The aimless & spoiled expat spouse – an opinion piece

A few years ago I read an article in a renowned German newspaper about women who move abroad for their husband’s careers and give up their careers to do so. The article was written in a tone that made it clear that the reality of this situation was not fully grasped by the authors. There was a lot written about self-sacrifice, betrayal of emancipation, and throwing away one’s identity. These are points that are certainly felt partially by expat partners, but they do not reflect the real motivation and situation in all its complexity. I have then written an opinion piece that has lost nothing of its relevance to this day.

Therefore, in this blog post I would like to point out the other side and draw a counter-draft to the image of the spoiled partner abroad.

Global Mobility Trends in times of COVID-19

corona, global mobility, expat

We are living in times of great uncertainty. COVID-19 has basically impacted all aspects of life including the way we work and travel. In this blog post, I shed light on the global mobility trends 2020/2021 and how the pandemic will hit the Global Mobility sector regarding expat management. As a coach of expat partners, I always follow the global mobility industry closely. So here are my observations!

How expat families are coping with the coronavirus

coronavirus, expat, families

2020 had a rough start in terms of global news. The outbreak of the coronavirus was one of them. The sheer amount of media coverage (on all levels of quality) and the uncertainty that the virus outbreak brought to many lives also affected expat families around the globe but specifically those closer to the area of origin. I was wondering, how expat families are coping with the challenge, how they made their decision on whether to stay or to go „home“, and what they have learned from the current situation.

Mastering the international move

moving, expat, container, moving overseas

Moving overseas is a stressful time, especially when the two Cs (Children & Container) are involved. With our own move shortly ahead, I want to summarize all the tips and tricks I received from other experienced expats and that helped me the last time we have moved countries. This list of tips is tailored to families moving with a container. Often there are professional moving companies involved and while that is a huge help in can also lead to many misunderstandings and hiccups along the way.

EXPAT PARTNER CAREER PLANNING: HOPE & DISILLUSION

expat, paper, career, career planning, expat partner, expat spouse

Recently I stumbled upon one of the best, recent academic papers about Dual-Career Planning in expatriation. The paper „Expatriated dual-career partners: hope and disillusionment“ by Agnieszka Kierner perfectly illustrates how hope vanishes when career goals are not met during an international assignment.

Career Planning for Expat Partners: Insights Career Survey

In this post, I want to share with you the results of my very own survey I did with about 200 expat partners around the world. I have asked them about their job situation, work permit situation and how they are evaluating their career after moving abroad. In the following, I will share my top 5 learnings as well as an infographic with more details.

Potential Entry Points to the Foreign Job Market

entry, career, foreign ob market, career advice, expat, expat partner

In this article, I would like to share with you a short overview of the 4th chapter in my career workbook for Entry Partners that cover different entry options to find work in the hope it will broaden your mind as well when you start your job hunt.

The 5 phases of culture shock and how to go through smoothly

expat life, culture shock, sharethelove

Culture shock is what you can expect when moving to another country. It does not matter if you move to a place similar to your own culture or you are changing continents. No matter the distance, you will still experience a cultural shock and the different phases it comes with.