The Expat Partner Identity Struggle
The “role” of the Expat Partner comes with many stigmas, wrong communication and disillusion. On SharetheLove, I want to invite you to dig deeper and learn more about this topic. Learn about the research in that field and read about other inspiring Expat Partners. It is a process to get from “what is my part in this new life now?” to embracing this expatriation as a unique possibility to foster your skills and grow!
Expat partners do not only face a cultural challenge
There are countless studies of expat partners and their personal development abroad. Probably the most drastic aspect for many is that the changes take place on so many levels at the same time. From time to time, this can pull the rug out from under your feet and cause disorientation. Coaching and the exchange with others who have mastered a similar situation has proven to be very helpful. Here is an overview of how the assignment can affect the identity of an expat partner:
Personal identity
Definition
Personal identity comprises the intrapersonal aspects of a person such as values, goals and basic beliefs. They are usually already formed in adolescence.
effect of assignment
Questioning existing values & goals
interpersonal identity
Definition
Interpersonal identity defines the role we perform within the family, a company or society as a whole. Examples are mother, supervisor, etc.
effect of assignment
Re-traditionalization of roles
social identity
Definition
Social identity describes the sense of belonging to a group based on characteristics such as gender, occupation, religion, interests, etc.
effect of assignment
Loss of a sense of belonging
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The Expat Partner Dilemma
EXPAT PARTNER CAREER PLANNING: HOPE & DISILLUSION
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.
The Expatriation: A journey into the past for modern women?
Since I started my adventure of living abroad and even more after diving into the business behind expatriation, I am fascinated by the shift of gender roles after moving abroad. In this blog post, I want to elaborate a bit about my personal experience with the gender inequalities in expatriation and add some interesting resources I found.
How underlying beliefs stop you from finding happiness as the Expat Partner
Underlying beliefs can stop Expat Partners from finding their professional identity abroad and move forward. Learn more on how to detect underlying beliefs and act on it during your time abroad.
More Blog Posts
How to answer the question “What do you do?”
If you struggle to answer this question in an authentic and short way this blog post is perfect for you. Learn about how to start prepping your introduction.
Bring back the Structure to your life
Free planner to download to structure your month, week, daily todos but all aligned with your goals during your time abroad. Gain empowerment through becoming active again.
The Impostor Syndrom: Why it is such a big deal for Expats/Expat Partners
I recently joined a webinar about the Impostor Syndrom amongst the Expat community by Monika Evje. It was really interesting and offered a lot of helpful information, so I did some further research and decided to share my learnings in a blog post.
Potential Entry Points to the Foreign Job Market
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.
How to find your professional identity abroad
How to work abroad as the Expat Partner is THE question for many of joining our partners abroad. I share my toolkit on how to build on your career while living abroad.
How life abroad as an Expat Partner changed my life in a positive way
Becoming the Expat Partner is not only about dependency and change in a stressful way but also offers great and unique value. Learn more about how Expat life will change your life in a positive and sustainable way.
The Expat-Relationship. A real test!
An expat assignment is a tough time as it throws both partners into cold water but due to work in different “buckets”. Read about my personal experience and how to communicate with your partner.
The Expat-preneur: A real deal?
Over the last week, I read a couple of academic papers about expatriation. Many papers are dealing with the effect of expatriation on the relationship and the influence of the Expat Partner on the success of the assignment.
One paper, in particular, caught my attention: “The expat-preneur: conceptualizing a growing international career phenomenon” by M. Vance, Y. McNulty, Y. Paik and J. D’Mello.
What am I? The struggle of defining myself as an Expat Wife
In this blog post I will explain the emotional journey of an Expat Wife and the deep, mind-changing learning I drew out of that experience. My motivation behind this post and the blog itself is more than ever: Empower women who were bold enough to quit their job and joined their husband on their joint adventure abroad.
Oh, Sweet Expat Life – the Beauty and the Beast
After 8 months in my new Expat Life I would like to take the opportunity to summarize the good, the bad and the ugly. As an Expat Wife I guess I have some insights for you.
The Expat Partner’s Blues: My Top 7 Proven Tricks
Out of my experience, I have put together a small guide of 7 proven tricks. These are your tools to overcome the Expat Wife’s blues. They all work for me and I hope you find them useful when you are in a similar situation.
What Next? The struggle of defining yourself as an Expat Wife
What Next? The struggle of defining yourself as an Expat Wife Moving abroad is a big step. Moving abroad for the love of your life
