“Ailem Misafir İşçi Olarak Gitti, Ben Doktor Olarak Döndüm”: Almanya’dan Türkiye’ye Nitelikli ‘Geri Dönüş’ Göçü

This paper explores Turkish-German second-generation’s ‘return’ migration to Turkey within the framework of transferring educational qualifications and professional experiences. The study is based on a narrative and thematic analysis of 40 in-depth interviews with highly skilled second-generation ‘return’ migrants, collected in five different regions of Turkey between 2012-2019. The findings reveal that Turkish-German second-generation’s ‘return’ migration decisions hardly involve economic prospects, hence they are often not prepared for the job market in Turkey. The paper’s findings illustrate that ‘returnees’ can be categorised based on four career paths they follow, such as those who, i) use their transcultural capital, ii) continue their careers from Germany, iii) start their own businesses, and iv) are inactive or downsizing their careers. The paper’s premise is that, ‘return’ migrants’ gender identities, family status and relationships, places of residence and lifestyle expectations interplay and effect their career choices, resulting in divergent ‘return’ outcomes.