As European startups face increasing pressure to scale quickly while managing costs, nearshoring has become a popular solution—especially for tech-driven companies looking to access world-class talent without the high costs of hiring in the UK. One such success story is how we helped an English startup hire a team in Istanbul, enabling them to scale their product development and customer operations rapidly, legally, and affordably.
In this article, we share the full journey—from recruitment strategy to legal compliance and onboarding—highlighting why the “English startup hire Istanbul” approach is not just possible, but increasingly preferable in 2025.
1. The Client: A London-Based HealthTech Startup Seeking Speed and Scale
Our client was a London-based HealthTech startup providing a remote patient monitoring platform for NHS clinics and private providers across the UK. After closing a successful seed round, they needed to:
- Accelerate product development and QA
- Build a lean and multilingual customer support team
- Maintain strict data security and GDPR compliance
- Reduce hiring costs without compromising quality
- Expand into new European markets, including Turkey
They approached us to explore whether hiring in Istanbul could provide the talent, affordability, and compliance they needed to scale fast.
2. Why Istanbul? What Made the English Startup Choose Turkey
With rising salaries in the UK tech sector and a shortage of mid-level developers, Istanbul offered the ideal solution:
Key reasons they chose Istanbul:
- Highly educated, English-speaking talent pool
- Lower salary costs (40–60% less than London)
- Same working hours or 2-hour time difference—ideal for collaboration
- Familiarity with remote-first and Agile environments
- Strong university pipeline and growing startup ecosystem
- Legal hiring made easy through our Employer of Record (EOR) service
The client realized that building an offshore team in Istanbul was both strategic and sustainable—as long as it was done right.
3. Step 1: Workforce Planning and Role Prioritisation
We began with an in-depth consultation with the CTO, COO, and Head of Product. Their priority hires included:
- 2 Frontend Developers (React, TypeScript)
- 1 Backend Developer (Node.js, GraphQL)
- 1 QA Engineer (manual + automated testing)
- 2 English-speaking Customer Support Agents
We provided a detailed market analysis of Istanbul’s talent pool, including:
- Candidate availability by role
- Local gross and net salary benchmarks
- Language proficiency
- Turnover trends and retention strategies
Estimated monthly gross salaries in Istanbul (2025):
| Role | Salary (TRY) | Approx. Net in GBP |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend Developer | 50,000 – 60,000 | £1,350 – £1,600 |
| Backend Developer | 55,000 – 65,000 | £1,450 – £1,750 |
| QA Engineer | 45,000 – 55,000 | £1,200 – £1,500 |
| Customer Support (EN) | 35,000 – 45,000 | £950 – £1,200 |
The client was impressed by the cost-effectiveness and skill level in Istanbul and green-lit the hiring plan.
4. Step 2: Recruitment Campaign and Shortlisting
We launched a full-scale recruitment campaign in Istanbul within 72 hours of approval.
Our sourcing channels included:
- LinkedIn Turkey – advanced filters for English-speaking, remote-ready professionals
- Techcareer.net – ideal for developers and QA engineers
- Kariyer.net – for support roles and CS profiles
- University job boards – Istanbul Technical University, Boğaziçi, Koç University
- Referrals – from our trusted local recruiter network
We emphasized the startup’s:
- Remote-first flexibility
- UK-based leadership
- HealthTech mission
- Transparent career growth paths
Each candidate underwent English fluency screening, technical assessments, and culture-fit interviews.
5. Step 3: Legal Employment via Our Employer of Record (EOR)
To avoid setting up a Turkish legal entity, the startup opted for our EOR solution, which made it possible to legally hire full-time staff in Turkey without any bureaucratic delays.
Our EOR services included:
- Drafting bilingual, locally compliant employment contracts
- Registering employees with SGK (Social Security Institution)
- Handling payroll, tax deductions, and contributions
- Managing benefits: health insurance, meal cards, equipment reimbursements
- Monthly reporting to the client with payslips and compliance updates
This allowed the startup to focus on operations, while we ensured 100% legal compliance under Turkish Labor Law No. 4857.
6. Remote Onboarding and Team Integration
We supported onboarding to ensure smooth collaboration between the UK and Istanbul teams.
Onboarding elements included:
- Welcome materials and contract explanations (in Turkish and English)
- Equipment procurement and home-office support
- Slack, Jira, and GitHub integration
- Remote communication guidelines
- HR availability for local queries in both languages
We also facilitated a virtual team kickoff between London and Istanbul to establish working norms and foster early engagement.
7. Key Results: Measurable Impact in 60 Days
By Day 60 of the project launch, the client had a fully functional Istanbul team of 6 employees.
Results after two months:
- ✅ Time-to-hire: 14–21 days per role
- ✅ Payroll and compliance: Fully managed via EOR
- ✅ Savings: Over £120,000 per year compared to London equivalents
- ✅ 0% attrition in the first 6 months
- ✅ Team velocity improved by 33% within the first three sprints
One of the co-founders said:
“We thought hiring abroad would be a hassle, but with your help, it was seamless. Our Istanbul team feels like an extension of our London office.”
8. Addressing Common Concerns for English Startups
❓ Is English widely spoken in Turkey?
Yes. Especially in Istanbul’s tech, design, and customer support sectors. Many professionals have studied in English or worked with UK/US clients.
❓ Can we hire Turkish employees legally without opening a branch?
Yes. Through our Employer of Record model, we take on the legal and administrative responsibility, while you manage the team directly.
❓ What about data protection and GDPR?
Our HR, payroll, and onboarding systems are fully GDPR-compliant, and we ensure secure data handling practices in Turkey.
9. Why More UK Startups Are Hiring in Istanbul
The “English startup hire Istanbul” model is more than a trend—it’s a strategic hiring solution for startups seeking:
- Affordable yet high-quality tech and support talent
- Time zone alignment for real-time collaboration
- Fast hiring with legal and tax compliance
- Cultural compatibility and professional work ethics
- Scalable remote teams without borders
From HealthTech to FinTech, Istanbul is becoming the go-to hiring destination for UK-based startups.
This success story highlights the power of nearshoring done right. For this London-based startup, Istanbul offered the tech talent, communication skills, affordability, and agility they needed to grow—without the complexity of international employment.
Whether you’re a UK founder, CTO, or HR manager, the “English startup hire Istanbul” route offers a unique opportunity to:
- Build remote teams
- Reduce burn rate
- Accelerate product delivery
- Expand globally, starting with Turkey
Need help hiring in Istanbul without setting up a local entity?
We help English startups recruit, hire, and manage talent in Turkey legally and efficiently—through our expert Employer of Record and recruitment services.
📩 Contact us today to explore your options for building a cost-effective, compliant team in Istanbul.
