THERE are at least 34,000 UK expats currently living in Turkey.
The beautiful sunshine, local culture and affordable food and drink all make the European destination attractive to Brits looking to relocate.
And one Scots mum has been documenting her move to the beach resort town of Kusadasi.
The expat, from Glasgow, was a holiday rep in Turkey in the 90s and made the decision to move there permanently a couple of years ago – gaining citizenship and working remotely for a UK company.
Posting on TikTok (@yourlassieinturkiye), she often shares tips for anybody considering a move to her adopted country.
But a recent guide to tipping cleaners, bar staff and waiters left people shocked when they discovered what people are earning.
In a clip, she said: “I think it’s really important to give you a bit of information, and it may be a wee bit of an eye-opener for you.
“First of all, is it compulsory here in Turkey to give a tip? No, nothing is compulsory.
“It’s really personal choice, but I think [we need] to talk about the amount of salary that people get paid here.
“The minimum wage here in Turkey is 22,000 Turkish Lira. What that equates to in sterling is roughly about £495.
“Why am I telling you that? Well, you will find that probably most of the people you come into contact with whilst you’re here in Turkey are on the minimum wage, so that’s going to be the people who are working in the bars, working in the restaurants, working in the hotels, the cleaners etc – that applies to all of them.
“These people generally work 12-hour shifts. They work very, very hard and you generally find they bend over backwards – they cannot do enough to help you. The service is usually 10/10.”
In Kusadasi, you can expect to pay up to 20,000 Turkish Lira per month for a one-bed apartment, which works out at £407.
This would leave minimum wage workers with just £88 to last them for all bills, food and expenses for the month.
For this reason, the Scots expat says tips can be essential to allow people to “live in the current climate”.
Her video quickly racked up more than 40,000 views and sparked discussions with holidaymakers.
One said: “We always tip/round up and give individual tips too. It’s so hard for the Turkish currently so a few quid here & there does help.”
“I always tip. I’m always grateful for how hard they work”, revealed someone else.
A third also replied: “Always tip the room service £50 at the end if they’ve been good. Never had a bad service in Turkey. Love it.”
