There are three levels involved in this matter, which are: Individual, mostly for career development purposes; Company, to develop competencies to bring home; and Industrial, for the transference of cross-cultural skills.
In the organisational level, and expatriate is a person who has been appointed by his company to work abroad. In this case we have to consider the economic benefits of transplanting one person and his family from his homeland to another.
In preparation to the assignment, mainly language, practical affairs and legal advice must be taken to minimize the risk of failure.
Considerations, such as, health insurance and coverage, children´s education, renting flats (apartments) and everything else a person should think when moving abroad should be calculated and negotiated in the salary and compensations. It is not the same to have a good salary in Nigeria but going and trying to live with the same salary in Paris, for example.
Also, a big problem arises for the company, when the term is over and they have to repatriate the migrant worker. What to do with his experience ?, what to do with his level ?, the president of a company sent to Hong Kong, can´t come back to Colombia to do just advising or lower job. Therefore a Succession plan must be ready to profit or take advantage of his assignment abroad.
Finally the Overseas experience is one, more on the field of personal initiative rather than on the company´s behalf. It basically creates a Broadening of perspectives process and major awareness of cultural differences. And it is funded mainly on the person´s own pocket.
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1. Inkson et al, 2003.
2. Expatriate assignments and overseas experiences, Class presentation, http://interactiva.eafit.edu.co/ei/
http://www.harleyhula.com/cmtimages/Girl%20and%20Jet.jpg
When everything is paid by the company, you can get several benefits.
http://www.cbc.ca/testthenation/episodes/trivia/assets/images/backpackers.jpg
When you have to pay for your own, it is better to stay at the hostel.
EXPATRIATE ASSIGNMENT VERSUS OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE: CONTRASTING MODELS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
In this article Expatriate assignment and overseas experience are compared. The analysis of recent data stipulates that Overseas experiences bring more advantages to people´s development than Expatriate assignments.
It is definitely more cultivating to go through an Overseas experience rather than through an Expatriate assignment, it is more which the individual profits from in the field of human aspects, than a technical assignment in another country.
The knowledge-centred approach is important when analyzing the Overseas experience because the person, learns and brings back home new ideas for entrepreneurism.
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Expatriate assignment versus Overseas experience: Contrasting models of International human resource development, Inkson, Kerr.
QUESTION
Explain one of the causes for expatriate assignment failure and provide 3 recommendations to address it.
Inability of spouse to adjust: When your partner goes to the new country with you, but sadly, she has troubles to adjust, while you are at work, her or him, doesn´t find anything to do or becomes depressed setting back the whole process.
There are three recommendations I could think of:
- Your spouse must find a group of friends, while learning the language will help to minimize the impact of restabilising in a new home.
- Make her part of the assignment, giving her a non influential or crucial task in the company, such as social relation stuff.
- Go through therapy with a psychologist to adjust to the new environment and to make her realise that the assignment is not forever.
USEFUL LINKS
http://www.ef.com/Default.aspx?bhcp=1
In this link you go to the web page of a company that specializes in studying abroad.
http://www.itapintl.com/facultyandresources/articlelibrarymain/negotiating-expatriate-packages.html
In this link, you can find information on how to negotiate your Expatriate assignment more easily.
Year by year, thousand of people decide to move permanently abroad and to make a new life for themselves and their families in a foreign land.
ReplyDeleteWhile its true that the grass is always greener on the other side, many individuals have encountered problems abroad, then regretting not having ample support from their place of origin.
One of the things one need to check out very carefully is the expat health insurance.
Examine the provision of healthcare.