Why do foreign teachers leave Türkiye? Case of foreign private schools

Teacher mobility has emerged as one of the most prominent issues in the field of education in recent years. Accordingly, the number of foreign teachers coming to work in Türkiye, as well as those leaving Türkiye and the schools they work at for various reasons, is increasing daily. The study aimed to determine the factors leading foreign teachers working in foreign private schools to leave Türkiye and the schools they work in. The phenomenology of qualitative research methods was used in the study, conducting in-depth interviews with 21 foreign teachers using semi-structured questions. The data obtained were categorised into themes using content analysis method. The factors causing foreign teachers to leave Türkiye and their respective schools were divided into six distinct themes: country-related, school-related, school management-related, personal, economic, and factors outside of school life. The research revealed reasons surrounding these six themes for foreign teachers who leave Türkiye and their schools, offering recommendations to researchers and school administrators on retaining qualified foreign teachers who come to Türkiye and ensuring their long-term stay.