Madison Who’s Who Blog

Effective global networking is tending to create two distinct streams of professionals going abroad; the company backed expat and the free lance expat. A recent report, gleaned from a survey of 500 Expatica readers, reviewed the changing expat landscape, revealing some intrinsic differences in the company backed expat and the “free agent” expat.

“For those individuals willing to take a leap of faith as “free agents”, the age-old quest for adventure was a significantly influential driver and – combined with the more contemporary desire for work/life balance – formed a powerful pull. In contrast, “classic expats” going on international assignments backed by their employers were more likely to be motivated by financial incentives and career advancement.”

Some of the conclusions reached assert that the free agent expat benefits more than his corporate counterpart.

“…those who went on their own steam were found to have an advantage over their corporate counterparts, according to the report. Although both groups agreed working abroad was likely to enhance their future career prospects, free agents reported achieving much greater clarity of work goals – despite the fact they were much more likely to take a less challenging job in their new country than that back home.”

While a company expat is primarily focusing on career advancement, your freelancer values a life that is less predictable, more satisfying, resulting in this type of expat sometimes working or accepting contracts slightly below their capacity.

“Respondents who were company backed were significantly more likely to go to a role that was more responsible and challenging, while the self-initiated were more likely to go to what they perceived to be a less challenging role”

Bottom line is that both groups typically cite great benefit from an overseas venture, each finding that their particular set of expectations were met.

International assignments are noticeably becoming shorter in duration. In a world of effective global networking, both businesses and employees want and demand flexibility.

“For both employer and employee short-term assignments fulfil many of the criteria demanded by our 21st century culture: flexibility, variety, immediacy, minimal family/domestic disruption. Research shows that use of short-term assignments has risen considerably during the last five years.”
(Source)

Author Marian Weston has written a book dealing with the difficulties short term assignments present for the family and spouse that are left behind, exploring the different set of obstacles these families face and the lack of company support that such families confront.

“Marian Weston can draw from a wealth of experiences spanning all chapters of expatriate life over several decades and continents - from her childhood as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) in East Africa to overseas postings in The Gulf, Jordan and Sri Lanka with her own young family.
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The dual challenge of repatriation and the new role of ’stay-at-home partner’ was a steep learning curve and, combined with the lack of available resources, it motivated Marian to research and write her first book ‘Alone at Home‘.”

Weston interviewed over 62 “stay-at-home partners” in developing the material for this book, with the 3 top most often cited complaints being the strain on family relationships, inadequate information and prep prior to the assignment and lack of company support.

As a young aggressive female executive your “big picture” includes managing overseas assignments. If so, this article suggests that you need to be of a mind to wage war.

“Women seeking international assignments might follow Harriet Rubin’s advice in her best-selling book for women leaders, The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women: “Women have avoided conflict for too long. They must wage war in their personal and professional lives to get what they want,” maintains Rubin.”

Though effective global networking has ameliorated the complexity of international assignments, facilitating the ease with which professionals and their families can adapt globally, women are perceived as the much weaker candidate than their male counterparts when international assignments are parceled out.

“Most multinational companies prefer that their senior management have abundant overseas experience. Excluded from that experience, women are also excluded from promotions and power later in their careers.”

The author’s contention is that women are not credited with their accomplishments, being seen as succeeding not because of their own skills but because of affirmative action policies. Men are perceived as hungry and ready to advance while women are expected to offer more proof that they are ready for the challenges.
The author’s advice?

“Ask for everything. Women think their needs will be perceived, that they are obvious. You’ll never know what you can get if you don’t bother to ask.”
(Source)

My Global Career offers advice to the aspiring expat, summarizing key issues that can present impediments or even disaster, for the American traveling abroad on an international assignment. From ensuring that sufficient support is available for the “trailing spouse”, to preparing adequate health precautions, to answering various tax issues, the author succinctly gives the future expat a list of concerns that dictate success or failure in effective global networking and life abroad.

1. Managing your money

Thanks to the Internet, tracking bank accounts from anywhere is easy. But what will work overseas mean for your tax bill? U.S. citizens are required to report and pay taxes on money earned globally. You can receive a credit for taxes paid in a foreign country but you still need to file a tax return.

All aspiring expatriates should also take an inventory of the debts they must manage. Your move to another country doesn’t excuse you from paying that student loan bill - but you may be able to seek a deferment.

2. Keeping your partner happy

Moving abroad as a single person brings a host of challenges - even if you speak the local language. But taking a partner, as well as children, compounds the adjustments. Partner happiness, or lack thereof, is the primary reason international assignments fail.

That’s because the so-called “trailing spouse” is often left without the support to ensure that the experience is rewarding for them as well, says Robin Pascoe, a former “trailing spouse” who has written extensively about family relocation issues. She says the foundation for a positive experience must be “put into place from day one.” She adds, “That can mean supporting a home business, ensuring a work permit is obtained, making sure he/she has the right computer equipment … or just a sympathetic ear.”

3. Taking care of you

Living in a foreign country can compromise even the toughest of immune systems. You may find yourself with a particularly bad case of the flu or an infection that is new to you. To make matters worse, drugs that are over-the-counter back home may be only available with a prescription in your new country. Bring along a supply of medicine that you know works for you.

4. Accepting the differences

You already know that you can’t expect ice in your soda and that there may not be a Starbucks or familiar restaurant in your new city. But are you prepared to translate every ingredient for a recipe you want to try? Are you someone who won’t be frazzled when you have to figure out how to find a plumber? Have you ever navigated around a foreign city that lacked street signs? Many aspiring expatriates are captured by the romance of a life abroad but fail to realize that just about every aspect of their daily life will be completely different. It’s essential to adopt a “when-in-Rome” attitude about the ups and downs, because you can’t switch it off.

5. Wherever you go, there you are

Pascoe points out that many people go abroad “thinking they can leave their troubles - and their personalities - behind. The biggest shock is that everything moves with a person, including a propensity for workaholism or any other ‘ism.’ You can’t run away from yourself.”

Before you make your decision to live overseas, be honest with yourself about why you’re doing it.

Global assignments for today’s executive offer a different configuration of challenges than his predecessor faced even a mere twenty years ago. From the basics of housing and language to the more pressing issues of spousal and family acclimation. When management fails to review all of the factors requiring consideration before choosing a candidate for an international assignment, the cost to the company can often go well beyond the mere loss of relocation expenditures.

“Global HR managers and researchers have attempted for years to document the failure rate of international assignments. Try as they may, they can’t—not with any precision, anyway. The idea of failure is subtle and difficult to quantify, let alone identify. But statistics scream out, “Pay attention! Your business may be in danger.
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The number of failed assignments is large. Researcher Rosalie L. Tung is often credited with citing that failure rates, in the broadest sense of the word, range from 20 percent to 40 percent of all assignments. And a 1995 study by Foster Higgins, a Washington, D.C.-based benefits consulting firm, concurs. The expense is substantial. International assignments cost three- to five-times the expatriate’s annual salary, according to a 1993 survey by the Washington, D.C.-based Employee Relocation Council.”
fom Workforce Management

In meeting these growing challenges, securing the services of a multi-level relocation specialist can be critical in establishing a sound beginning from which the new expats can navigate an increasingly complex cultural and global network.

HRO Today provides “The Baker’s Dozen-Relocation, an annual list of the top full-service, end-to-end relocation providers.”

“Workforce mobility is still an area where companies need help. Employee retention is a major issue for businesses large and small. Maintaining a global talent pool takes work. From addressing real estate to language and cultural training, employers have their hands full. Full-service, relocation providers can help organizations navigate the complex process of relocation. With services that run the gamut from home sales to spousal and family support, outsourcing providers make the task of employee relocation a lot easier.”