|
|
|
:: Career News |
If
I can work anywhere, then why are we going back home?"
By Sandy Weiner
When my husband and I began working in Germany, we were part of a large group of foreigners at our company. Today, we are among the few that remain. Most of our non-German colleagues
in overseas employment left within three years, as more engineering jobs opened up in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Yet why did this happen? Our company spent a lot of money bringing in some of the best engineers and research and development specialists in the field. They offered an "engineers' paradise," as our recruiting firm and advertising so boldly stated. What was the problem?
Turns out that many of the problems had to do with the employees, not the company. Most of the people who relocated shared a few similar characteristics:
> They were married
> They had or were about to have families
> This was their first overseas assignment
> Their spouses were professionals
> They had employment in large corporations with good benefits, including incentive savings plans, retirement packages, and education re-imbursement
A 1999 Windham International "Survey of 264 US-based multinational corporations" sheds some interesting light on this problem. More than half of the respondents (52 percent) indicted that they had fewer expatriate employees in 1999 than in 1998; two thirds indicated that they expected the number to increase again in 2000. This same survey also showed that the three leading causes of "assignment failure," or a foreigner's abandonment of an overseas employment contract, are partner dissatisfaction, family concerns and the inability to adapt.
Why do nearly one in seven overseas assignments fail? What can you do increase your chances of success?
First of all, moving overseas is a good opportunity to learn about yourself. That said, you should know yourself well enough to decide if working abroad is the right decision for you. Is spending time with relatives important? What are your expectations of your new environment? Of your new job? Of your boss? What will you need to find balance in your life? How are you going to meet your personal, professional, community, and business needs?
If you're married or plan on moving with a partner, keep their needs at the front of your mind. If your spouse has worked in the past, does she or he want to continue working? Can your spouse find work in your new country? If not, will they find other meaningful ways to spend their time? How will your spouse develop a social network? Where will they find support? Most importantly, what does he or she want to gain from this assignment, this new adventure?
If you have children, consider how they will feel about the move. What will make it exciting for them? What are their needs? How will they make friends, learn the language, and spend their leisure time?
Moving overseas may sound glamorous to many, but is difficult in reality. When considering an international move, being sensitive to the needs and feelings of your family is as important as being aware of your own feelings and judgments. Often, the move is harder on your spouse than on you or your children, as spouses have to adjust to a new environment without the built-in social support accompanying a new job. Many companies overlook the importance of supporting the family during an international move, and in the end, the unhappy spouse often wants to move back home.
The "engineer's paradise" that I mentioned before turned out to be far different than what we expected. As Americans, we came from companies that honored independence, teamwork, ergonomic workspace and creativity—and our new German environment was a shock. At our new company we found everyone working at desks, with no barriers for privacy or sound reduction; materials has to be specially requested and approve... The differences were tremendous. The company hadnŐt lied to us, but as foreigners, our perspectives were very different than those of our Germans colleagues.
To be successful in a foreign assignment, you must be willing to let go of your pre-established perspectives and beliefs. You must be open to new experiences, and seek satisfaction in new ways. Most importantly, you need to have a good sense of humor.
All this said, living overseas for seven years has been a wonderful experience.
If you are adventurous, open, and want to learn more about yourself, go
for it!
About Sandy
Weiner
is a professional career counselor with 20 years experience in Career and
Organization Development. She is the co-author of The Motivation Training
Manual, which will be published by Gower Publishing in 2002. She lives near
Berlin, Germany. Learn
more about the career services that Sandy has to offer. >>
|
 |
|
| :: International Job Topics |
|
|
|
|
