can be more expensive than the more rural locations, but nonetheless still lower than Europe.

The cost of living makes the quality of life a huge selling point for anyone considering a relocation abroad, especially if the salaries are equal to the ones on offer in European countries.

Climate

If you are looking to relocate to a country where the sun shines throughout the summer, but there are still seasons to enjoy, you will find it hard to be disappointed with the Turkish climate. Istanbul offers long hot summers and cooler winters. Even from September to November the skies are clear, which is perfect for anyone looking to live somewhere that offers some winter sunshine.

You can also enjoy up to 15 hours of daylight each day, meaning more time to enjoy leisure activities outside of flying.

Flying Experience

Additionally, for pilots looking to build on their flying experience and become well practised at taking off in all weather conditions, Turkey is a great location to build some valuable flying hours. With the heat making flying conditions a little more challenging, Pilots will quickly become experts in taking off in all weather conditions. After all, Pilots will be expected to take off in warmer weather, and it is worth noting that in Turkey temperatures can rise well above 40 degrees.

Typically, in Istanbul, July is usually the hottest month with temperatures averaging 29 degrees and February is the coldest month with lows of 6 degrees.

Location, Culture and Way of Life

Living in Turkey provides the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds. Close to Europe, it makes Turkey a fantastic place to commute from to visit friends and family, with European countries only a short plane journey away.

Istanbul is one of Turkey’s major cities and is well known for being a place that attracts tourists all year round- making it a good place for friends and family to visit or a destination for a holiday. Its vibrant culture and history make it a fantastic place to live and soak up the Turkish way of life.

However, anyone thinking about moving to Turkey will need to consider that there will be cultural differences in comparison to Western culture. The majority of the Turkish population is Islam with around 98% of the population identifying as Muslim. Therefore, it is important to be respectful of Turkish culture and aware of any laws. This is a great chance to learn about a new way of life and live in a country that offers a lot of cultures.

To make a great start in Turkey, any expat will find it extremely useful to learn a few basic Turkish phrases to use when out and about.

Traditionally food is a huge part of Turkish culture and breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. So, expats living in Turkey can expect to have access to fresh food markets, selling a variety of seasonal local produce, including fresh fruit, and vegetables – and not forgetting bread (an essential in any Turkish diet).

If you want to truly experience the Turkish culture, remember not to forget the traditional and famous Turkish baths, which make for a great way to relax after flying.

What is the European Expat community like in Turkey?

Turkey is known for being a country that is extremely welcoming toward expats and there is a large population of expats living in areas such as Antalya and Istanbul. Istanbul is an area where the majority of expats choose to live due to better career opportunities and its thriving culture.

For any expat looking to move abroad, something to consider but which can be overlooked is the country’s crime rate. Turkey is a country with a low crime rate, and therefore generally regarded as a safe place to live.

So, what do the GOOSE Recruitment Pilot opportunities in Turkey look like?

At GOOSE Recruitment we are currently recruiting for a number of First Officer roles, on behalf of one of Turkey's leading airlines – Pegasus Airlines. Flying for over 20 years, Pegasus Airlines is the second largest and most established private airline in Turkey. Headquartered in Istanbul, Pegasus has grown rapidly with bases across numerous Turkish airports.

Every Pegasus role offers successful candidates a number of fantastic benefits and highly competitive salaries. More details can be found following the links for the individual jobs below. So, if you would like to find out more about living and working as a Pilot in Turkey, be sure to contact our team here.

What are your thoughts on relocating as a Pilot? We are always keen to hear from our Pilot network, so be sure to get in contact with the GOOSE Recruitment team.