Enjoy your stay at the most beautiful city in the world!
Moving from a country to another although it sounds exciting, at the same time it is quite hard. Many things to think about and arrange!
Learning the Language
It would be more helpful for your stay in Istanbul, if you take some Turkish lessons before your arrival to the city. This will help you to communicate with the locals even from the first day. But in case you don't have this opportunity, you have nothing to worry about. There are dozens of language schools all over the city, providing Turkish lessons for all levels
Visas, Resident and Work Permits
If you are from the Europian Union, you can stay in the country for three months with your passport. In case you want to stay for a longer period, you should fill an online application in order to book an appointment with the police department, to take the residence permit. If you hold a residence permit it is easier for an employer to hire you. Then usually employers helps you to take the working permit. For more infromation visit: http://www.istanbulhotels.com/travel/customs_and_visa.html
Accommodation
In Istanbul it is a bit hard to find a decent house for a normal price. Demand is high and outgrows offer, therefore the prices can be quite high. Locals use agencies to find houses so this is one of your options. If you don’t mind sharing a house you can search in web sites such as Craigslist, Istanbul Rent A House and Erasmus groups in Istanbul
Transports
You can ease your transportation and save money, purchasing Istanbul's card. The initial value of the card is 7TL and you can load it with money anytime you want. Each route costs 2,15TL, but if you use it more than once within an hour, the price will be reduced. You can buy the card at commercial kiosks or near major transit stops
Communications
There are three main communication agencies: Vodafone, Turkcell and Avea. You only need your passport and you can get a prepaid package for almost 100 TL, which includes the sim card, 2GB internet, 500 minutes and 500 messages. If you stay more that 3 months in the country you should register your telephone device, which costs 180 TL, otherwise your phone will be blocked. Each month you can buy the prepaid package for almost 30TL