Being an Academic Abroad: Pressure and Loneliness Among Turkish Academics

An academic abroad can face publishing pressure, temporary contracts and loneliness. Read about the psychological load and practical ways of coping.

You have been working on the same paragraph for hours in a lab, a library or an office. The referee report came back harsh, the result of your grant application is still uncertain, your contract ends in a few months and you don't know which country your next position will be in. Your family in Turkey is proud of you; they tell everyone "she's going to be a professor." Yet on some evenings, walking home alone in a foreign city, you ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?" Being an academic abroad can offer an intellectually rich life, but it is also a journey full of uncertainty, constant evaluation and rootlessness. In this article we look at the psychological difficulties Turkish academics working abroad often face, the dynamics behind them and concrete steps you can take in everyday life.

The Experience of an Academic Abroad: The Reality Behind the Prestige

From the outside, academia looks like a prestigious and free field. Setting your own research questions, attending international conferences and working with colleagues from different countries are genuinely valuable experiences. However, the early and middle stages of an academic career in particular carry their own pressures.

Although postdoctoral researchers, research assistants, faculty members and visiting researchers are in different positions, they often share the following experiences:

• Temporary contracts: Moving from country to country between projects lasting a few years makes long-term planning difficult.
• Constant evaluation: Papers, grant applications, teaching evaluations and job interviews keep academics in a permanent exam setting.
• Invisible labour: Student supervision, administrative work, peer review and committee duties are often unappreciated but take time.
• Work with unclear boundaries: Academic work never "ends"; there is always a paper to read or a chapter to write. This can mix up rest with feelings of guilt.

On top of these structural conditions comes the experience of migration: a new language, a new institutional culture, distance from family and the question of belonging.

Common Psychological Difficulties Among Academics Abroad

The feeling of being a fraud (the impostor experience)

Despite their achievements, many academics carry the worry that "one day they'll find out I'm inadequate." Writing and speaking in a foreign language and encountering different academic traditions can strengthen this feeling. It is quite common to read the moments when you cannot fully express your thoughts in a meeting as "proof of inadequacy." We cover this topic in more detail in our article on impostor syndrome abroad.

Academic burnout

Long working hours, constant rejection and uncertainty can, over time, lead to emotional exhaustion. A fading curiosity about research, struggling to go to work in the morning, growing impatient with students and a feeling that "nothing is enough" can be signs of burnout. Burnout often doesn't appear all at once; it builds up unnoticed over months, and a person can usually name the situation only once they are seriously worn out.

Loneliness and isolation

Academic work is by nature solitary. In a new country, where colleagues often have their own families and social circles, an academic's social life can become confined to the workplace. Moving frequently also makes it hard to form lasting friendships.

Anxiety about the future and constant temporariness

Questions such as "Will my contract be extended?", "Where will I find my next position?" and "What if I go back to Turkey?" keep circling in the mind. This uncertainty can also postpone personal decisions such as forming a relationship, buying a home or having children.

Signs to watch for

• Weeks of low mood and loss of motivation
• Sleep problems, constant tiredness
• Working hours stretching out of control, weekends disappearing altogether
• Intense low mood lasting for days after referee reports or rejections
• Gradually withdrawing from social relationships
• Trying to manage feelings and fatigue with alcohol or stimulants

These signs alone do not amount to a diagnosis; however, if they continue for a long time, it may be useful to take a closer look at yourself.

The Cultural and Personal Dynamics Behind This Pressure

The "Hocam" identity: In Turkey, being an academic is seen as a respected profession and becomes intertwined with a person's identity. Abroad, an academic is often on the lower rungs of the institutional hierarchy, a "foreigner" and a "newcomer." This difference in status can shake one's sense of identity.

Family expectations: "You studied this much, so when will you get a permanent post?", "When will you get married?" and "When will you come back?" are questions that often come from families who don't understand the uncertain nature of an academic career. Although these questions are well meant, they can increase the pressure on the academic.

Perfectionism: Many people who are drawn to academia have been praised since childhood for being successful and hard-working. A deep belief such as "I am only worthy if I am successful", combined with the constantly evaluative nature of the academic environment, can create a serious psychological burden. Deep belief patterns of this kind can be related to what schema therapy calls "early maladaptive schemas."

Ties with Turkey: Some academics continue to collaborate with universities in Turkey, keep supervising students or plan to return. Although this tie is valuable, it can create a life "split in two" between two countries.

Imagine a researcher who completed their doctorate in Turkey and starts a two-year postdoctoral position in Northern Europe. In the first months they read the lab's quiet, distant communication style as "they don't like me." They work at weekends too, because they believe they must produce at least two papers before the contract ends. Every time they phone, their mother asks, "When will you get a permanent post?" By the end of a year, both sleep problems and a reluctance to go to the lab in the mornings have begun. There is no single cause in this picture: the difference in institutional culture, a perfectionist inner voice, structural uncertainty and family expectations feed one another. Seeing each layer separately makes it clearer which one can be tackled and from where.

Language and expression: Academic language can be fluent in a foreign language, but expressing feelings, hurts and personal needs is a different skill. Especially in conflict with colleagues or when setting boundaries, a person may feel more helpless than they actually are.

The Effect of Academic Migration on Family and Relationships

Partner and spouse: An academic's move often means a move for their partner as well. A partner giving up their own career or struggling to find work can create an imbalance in the relationship. Some academic couples have to live in different cities to solve the "two-career couple" problem. Our article on migrating for your spouse's job may interest you on this subject.

Children: Frequent moves mean changing children's schools and circles of friends. A child's language and identity development become intertwined with the parent's career decisions.

Family in Turkey: The health problems of ageing parents can leave the academic facing the dilemma of "career or family?" Visits to Turkey may remain limited because of conference, semester and exam calendars.

Postponing personal life: Decisions about relationships, a home and a family that are postponed with "once I get a permanent post," "when this project is over" or "when I find a lasting position" can, over time, create a sense of loss.

Concrete Steps for Academics Abroad

1. Limit work by time, not by task. Instead of "I'll rest when this paper is finished", set time-based limits such as "I'll close the laptop at seven in the evening." Academic work is never completely finished.
2. Create a protocol for rejections. When a rejection or a harsh referee report arrives, on the first day just read it and set it aside. On the second day, draw up a concrete list of corrections. This helps separate emotional reaction from professional evaluation.
3. Keep a file of evidence of success. Accepted papers, positive feedback, thank-you messages from students... When the feeling of being a fraud intensifies, returning to this file balances the mind's selective negativity.
4. Build an area of identity outside academia. Sport, music, art, volunteering or a hobby group... When your whole identity is not tied to academic success, professional difficulties are less shattering.
5. Build a peer support network. Regular meetings with academics at a similar career stage, writing groups or Turkish academic networks provide both practical and emotional support.
6. Find out about your institution's resources. Many universities have staff support programmes, career counselling and mentoring opportunities.
7. Write down future scenarios. Instead of carrying "What will I do if my contract isn't extended?" as a vague worry, write your plans A, B and C on paper. Concrete options make uncertainty more manageable.
8. Talk about expectations with your family. Explaining in plain language how an academic career works and why the uncertainty lasts so long can reduce needless questions and pressure.
9. Don't neglect your body. Long hours at a desk, irregular sleep and eating directly affect your mood. Short walking breaks during the day and regular sleeping hours support your productivity too.

Your academic worth can be measured by your publication list; but your worth as a human being fits on no CV.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

The difficulties of academic life often fluctuate. However, it can be helpful to consider a professional support process in the following situations:

• If low mood, hopelessness or intense anxiety lasts longer than two weeks
• If your capacity to work has noticeably decreased and this has started to threaten your career
• If your reactions to rejection and criticism last for days and affect your functioning
• If there is a long-term disruption in your sleep, appetite or energy levels
• If your relationships or family life are being seriously harmed by work pressure
• If you increasingly turn to alcohol or stimulants to cope with your feelings

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, please don't wait and call the emergency number of the country you are in: 112 in EU countries, 911 in the US and Canada, 999 or 112 in the UK, and 000 in Australia. Online therapy is not an emergency intervention service; in situations of severe risk, local emergency services and local psychiatric services are necessary.

Your institution's staff support programmes and the healthcare system of the country you live in are important resources. Therapy in your mother tongue is not a replacement for them but an option that can be used alongside them. For insurance coverage and reimbursement conditions, we recommend checking the insurance terms in the country where you live.

How Do We Work With Academics in Online Therapy in Your Mother Tongue?

Academics are usually people accustomed to analytical thinking, which sometimes leads them to treat feelings as "a problem to be solved." In therapy, however, it is important not only to think but also to notice feelings and make room for them. Doing this in your mother tongue can offer a more natural way of expressing yourself, especially on subjects such as family, childhood and personal worth.

In a process based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), we can work on the following areas:

• Automatic thoughts: Thoughts such as "If this paper is rejected, my career is over" or "Everyone is more talented than me" are examined together with the evidence.
• Perfectionism and schemas: Beliefs that worth depends on achievement, high standards and patterns of self-criticism are considered within the context of migration and academia.
• Behavioural regulation: We work with weekly goals on the balance between work and rest, the procrastination cycle and boundary-setting skills.
• Tolerating uncertainty: We work on learning to live with the uncertain nature of a career and on making decisions based on values rather than decisions driven by anxiety.
• Relationships: Skills in expressing needs and setting boundaries in communication with partners, family and colleagues are supported.

In online sessions, it is important to choose a time that fits your teaching and meeting calendar and the time difference, and to meet in a quiet, private setting with headphones and a secure connection. Payment can be made online; pricing in TL and payment with an international card are possible. For more information you can look at the pages on online therapy and Turks living abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal to feel constantly inadequate as an academic abroad?

This feeling is quite common among academics and can be strengthened by the experience of migration. A setting of constant evaluation and working in a foreign language can lead a person to perceive their own competence as lower than it is. If this feeling affects your daily functioning, it can be helpful to work on it.

Is academic burnout the same as depression?

Burnout is mostly defined by emotional exhaustion related to the work context, distancing from the job and loss of productivity. Depression, on the other hand, is a more general mood problem that affects many areas of life. The two can sometimes overlap; a specialist assessment is needed to tell them apart.

I'm undecided about whether to return to Turkey. Can therapy help with this?

In therapy you are not told what to do. Instead, you are helped to see more clearly the values, worries and options that influence your decision. In this way you can make your decision more consciously, rather than under the pressure of uncertainty.

How can I make time for regular therapy with a busy academic calendar?

Because online therapy removes travel time, it can fit more easily into busy schedules. Planning the session time according to your semester calendar and the time difference makes it easier to keep up regularity. During conferences or busy periods, the frequency of sessions can be rearranged together.

• #academic abroad
• #academic burnout
• #impostor syndrome
• #brain drain

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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