School and Education Consulting

Understanding Turkey's school system before you relocate

This service is for families relocating to Turkey with school-age children who need a broad orientation to how schooling works here — the difference between public schools, private Turkish schools and international-curriculum schools, roughly how enrolment works, and how a child's schooling connects to the family's residence situation. If you have already decided on the type of school and now need help comparing specific institutions, FTurkey's separate school and educational institution selection service is the better fit for that narrower decision.

The three broad tracks: public, private and international

Turkey's Ministry of National Education (MEB) oversees public schools, which are free and taught in Turkish, MEB-accredited private Turkish schools that follow the same national curriculum with additional fees and often more foreign-language instruction, and international schools that follow curricula such as British, American or IB programs, usually taught primarily in English or another foreign language. FTurkey can explain in general terms how these tracks differ in cost, language of instruction, and how credits or later transfers to other countries' systems tend to be recognised, without recommending a specific track as universally "better."

How enrolment generally works

Enrolment procedures, required documents (birth certificate, previous school records, vaccination records, residence address) and registration periods vary by school type and by province, and international schools in particular often require an entrance assessment or interview. FTurkey can walk a family through the general sequence and typical paperwork for the track they are considering, and help identify what documentation should be prepared or translated in advance — while each school alone decides on admission.

Schooling and the family's residence situation

A child's school enrolment is often connected to a family residence permit application, since proof of school registration is commonly requested as supporting evidence, and the timing of school admission can affect when that permit application can be filed. FTurkey can help sequence school-related steps around a residence permit timeline, and can point families to its dedicated residence permit and family-related visa services for the immigration side itself, which sits outside this consulting's scope.

What this consulting does not include

This service does not extend to detailed side-by-side comparison and selection of specific schools, which is covered under school and educational institution selection, nor does it include university-level admissions, addressed separately under university application consulting. It also cannot guarantee that any particular school will have capacity, admit a specific child, or that a residence permit tied to school enrolment will be approved — those decisions rest with the school and the relevant Turkish authority respectively.

Request a proposal

The right starting point depends on your children's ages, your target city, and how far along your relocation plans already are. Request a quote describing your family's situation and timeline, and FTurkey can propose a written scope for orienting you to Turkey's school system.