challenges of expatriation | Communicaid Blog | Cross Cultural Training and International Communication Skills

Jul 01

Living and Working Abroad – The Expatriate Experience

Recent research by Mercer, quoted in an article by the Financial Times, suggests the number of expatriates around the world has increased by 4% since 2009 despite the economic downturn and the many cuts companies are implementing. As more and more companies send employees to live and work abroad, they need to consider a number of key factors including the importance of selecting the right location, understanding the local culture and providing the right level of cultural awareness training for relocation initiatives.

Airplane Maurits Vink i Living and Working Abroad The Expatriate Experience

Location, Location, Location.

Current expat trends show that Western Europe and the US are the two biggest poles sending and receiving expats. London and Geneva are considered to be the best cities in Europe while New York seems to be the favourite in the US, especially for bankers. The Asia-Pacific zone is currently experiencing an important rise in expatriates, especially in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong. However, there is a visible drop in expatriations in Africa due to the current political tensions and wars.

Sending employees abroad can provide significant opportunities for companies as well as for employees. For expatriations to be a success for both parties, however, companies must carefully consider the following aspects when selecting a location:

Current market situation and opportunities
Added value of the country and its knowledge in a specific field
Local savoir-faire and experiences that can be shared with other parts of the business
Expat expectations and specialisations. For example, engineers in the oil and gas industry are ideal for assignments in the Middle East or Africa
Expat profile and situation (gender, family, etc.) which determines the level of living conditions required

The Pros and Cons of Expatriations

Attitudes towards expatriations can be very mixed. While some see the benefits, many employees are often more worried about the many challenges international assignments can present. From losing touch with the parent company to not receiving adequate cultural awareness training support, employees can sometimes fail to see the many benefits an international assignment can bring both personally and professionally.

Any company hoping to send employees abroad therefore needs to actively present international assignments as positive opportunities by emphasising their advantages. Highlighting some of the following topics can help companies avoid creating mistrust or misunderstanding with potential expatriates:

Potential for career progression
Increased salary or compensation in many cases
Attractive perks and benefits for the whole family
Development of professional skills that could lead to future promotion
Enhanced personal experiences and potential opportunities for travel they will have abroad
Discovery of new people, traditions, landscapes and ways of working
Familiarise kids to a new language and culture and open their mind
Added values and benefits that the employee will contribute to the company

Expatriates need to understand that it is the right moment to go abroad and that it will result in benefits not only for the company but for themselves.

“Fortune favours the prepared mind” – Louis Pasteur

When relocating abroad, expatriates face a whole new set of cultural norms, attitudes and behaviours. Their ability to integrate their new cultural surroundings with their own unique cultural background and expectations is paramount to the success of the expatriation.

Expatriates must have an in-depth understanding of the destination country in order to avoid culture shock and to build more profitable relationships with locals. Living and working in another country can be radically different so it’s essential that expats have the cultural skills they need to adapt to and understand the new customs and traditions they encounter to optimise the expatriation.

Cultural awareness training for relocation programmes such as Living and Working in China can vastly help to improve an expatriate’s experience and success when living and working abroad. Cultural awareness training helps to prepare future expatriates and their families for their relocation abroad and provides them with a global understanding of the culture, values, customs and traditions of the new country.

The family should also be involved in cultural awareness training, as studies show that if the family does not successfully adapt to the host country, the whole expatriation could be in jeopardy. By having expatriates and their families participate in a culture for relocation programme, companies will get the most out of the employee’s assignment, thereby increasing their ROI.

Expatriations offer a unique experience for both the expatriate employee and their family. As such the importance of cultural awareness training programmes should not be underestimated. Providing the right level of cultural support and training combined with selecting the most appropriate location and marketing the benefits of the assignment, companies can truly benefit from sending their employees to live and work abroad.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

Jan 17

Living and Working in France: How Cultural Awareness Training Helps Bring the French Dream to Life

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

The last decade has seen an increasingly large number of UK residents crossing the English Channel to start a new life living and working in France where there are a plethora of attractive leisure and business opportunities. Finding a former farm or a typical Southern French house is actually fairly easy, but most expatriates forget that living the “French dream” is completely different than going on holiday in France.

Living and working in France requires a high level of cultural awareness and language skills to successfully cope with the potential culture shock they may experience as a result of the many cross cultural and linguistic challenges awaiting them. Without the right cultural awareness, many expatriates living in France risk seeing their dream turn into a nightmare.

Eiffel Tower SOMATUSCANI i Living and Working in France: How Cultural Awareness Training Helps Bring the French Dream to Life

Such was the case of expatriates Robert and Joanne Hall who tried to live the “French Dream” in Brittany and recently made news headlines all over the world. After ten years of living in an old French farmhouse in the countryside and trying to make their French dream come to life, their expatriation ended in the most tragic way when Joanne was found dead. Questioned by the French police, Robert Hall explained he had a drunken argument with Joanne during which she accidently fell and hit her head. According to people who knew the Hall family, they were “lost” and suffered a lot as a result of many failed attempts to make their expatriation and dreams work.

Most expatriations don’t end as badly as in the case of Robert and Joanne Hall, but many statistics show that couples will often divorce or have problems when living and working abroad. This phenomenon is largely due to the difficulties expatriates can have adapting to the new cultural environment and coping with the effects of culture shock. If culture shock and cultural differences are not effectively managed, expatriates living and working in France can suffer severe financial, health or relationship problems that can end in divorce or worse scenarios.

Many couples who move to France to start a new life find themselves spending more time than they ever have with their partner as they work on a project such as renovating the house together and they soon realise that do not like each other. Others who go to France may become distanced because one partner spends all their time at work while the other is left at home to manage the kids or household.

Cultural understanding and French language skills can help expatriates deal with challenges such as this as it can help them to meet people and bridge the gap between French and British culture. This can in turn give them some place to go for support or the opportunity to create some distance from their partner once in a while, allowing them to feel less isolated and more connected with their new life in France.

Understanding French cultural values, attitudes, communication styles and the language can be enormously helpful for any expatriates living and working in France. Being able to understand and communicate with local government officials, builders, shopkeepers and neighbours can help streamline any dream project and prevent delays, problems or frustrations which can further add to the challenges of adapting to a new cultural environment. Being able to speak the French language and show an appreciation for French culture can also help expatriates to build relationships and create a positive impression of what they are trying to do in France.

Living and working in France can be an amazing experience for British expatriates, but the real French dream will only truly be achieved with the right cultural and linguistic skills that will help them to anticipate and cope with the cross cultural differences they may encounter along the journey. Taking French language training or a cultural awareness training course such as Living and Working in France is the first step towards making any French dream come to life.