Expat Partners: Do You Really Want To Work, Or Are You Just Paying Lip-Service To Your Lack Of A Career Abroad? (Survey)

Hi Everyone, Evelyn Simpson and her colleague Louise Wiles have put together a survey with regards to how relocation abroad has affected the career choices of accompanying expat partners.

If you can help by completing the survey, please do so here. They estimate it to take about 15 minutes.

Here are some words from Evelyn Simpson...

"When I contemplate the dynamic and successful careers that my husband and I had when our expat days were just beginning, I wonder how, after nearly 12 years of moving over three continents and with two children, our lives would be if we were still trying to maintain both of those careers. Here are just some of the problems for which I could not envision solutions:

* How would we manage to engineer moves with different companies to the same countries without one or other of us stepping back?

* Would we both be able to get working visas if one of us had to look for a new job with a move?

* Would we both be able to progress our careers with multiple moves or would disruption, language issues, salary issues, recognition of qualifications and experience have derailed one or both careers?

* How would we have managed childcare issues - day to day, days when kids were sick, holidays - without all our familiar systems in place?

* How would we have managed the practicalities of our six moves if both of us had to start work straight away?

For us, it was a moot point. I wanted to be able to see my daughter in the mornings and the evenings but the intensity and unpredictability of investment banking would make that a rare occurrence. So I resigned. But for other couples, these are just some of the dilemmas they face when one is offered the opportunity to move internationally and both want to continue with their careers.

Unfortunately the numbers show that few couples manage to pull it off successfully. The Permits Foundation's 2008 International Survey of Expatriate Spouses and Partners showed that while 90% of spouses and partners were either in paid employment or self employed prior to relocation, only 28% remained so after relocation.

In my own case, the decision was carefully thought out and driven by my desire for a change as well as the needs of our family. However, after two more international moves and another baby, a return to work in a new country, and with limited support seemed like a long shot. And that’s before I considered that, before long, we would be on the move again. Luckily for me, in coaching I found my vocation, which I can conveniently practice from wherever I find myself and which gives me the flexibility to accommodate our family logistics. However, you can see that although my initial decision was purposeful, the unintended consequence of our choices was that my options to return to a traditional workplace were limited, regardless of my legal entitlement.

Earlier this summer, Louise Wiles, founder of Success Abroad Coaching and I responded to a question on LinkedIn which asked if accompanying partners really want to work or whether we just pay lip service to the idea of working, safe in the knowledge that legally, most of us are prevented from doing so. Inspired by the question and our interest in the lives of accompanying partners, we decided to launch a survey, which explores this topic and also considers the factors which influence the choice to work or not and how that choice affects life satisfaction.

If you would like to support our work, please complete the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/partnerscareerchoices

Many, many thanks! Evelyn."

Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (November 24-25 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope you have been enjoying a great week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...

Hotels Around The World With Amazing Views
http://tgr.ph/rEHj1a

My Father, the Expat Codebreaker, by Alison Ripley
http://tgr.ph/rT4I9L

43 Reasons An Expat Might Love Living In Sweden
http://bit.ly/uvN3sp

6 Tips To Save On International Currency Transfers
http://bit.ly/rQgLv0

Another Work-From-Home Scam - Expat Women Freelancing Abroad Should Beware
http://bit.ly/vlc0oh

Goodbye to Singapore's Mr Chips - 32-year Expat Honored on His Retirement
http://tgr.ph/tDJV20

Interesting Websites If You Are Raising Kids Abroad
http://bit.ly/vsu4zq

2011 Expat of the Year in the Philippines - Named at Asia CEO Awards
http://bit.ly/vaHYZ1

Expats in the Netherlands? Expatica's Expat Education Fair is on 1 December in Amsterdam
http://bit.ly/tu2o7A

Man Watches Home Being Robbed Through His iPad While On Holidays 8,000km Away
http://bit.ly/tErErE

Repatriate Blogger for The Telegraph UK, Ex-Expat Chelsea Girl Says She's Looking At The UK Through Chinese Eyes Now
http://tgr.ph/ufTSvx

Black Women in Europe - PowerList 2011
http://bit.ly/w5a4ww

And the quote for the week...

"You only have one privacy setting: public... use social media wisely." from @coolcatteacher

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To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a sensational day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat

Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (November 15-16 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying a fabulous week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...

Is Your Accent Ruining Your Career?
bit.ly/rq3nav

10 Tips for Landing a PR Job Abroad
bit.ly/sVGxOk

3 Traps Facing New Global Leaders (Harvard Biz)
bit.ly/tkWzso

UK Expats and Wills: Why, Where, How and Other FAQs
bit.ly/tqKkKh

Life's a Beach: Living as an Expat on Sydney's Northern Beaches & Sharing My Life Less Ordinary, (Russell Ward)
http://bit.ly/v1dDXm

3 Ways To Raise Bilingual Children
tinyurl.com/cfwmvzu

17 Adventure Trips To Take Right Now
bit.ly/rKDGe9

20 of the World's Weirdest Natural Sights
bit.ly/ta1wh5

13 Insanely Cool Resumes That Landed Interviews At Google and Other Top Jobs
read.bi/tPg8Ci

Feature: 3 Inventive Businesses Set Up To Make Expat Life Easier (Telegraph Expat)
fb.me/1iLOAUlUh

The True Cost of Commuting: You Could Buy a House $15k More for Each Mile You Move Closer to Work
lifehac.kr/uoP7mj

And finally... a big congrats to the Gold Coast (QLD, Australia) for securing the 2018 Commonwealth Games!

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To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a fantastic day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat

Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (November 8-9 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope your week has started with some nice surprises! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...

Top 10 Best Value Destinations for 2012 (Lonely Planet)
ow.ly/7iCkn

iPad2s Up For Grabs! Simply Vote For Your Favourite British Place Abroad (Telegraph Expat)
bit.ly/p54uCE

Expat in the Netherlands? Win 2 @CRAVEcompany The Hague copies - Featuring Women Entrepreneurs
bit.ly/shkpcs

Experts Discount Expat Fears About Recent Landmark Ruling On UK Tax Affairs
tgr.ph/tyS8Tc

20 Most Recent Blogs In Our Expat Women Blog Directory
bit.ly/igeWXc

Strategies For A UN Job Search (Part 3): Review Recruitment Options
bit.ly/s51nJA

Shanghai Launches Expat Recruitment Drive
tgr.ph/rrU1yX

Should Travel And Living Abroad Be All About You? What About Helping Others?"
bit.ly/sanuu5

Expat Josephine McDermott Tells The Story Of Her Unforgettable 4 years in China (Telegraph Expat)
tgr.ph/sf0ZzX

Locations Are Like Lovers... New Blog Post by Expat @shamozal
bit.ly/tnpbFs

New "Gutsy Living" Interview With Karen Van Der Zee - About Life Abroad & Her Gutsy Decision To Go Marry A Foreigner In Africa
bit.ly/sJIbwK

...ps. If You Missed Our Expat Women Interview With Karen About Her Success As A Writer Abroad, With 35 Novels Published by Harlequin, Here It Is Again...
bit.ly/rBfYk5

My Favourite Quote This Week:
"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - Erin Majors
(found via @GreatestQuotes)

And Finally, A Warning...
80% of Burglars Use Social Networks To Find Their Next Target [Infographic]
bit.ly/tBxxUQ

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To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a fantastic day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat