Working With Immigrants: A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Field Workers
This study aims to determine the working conditions, income levels, job security, discrimination, and professional difficulties of social workers who work as field assistants in an international non-governmental organization operating in Turkey. For this purpose, interviews with 15 social workers using semi-structured interview technique were analyzed with the program Maxqda. All experts apart from the project assistants with overtime hours being compensated for as paid leave and work on-call on a 24/7 basis. The social workers, most of whom have undergraduate degrees, have an average of 3.5 years of seniority, and 66% of them earn a monthly income of 16,000 TL or more. Having witnessed death, injury, or rape among the immigrant groups resulted in 40% of the social workers seeking professional support. Lastly, according to the participants, the most important problems encountered in this area are the indefinite work hours due to being on-call and the fixed-term employment contracts due to being project-based.
Göçmenlerle Çalışmak: Sosyal Hizmet Saha Çalışanlarının Deneyimleri Üzerine Nitel Bir Araştırma
Bu çalışma Türkiye’de faaliyet gösteren uluslararası bir sivil toplum kuruluşunda çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının çalışma şartları, gelir düzeyleri, iş güvenceleri, dışlanma ve mesleğe yönelik zorluklarının tespit edilmesini amaçlamaktadır. Bunun için yarı yapılandırılmış mülakat tekniği ile 15 saha çalışanıyla yapılan görüşmeler Maxqda programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda; Türkiye’de faaliyet gösteren uluslararası sivil toplum kuruluşunda; Proje asistanları dışındaki tüm sosyal hizmet uzmanları çağrı üzerine 7/24 saat prensibiyle çalışırken fazla mesai ücretleri yerine ücretli izin kullandıkları tespit edilmiştir. Büyük çoğunluğu lisans mezunu olan saha çalışanlarının ortalama 3.5 yıl kıdeme sahipken; %66’sı 16000 TL ve üstü aylık gelir elde etmektedir. Bununla birlikte sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının %80’i ortalama üstü gelir elde etmelerine rağmen çalışma motivasyonlarının insani duygulardan kaynaklandığını belirtmektedir. Göçmen grupları arasında şahit olunan ölüm, yaralanma ya da tecavüz vakaları sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının %40’ının profesyonel destek almasına neden olmaktadır. Saha çalışanlarına göre bu alanda karşılaşılan en önemli sorunlar; çağrı üzerine çalışıldığı için belirsiz çalışma saatleri ve proje bazlı olduğu için süreli iş sözleşmeleridir.
International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that consider providing emergency assistance to immigrants who are caught trying to Turkey’s borders employ social workers through projects in these regions. Within this scope, the study interviews 15 social workers who work as field workers (SHU) regarding their work conditions, income levels, job security, exclusion, and professional difficulties using the semi-structured interview technique and examines the resulting data were examined by the program Maxqda. All social workers are employed full time, and all social workers apart from the project assistants were determined to work on-call on a 24/7 basis, with overtime being used as paid leave. While project assistants earn an average of 23,000 TL per month, 66% of the participants earn a monthly income of 16,000 TL or more. This amount is above the national average. Meanwhile, the foreign experts working as senior managers in offices are observed to receive 500%-600% higher wages than experts working in the field, and this results in discrimination:
I think there is a difference in wages between foreigners and Turks. So, if I earn on a $1000-1,100 basis, they start at $5000. I think this is unfair. I work like a dog day and night while they take the world. (SHU1) According to 26.6% of social workers, the most important problem encountered in the profession is the uncertain work hours: Due to this job’s intensity, you don’t have much of a social life. The biggest problem for me is this. (SHU9) Again, according to 26.6% of the participants, the most important problem encountered in the profession is the project-based employment. Because all international organizations operating in border regions provide project-based employment, there is no job guarantee at the end of a project: Now I have experienced this before. All of these works are project-based, you sign a 1-year contract, but you don’t know what comes next. (SHU5) In addition, the environments encountered in the field are also among the problems that the participants have difficulty solving. These include refugees whose medicines were confiscated or children who were given sleep medicine so that they would not make a sound: When I started my career, I was affected by everything, but now I am not so easily affected. The cases I am affected by are as follows: I can still be influenced by children. Let me give an example: during the push back, a parent who has a child between the ages of 0-1- or 0-2 gives them sleep medicine so that the child does not cry. In such cases, they don’t know what the dosage should be. Of course, they unconsciously give a random amount. (SHU7) In the interviews, although the participants earn income above market conditions, their conscientious feelings rather than income was seen to increase their motivation to work. While the most important source of motivation for 80% of the participants consisted of human emotions, only 20% stated income to be effective: I find the income low because we work 24/7. It is difficult for families to leave their children at the beginning of the night or in the early morning. I am not doing this for financial reasons. I am motivated to help people. (SHU11) When asked about the method of coping with the problems they encounter or are exposed to, 40% stated having received or continuing to receive professional support. However, 26.6% of the participants stated having trouble with the psychologists who work at the institution. Despite not being professional, they overcome it in the context of friendship relations: We go through a lot of trauma, such as seeing a mother die in childbirth. We have colleagues who are psychologists. We talk to each other and help each other, but I don’t receive enough support. (SHU2) 13.3% of the participants feel that they’ve been exposed to discrimination in the field because they work with immigrants. Apart from this, 20% of the participants feel that they’ve been exposed to exclusion or discrimination by their friends or relatives due to similar reasons: It can happen in some villages. Or while some public servants thank you and hold you in high regard, others look down on you. (SHU1)
