Top 30 Highest Paying Jobs in Turkey
The average salary in Turkey is 7,833 Turkish Lira (TL) per month (about 282.26 USD).
By Western standards, you don’t need to earn a lot of money to live well in this country. You might be wondering, though, about the best jobs for foreigners in Turkey that will provide a good salary and help earn at or above the country’s average wage.
If you’re in this boat right now, read on to learn about the top 30 highest-paying jobs in Turkey. Even if you’re not a foreigner living here, you can still benefit from this information and use it to make more informed decisions about your future career path.
What is the highest-paid job in Turkey?
Everybody wants to earn a high salary, but not everyone knows what kinds of jobs to pursue that will provide the kind of lifestyle they desire.
Here are the top 30 jobs that provide a good salary in Turkey for foreigners and locals:
Average Salary: 22,500 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,570-35,000 TL per month
What do surgeons do?
Surgeons have some of the highest-paying jobs in Turkey — especially surgeons who work on vital organs like the heart — because they’re tasked with keeping patients alive. When patients are referred to them for a specific procedure, the surgeon counsels them, makes sure they understand what will happen, and then performs the surgery.
Average Salary: 24,958 TL per month
Salary Range: 12,358-38,858 TL per month
What do judges do?
Judges are central fixtures in courthouses. They listen to legal cases about an array of topics and make decisions based on the information lawyers and witnesses share with them.
Average Salary: 16,000 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,340-25,400 TL per month
What do lawyers do?
People need lawyers for all kinds of things, from buying a house to writing a will or being defended after committing a crime. Lawyers listen to their clients, offer expert advice, and, when needed, build a case based on the evidence they collect.
Average Salary: 16,758 TL per month
Salary Range: 8,580-25,816 TL per month
What do bank managers do?
Bank managers are the leaders and go-to people for a bank branch. They create schedules for the other staff members, assist with training, and take feedback from members and use it to provide a better experience.
Average Salary: 18,700 TL per month
Salary Range: 9.160-29,200 TL per month
What do chief executive officers do?
If you love entrepreneurship and want to have one of the highest-paying jobs in Turkey, being a chief executive officer or CEO will help you get there. CEOs run and oversee all elements of a company and its staff.
Average Salary: 15,775 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,293-24,750 TL per month
What do financial managers do?
A financial manager is a critical member of any business. After all, a company can’t succeed long-term without having its finances in order. As a financial manager, you will coordinate with other key players to help them make wise investments, plan for the future, and stick to a budget.
Average Salary: 22,733 TL per month
Salary Range: 10,366-35,833 TL per month
What do orthodontists do?
Orthodontists work with patients who have crooked teeth or misaligned jaws. They use braces, retainers, and other tools to help them fix their dental issues and improve their oral health and confidence.
Average Salary: 9,435 TL per month
Salary Range: 5,098-14,350 TL per month
What do university professors do?
If you have expertise in a specific subject and the education to back it up, you can qualify for a job as a university professor. University professors get to share their knowledge with others and also publish research to reach a larger audience.
Average Salary: 14,200 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,250-21,900 TL per month
What do pilots do?
Pilots fly helicopters, airplanes, and other types of aircraft, but that’s just the beginning of what they do. They also handle maintenance, scheduling, and communicating with other members of the flight crew (as well as passengers) to ensure flights go smoothly and safely.
Average Salary: 16,000 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,741-25,150 TL per month
What do marketing managers do?
Marketing managers have some of the highest-paying jobs in Istanbul, as well as other major cities in Turkey. They work for businesses across all industries, helping with product and service promotion and encouraging people to invest in what the company offers.
Average Salary: 7,750 TL per month
Salary Range: 3,560-12,300 TL per month
What do computer programmers do?
Computer programmers make sure various software programs and applications work correctly. They do this by writing, editing, and testing computer code and scripts.
Average Salary: 9,220 TL per month
Salary Range: 4,330-14,600 TL per month
What do veterinarians do?
Veterinarians are doctors who care for animals. They handle general wellness checkups and vaccinations, as well as treating injuries and illnesses.
Average Salary: 16,000 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,380-25,500 TL per month
What do dietitians do?
Dietitians are medical professionals who help clients improve their relationships with food and reduce their risk of developing certain illnesses. They help them come up with meal plans, grocery shop for healthier foods, and eat more balanced meals.
Average Salary: 6,140 TL per month
Salary Range: 3,190-9,400 TL per month
What do English teachers do?
While this position technically isn’t one of the highest-paying unskilled jobs in Turkey, it does require less training and education than some of the other positions on this list.
If you’re proficient in English and have a desire to share your knowledge of the language with others, you can likely find and qualify for teaching jobs here.
Average Salary: 18,100 TL per month
Salary Range: 6,760-31,100 TL per month
What do physicians do?
A career as a physician is certainly a viable option for those who want to land one of the highest-paying jobs in Istanbul. Physicians are medical doctors who care for patients dealing with a wide range of symptoms and ailments.
Average Salary: 12,800 TL per month
Salary Range: 6,900-19,300 TL per month
What do IT managers do?
An information technology (IT) manager is a crucial figure in most businesses. If a business uses computers or other types of technology (and which business doesn’t?), it needs an IT manager to help them oversee these tools and use them correctly.
Average Salary: 13,291 TL per month
Salary Range: 7,251-20,441 TL per month
What do human resources directors do?
A human resources director is also needed at almost every business, whether it’s an engineering firm or a marketing agency. They manage all the employees and help them have a positive experience working at a specific company.
Average Salary: 8,060 TL per month
Salary Range: 4,350-12,200 TL per month
What do oil and gas engineers do?
Oil and gas engineers are in high demand in Turkey (and across the globe) because they are responsible for locating and extracting oil and gas from underground. They play a critical role in the oil industry and, naturally, are paid well for what they do.
Average Salary: 8,100 TL per month
Salary Range: 4,380-12,200 TL per month
What do DevOps engineers do?
DevOps engineers make software development possible. They create and implement a variety of processes, tools, and methods needed through the software development cycle.
Average Salary: 6,720 TL per month
Salary Range: 3,001-10,741 TL per month
What do heads of procurement do?
The head of procurement at a company is responsible for obtaining the goods and services required to meet that business’s needs. They develop plans for procuring goods and services and coordinate with other team members to make those plans happen.
Average Salary: 13,500 TL per month
Salary Range: 6,190-21,400 TL per month
What do construction managers do?
A university education and years of schooling aren’t for everyone. If you’re interested in one of the highest-paying unskilled jobs in Turkey, consider working toward a career as a construction manager.
After spending some time in the construction industry, you can qualify for a management position and oversee a wide range of projects.
Average Salary: 10,900 TL per month
Salary Range: 5,860-16,400 TL per month
What do actuaries do?
Actuaries work with businesses to help them assess financial risks and make more calculated decisions.
Specifically, they strive to reduce the costs associated with potential risks to ensure the business stays profitable.
Average Salary: 11,350 TL per month
Salary Range: 5,358-17,708 TL per month
What do heads of compliance do?
Also known as a chief of compliance officer (CCO), the head of compliance makes sure everyone at an organization is heeding local and global laws and keeping up with the latest regulations, policies, and procedures.
Average Salary: 7,708 TL per month
Salary Range: 3,800-11,933 TL per month
What do software engineers do?
Engineering positions — including those in software engineering — are some of the most-demanded jobs in Turkey. If you have experience with coding and programming, you will generally have an easier time finding a career designing and developing software products.
Average Salary: 13,200 TL per month
Salary Range: 6,610-20,500 TL per month
What do investment bankers do?
A career in investment banking gives you a chance to use your financial knowledge to help others with their finances.
You can make recommendations to help them manage their portfolios and earn greater returns.
Average Salary: 25,816 TL per month
Salary Range: 14,008-38,908 TL per month
What do anesthesiologists do?
For those with a medical background, or those who want a career in the medical field, working as an anesthesiologist is one of the best jobs for foreigners in Turkey.
Anesthesiologists administer the medication that puts patients to sleep (and keeps them asleep) during surgery. They keep patients safe during these procedures.
Average Salary: 7,710 TL per month
Salary Range: 3,630-12,200 TL per month
What do electrical engineers do?
If you like learning about and working on electrical equipment, from medical devices to electrical vehicle engines, a career as an electrical engineer is an excellent option.
Electrical engineers handle the design, building, repair, and maintenance of these systems.
Average Salary: 10,200 TL per month
Salary Range: 5,220-15,800 TL per month
What do pharmacists do?
Pharmacists fill prescriptions and make sure they’re administered to the correct patient.
In some cases, pharmacists will also offer guidance to and answer patients’ questions about how to take their medications.
Average Salary: 12,358 TL per month
Salary Range: 5,770-19,491 TL per month
What do business development managers do?
If you want to earn an above-average salary in Turkey for foreigners and have experience in the business world, you might want to consider a career as a business development manager.
Put simply, these professionals work with business owners and executives to help them develop their businesses, become more productive and profitable, and set and achieve short- and long-term goals.
Average Salary: 18,066 TL per month
Salary Range: 9,396-27,708 TL per month
What do dentists do?
Dentists’ careers center around caring for people’s teeth, gums, and overall oral health.
They inspect teeth for cavities, provide fillings and other treatments as needed, and make recommendations for how people can keep their teeth and gums in good shape.
Which of the highest-paying jobs in Turkey is right for you?
If you want to land one of the highest-paying jobs in Turkey, it’s time to start planning.
If you already have the experience and skills required for a specific position, begin collecting documents that show off your qualifications so you can apply for jobs and secure interviews.
If you’re still in school, start choosing classes that will teach you the skills you need to qualify for one of the highest-paying and most-demanded jobs in Turkey.
In either case, when you want to start looking for job openings in Turkey, use GrabJobs’ free tool to simplify your search.
Photo by Anna Berdnik from Unsplash
