International opportunities on the way up: alternative career paths of descendants of migrants from Turkey in the field of professional business services

This qualitative study examines the career paths of descendants of labour migrants from Turkey in the field of professional business services. Through in-depth interviews with upwardly mobile professionals in leading positions, the article presents evidence from four countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden). Respondents reflect on their professional career as a process constituted through personal interactions while displaying their perceptions of restrictive national conditions that affect their professional success in this field. There seem to be three discernible “ideal type” alternative career paths for newcomers. First, the corporate career path consists of building a widely recognized “international” profile. The second alternative is a “niche” path that emerges by making use of one’s individual background in order to climb up the corporate ladder. Finally, there is a path of self-employment for individuals who have experienced blocked opportunities and therefore want to become “independent” of corporate hierarchies.

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