Hi Everyone, Rachel Yates of Defining Moves: The Art of Successful Relocation wrote this great post for us, that we would like to share...
Relocation Policies: Are We Being Set Up To Fail?
We have lived in San Francisco for over a year, and I have yet to sign on with a doctor. I simply haven't had the time to find one whose opinion I trust, and I have had other priorities. I have been investing my time and energy in establishing a support network, ensuring that my children's educational needs are met, and recently spent 4.5 hours getting them admitted to a dental practice. Which is why I am convinced that the latest policies for improving spousal 'happiness' by investing in employment counseling are inherently flawed. We are being set up to fail, and here's why.
1. Time. The considerable time commitment that relocating and establishing a functioning household takes. The 'employed' partner is typically given between three and seven days to facilitate a move, but 63 percent of relocating households have one or more children, and move every three to five years. Thus the tasks that needed to be completed in any relocation (such as finding and furnishing housing, applying for documentation, establishing financial services, locating and enrolling with health care providers, finding appropriate education services) as well as time spent traveling, getting vaccinations and medical assessments, completing health, education, residency and legal checks, and of course the actual time spent moving house, fall to the accompanying partner.
The process is long term, and can up to six months to fully complete, leaving those on shorter term assignments destined for an endless cycle of tedious but essential research, driving and form-filling. Where destination support is offered, the limited time allocated means that housing and schooling are priorities, while services deemed less essential (such as waiting at home for utility engineers, establishing financial services, or finding medical care) are left to the accompanying partner to establish.
2. Invalid certification. Revalidating professional credentials takes a significant amount of time and effort and there are often delays in accessing the necessary courses. The shorter the assignment duration, the less benefit there is to be gained from the revalidation process, and where there is an additional cost implication, the overall 'return on investment' of recertification for career purposes is poor.
3. Inability to commit to new employment. Your resume may be stellar and your references glowing, but most employers are looking to recruit stable long-term team members. As an accompanying partner, you are unable to offer guarantees - you have already taken the decision to relocate to further your partner's career, and any future career decisions will almost certainly continue this trend. So if your partner's corporation decides to transfer, repatriate or terminate the contract, your dependent visa status means that you will be leaving too, regardless of how vital or fulfilling your new role is.
What Should Relocation Policies Be Focusing On?
1. Establishing realistic expectations. Far too many of us have embarked on life as an accompanying partner without fully understanding what we are signing up for. Including both partners in assignment planning meetings makes expectations clearer and more realistic. Is the move really a one off, or if it is successful, will the corporation be expecting further overseas postings? Is the time frame set, or is it likely to change according to the needs of the transferring employer? Answering these questions at the outset means that any plans made by the accompanying partner will be realistic over the entire expatriate time frame, rather on a single short term transfer.
2. The idea/option to work on a virtual basis. A great deal of work is outsourced or carried out remotely, so there may well be a way of maintaining your professional role from the new location. I know a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) who lives five hours from their former office, a real estate agent who uses Skype to give them a London office number but is actually taking the call in rural Wales, and a PR (Public Relations) agent who 'works' in the Heathrow area from a farm in Herefordshire. If career packages included identification of more flexible working opportunities and training in how to use remote networking tools, we could potentially make a smoother transition between locations, without having to change careers.
3. Encouragement and education around the idea of creating a new flexible career (as the accompanying partner). It may well be time to reinvent yourself. You have taken the decision to relocate for a reason, and it usually involves improving your family's quality of life and/or experiencing the wider world. Take it seriously, and invest time and energy in achieving those goals, and less time worrying about what you have left behind. If you are not simply taking a career break, but are intending to become a serial expat, reframing how you generate income and job satisfaction can open doors to opportunities that can move with you. Experts like Jo Parfitt and Robin Pascoe provide guidance on both a personal and professional transition to a new career and identity, and there are many online resources available, both for continuing education, career counseling and life coaching.
The good news is that we have far more flexible working opportunities than ever, and employers are increasingly outsourcing a huge range of tasks and roles to freelance workers and independent contractors. Web based job sites such as Elance, Monster and Craigslist feature thousands of opportunities that do not require residence in any particular location, and Ebay and Etsy provide a flexible way of running a retail business.
Final Words
Not every relocation policy lacks these ideas, but from anecdotal discussions with other expats, I suspect most do. What I suggest to the makers of relocation policy is that, as expat families, we could really benefit from a greater understanding of what options are open to us, and the tools to reframe our professional identity in a way that is congruent with the expatriate life, rather than in conflict with it. Do this to help us, and it's highly likely we'll stay longer on posting, and help you in return.
Rachel Yates, an expat trailing spouse from Wales, who has spent the last ten years turning relocation disasters into a worldwide traveling circus. Currently living in San Francisco, she has spent the last ten years routing through London, Nairobi, and Los Angeles, complete with two kids, two dogs and three cats. She has only once been upgraded on a flight. Current goals include making it into Virgin First Class, learning HTML and locating a perfect Lemon Drop Martini.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Relocation Policies: Are We Being Set Up To Fail? by Expat Rachel Yates
Thursday, July 7, 2011
July 2011 Edition of Mobility Magazine Online
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the July 2011 edition of Worldwide ERC®'s Mobility Magazine, which features the following:
Short Sales and Clawbacks and Lies, Oh My!
By Bruce Perlman, Sr., SCRP
How to Guarantee Inventory Elimination
By Jill Heineck, CRP
Functionality and Appeal Is the New Square Footage
By Jeneene Rydberg, Sherrie Witte, CRP, and David McMurtrie, CRP
Become a Mobility Enabler: the 12-Step Program Part 2
By Tom Bruhn, CRP
Reservations Required
By Eric Reed, CRP, GMS
Destination Profile: Latin America
By Anne Dean, GMS, and Rita Hernandez, CRP, GMS
Three Men Make a Tiger: the Mythology of Chinese Business Culture
By Erin Meyer and Elisabeth Shen
Passing the Baton: (Sudden) Succession Planning
By Anita Brienza, GMS
The Rise of Serviced Apartments in the United Kingdom
By Alison Hull
Temporary Housing: Five Ways to Take Out the Stress
By Amanda Cook
Happy reading! Andrea
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (22-23 June 2011)
Expat kids returning to Singapore called "Half-Pats" by The Straits Times
It has been 30 years since the founding of China's first expat newspaper
http://bit.ly/kJSJba
Moving Soon? Here's a spreadsheet you can use to compare movers
http://bit.ly/jC3QTG
Should you stay or move? Tools to decide via Expat Interrupted
http://bit.ly/kaUtKO
Feeling overwhelmed because of a move? Good advice from Global Coach Center's blog
http://bit.ly/lGwEYW
Wisdom from Distant Shores
http://bit.ly/j0k05t
Meet Telegraph Expat's first video blogger, Emily. Blogging about parenting in Provence
http://tgr.ph/iikRG8
Why Brian Ware joined the outstanding clear-up operation in Japan
http://tgr.ph/j6IWrw
Italian Mom Finds a Rich New Life in China
http://bit.ly/izrW07
PS. Missed our Twitter Links from 15-16 June? Just click here. Thanks.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Missed Some More Great Expat Links on Twitter? (15-16 June 2011)
Expat writes letter to China explaining why she decided to stay
Expat Entrepreneurship - A Lesson in Resistance and Acceptance
http://bit.ly/mlSSFH
Families split due to work: ‘Colony of wives’ in Mississauga
http://bit.ly/lD3SFa
Time to Return to Traumatised Japan
http://bit.ly/k1zxbY
9 Reasons Not To Retire Overseas (And Why They Don't Matter)
http://bit.ly/irSmJ3
Why You Should Visit a New Destination
http://bit.ly/jQrOoH
British Expat Uproar as Denmark Bans Marmite
http://t.co/QSNw4Xm
In Search of a Better Life - History of British and Irish Migration
http://t.co/TU9Y7CY
400,000 Indian Expats in Singapore - Are They Living the Best of Both Worlds
http://bit.ly/msRcss
Why does this expat entrepreneur live in Bali?
http://bit.ly/lopU6v
Where's home for you? Geographical schizophrenia. Spiritual geography. Expat life.
http://bit.ly/lgePI1
Do You Work Too Hard? Some Cultural Perspectives
http://t.co/JKxtQGl
The Bilingual Advantage
http://ow.ly/588lB
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 2011 Edition of Mobility Magazine Online
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the June 2011 edition of the Worldwide ERC® Mobility Magazine, which features the following:
Current Trends in Business Immigration Compliance and Enforcement
By Brendan Ryan
Are Fingerprint Scanners in Our Immigration Compliance Future?
By Lynden D. Melmed
Working Together on the Immigration Puzzle
By Jasmine A. Majid and Rebecca K. Peters
Global Standpoints on Workplace Harassment
By Stephanie R. Schreck, SCRP, SGMS
Middle East Culture Redux
By Sean Dubberke
Destination Profile: Spain
By Ellen Harris, GMS and Rosa Escalona, CERP2
Risk and Relocation: How Consistency Can Drive Success During the Homesale
By Anne Bodin and Pam Milani, CRP
Become a Mobility Enabler: the 12-Step Program: Part 1
By Tom Bruhn, CRP
Prepping and Training for Mobility and the London Olympics
By Caroline Meszaros-Suard
Happy reading! Andrea
Sunday, June 5, 2011
FIGT Conference - 2012 Dates Announced & Speaker Proposals Now Invited
Monday, May 30, 2011
Expat Women in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE): Interested in Part-Time Work with SIRVA Relocation?
Hi Everyone, If you are based in Abu Dhabi, or know someone who is, and you/your friends are interested in a great part-time work opportunity with SIRVA Relocation, please read on...
Introduction from SIRVA Relocation
Global relocations are on the increase and we are actively recruiting Assignment Coordinators. We offer the right candidates a great part-time opportunity to use their expat living and moving experiences and be a part of our dynamic team to help our clients' international employees and their families to settle into Abu Dhabi.
Main Purpose of the Assignment Coordinator Role
The Assignment Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the delivery of international and domestic service programs, policy and benefits for clients of SIRVA Relocation as allocated, act as the primary point of coordination and accountability to the assignees while maintaining the highest level of customer service.
1. Under the allocation from the Manager Relocation Services, manage the entire international relocation for each global assignee within the Client's global assignment policy, being their single point of accountability and their advocate. May include services ranging from pre-decision through repatriation/reassignment.
2. Manage the suppliers involved in the process: i.e. agents, field consultants, transport, and accommodations.
3. Coordinate with all internal departments/functions to ensure successful transferee experience.
4. Administer all related information and documentation.
5. Participate in client/prospect visits and presentations.
Position Requirements / Qualifications
* A college degree, qualification in Human resources or related
discipline highly desirable.
* 3-5 years experience in real estate, relocation or human resources.
* 3+ years living in Abu Dhabi.
* Excellent communication and diplomatic skills: preferably with experience in living abroad and/or communicating with all levels of employees, and across cultures.
* Prefer fluent English speaker plus one or more languages.
* Must have a strong customer service background with ability to build relationships, proven skills in project and service partner management are required.
* Must be a Team player and self-starter with initiative and drive.
* Good computer skills - proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Access).
* Location: Abu Dhabi.
Please urgently send your resume to: Kashish.Navlani@Sirva.ae
Cut off date is Friday 3 June 2011 and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Thank you.
About SIRVA, Inc.
SIRVA, Inc. is a leader in providing relocation solutions to a well-established and diverse customer base around the world. The company has redefined the relocation industry by offering innovative ways for customers to achieve their individual business goals, while providing global end-to-end relocation services, including program development and management, home purchase and home sale services, household goods moving, and mortgage services.
SIRVA conducts more than 300,000 relocations every year, transferring corporate and government employees and moving individual consumers. The company operates in more than 40 countries with approximately 2,600 employees and an extensive network of agents and other service providers in over 175 countries. With our global reach and local expertise, people trust SIRVA to listen to their unique needs and deliver seamless relocations every day.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter?
Hi Everyone, Here are some great expat-related links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you. Enjoy!
Loving What You Have Abroad
bit.ly/eIF5OM
Expat Spouses: Live a Little!
http://tinyurl.com/3jmjom5
Expat Psychology: 3 Lessons From Posttraumatic Research
http://bit.ly/eBabdB
Best Emerging Destinations for Retirement Abroad?
http://bit.ly/fkS0Ja
Great Question: When The Going Gets Tough Abroad, Should I?
http://bit.ly/fXJs7o
Building Your Writing Muscle, Connecting with People, and the Life of an Expat
http://ow.ly/4FgHu
New Website for Comparing Cost of Living
http://bit.ly/dTCdQR
Who Are Third Culture Kids Really? Response from Ruth E. Van Reken
http://bit.ly/ghHGFm
Do You Know Emergency Numbers in the Country You're Visiting?
http://bit.ly/fSewCV
Why Aren't My Kids Bilingual?
http://bit.ly/mDBa0n
Parents of the Third Culture: Where to retire, when all the world is home?
http://bit.ly/llKj3y
10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Volunteering Abroad
http://bit.ly/kKrz0G
Should You Take An Overseas Job?
http://bit.ly/lrpWii
Overcoming Top 10 Expat Concerns - Part 1
http://bit.ly/j3Bku1
Expats and Repatriation: What Can You No Longer Do
http://bit.ly/l0g2jT
Expat Pride and Emotion Abroad
http://bit.ly/mdxfBo
Best and Worst Countries to be a Mom?
http://ow.ly/4MDZH
Expat Life in the Netherlands: Pros and Cons
http://bit.ly/jVqQOP
Top Tweets, week of May 6, from Telegraph Expat
http://bit.ly/jirY7Q
Understanding Your Own Cultural Blueprint Helps Expats Adjust Abroad
http://bit.ly/iyJweE
Expat Kids Get the Best of Both Worlds
http://bit.ly/jTcqSx
Relocating With Children: When Divorce Enters the Equation
http://bit.ly/kTIIEz
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 wonderful day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat
Monday, May 9, 2011
May 2011 Edition of Mobility Magazine Online
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the May 2011 edition of the Worldwide ERC® Mobility Magazine, which features the following:
Checking in on Mobility Services Procurement
By Frank Mauck
Managing Relocation Service Delivery Risk—Audit and Forget It!
By Jill Heineck, CRP
Delivering a Knock-out Mobility Services Partnership
By Tracey Gatlin, CRP
Adapt and Adjust—Managing Change in Employee Mobility
By Margie Dillon, CRP, GMS, PHR, and Kate Kelley-Dilts, SCERP, SCRP, SGMS
Managing Relocation in a Changing Corporate Environment: On-demand Information Required
By Joseph Morabito, SCRP
Property Management: Getting the Details Right
By James Conigliaro, CRP, GMS, and Ghadeer Hasan, CRP, GMS
(Not) Leaving Las Vegas
By Tim McCarney, GMS
Worldwide ERC® Regional Groups: Act Locally and Think Industry!
By Bill Mulholland, CRP, GMS
Advice for First-time Conference Attendees
By Chris Chalk, CRP, GMS
Happy reading! Andrea
Monday, May 2, 2011
Expat Women Living in São Paulo, Brazil - Part Time Job Opportunity
Hi Everyone, If you live in São Paulo, Brazil, or know someone who does, please read on...
Expat Women in São Paulo, Brazil: Fancy a Few Hours Paid Work That is Flexible?
Going-There, a relocation company based in London with a fast growing network of operations in over 100 cities around the world, is looking for Destination Consultants for its São Paulo, Brazil, operation. They offer a service that you might wish you had, when you arrived here!
Going-There needs to recruit consultants who are personable, savvy, and with good people and communication skills. You must have access to a car and be able to drive, have excellent English, both written and oral, and have home Internet access for the following post:
Destination Consultants
* You will help newly-arriving expats and their families settle in to their new lives in São Paulo.
* You will assist with topics such as pre-arrival assistance, home-finding, school searches, helping new arrivals get wired in to the city with the least possible disruption.
* You will help make an often-anxious assignee and their family feel at home.
* You will help to put a friendly face on a foreign place.
* You will need a good knowledge of the city and some knowledge of the local rental market.
This is a very part-time post, project-based on an assignee package lasting 1-5 days per project, not always consecutively.
To learn more about Going-There, please first visit http://www.going-there.com.
Then, if you are genuinely interested and available immediately, please urgently email Jackie Rowan via jackie.rowan@going-there.com directly for further information.
Please feel free to email this to anyone (else) who might (also) be interested.
Thank you very much and best wishes to those who apply! Andrea
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Just Released! 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report (Expats)
Hi Everyone, The annual, well-respected and highly quoted Global Relocation Trends Survey Report has just been released, by Brookfield Global Relocation Services.
Here are some excerpts from their press release today:
* 61 percent of global companies surveyed are expecting to transfer more employees in 2011 than in recent years, according to the just-released 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report, published by Brookfield Global Relocation Services.
* The percentage of new hires for international assignments hits an all-time low (8 percent).
* Meanwhile, only 9 percent of international assignees are 20 to 29 years old (tied for the lowest percentage in the report's history).
* While there are some signs of improvement, obtaining spouse/partner employment during international assignments continues to be a struggle. In this report, 60 percent of spouses/partners were employed before but just 12 percent during assignments.
* 18 percent of international assignees were women, compared to a historical average of 16 percent.
* 68 percent of international assignees were married and less than half (47 percent) had children accompanying them, an all-time low.
* Just 74 percent of companies provided cross-cultural preparation - the lowest percentage in the history of this report -While this benefit may be an easy one to cut to reduce costs, it is difficult to ensure the quality of web-based or self-service cross-cultural preparation that is usually offered as an alternative.
* As a consequence, although companies are increasingly focusing on cost reductions and efficiencies in their international relocation operations, amazingly, 92 percent of companies did not formally measure return on investment (ROI). When asked why, 50 percent of respondents indicated that the principal reason for not measuring ROI is that they do not know how to achieve it.
* China, Brazil and India are top emerging destinations; China, India and Russia cited as most challenging destinations for both expats and relocation managers.
* The location of a company's headquarters is a significant factor in that company's optimism: Those headquartered in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were more optimistic than their counterparts with headquarters in North America. For example, 64 percent of EMEA-based companies expected to send more employees on assignment this year, versus 58 percent of companies based in North America.
In all, 118 multinational firms participated in the worldwide survey; combined, these firms manage a worldwide employee population of 5.6 million. Brookfield Global Relocation Services will present key findings of its 2011 survey on Thursday, April 21, during a complimentary webinar that will provide a comparative analysis of the key global mobility issues facing businesses today. All webinar attendees will receive the full Global Relocation Trends Survey report. To register, please click here.
Brookfield Global Relocation Services is a full service provider of corporate and government relocation and assignment management services to more than 250 corporate and government clients. Brookfield Global Relocation Services manages over 50,000 relocations in more than 110 countries throughout the world, and funds over $3.6 billion dollars in relocation expenses annually. Brookfield Global Relocation Services is an operating company of Brookfield Residential Property Services, a leading global provider of real estate and relocation services, technology, and knowledge.
Worldwide ERC® EMEA Global Workforce Summit: Free Conference Registration for Corporate/HR Professionals
Hi Everyone, If you are a Corporate/Human Resources (HR) Professional who might be interested in attending the Worldwide ERC® EMEA Global Workforce Summit in Amsterdam, June 23-24, you are invited to sign up now, for free.
Just like they did for their Summit in Shanghai last month, the Worldwide ERC® is offering this opportunity to Corporate/HR Professionals, but just like Shanghai, the free spots are limited.
The offer is open to "all corporate HR professionals responsible for the talent management and global mobility of their company’s employees."
To learn more, please click here. Then, if you have further questions, please contact Vice President, Meetings and Member Alliances Cici Thompson at Meetings@WorldwideERC.org. Thank you.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Expat Women Site Relaunches!
Hi Everyone, We are excited today to finally unveil our new-look Expat Women website. Please come and visit it, share it, tweet it and 'like it' on Facebook. Your support helps a lot. Thank you!
New-Look Expat Women Site
Here are a few images to give you a quick guided tour...
PS. If you are reading this by blog feed and cannot see the images, please click here to read this post on our blog instead. Thanks.
Monday, January 17, 2011
January Edition of Mobility Magazine Online
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the January 2011 edition of the Worldwide ERC® Mobility Magazine, which features the following:
2011 Worldwide ERC® President Susan Schneider, SCRP, GMS
By Frank Mauck
Relocation Training 2011 and Beyond
By Nancy Harmann, ABRM, ABR, CRP, CRS, GMS, GRI, PMN, SRES, WRS, and Ryan Carrell, CRP
Andrea's note: Are there any training qualifications that Nancy does not have? ;-)
The Power of Virtual Teams
By Charlene Solomon
Destination Profile: The United Kingdom
By Anne Dean, GMS, and Julian Grose-Hodge, GMS
2010 Worldwide ERC® Global Thought Leaders
Relocation Integration: Primary Component to Any People Strategy
By Jill Heineck, CRP
Hey, Where is My Replacement?
By Daniel T. Bloom, SPHR, SSBB, SCRP
The Price of Inaccuracy: Eight Ways for Improving International Payroll Compliance
By Tim McCarney, GMS
Lessons Learned
By Jennifer Rosene
Happy reading! Andrea
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Want To Know Who's Speaking At The 2011 FIGT Conference?
Hi Everyone, Our friends at FIGT (Families in Global Transition) have now published details of who will be speaking, and about what, at their upcoming conference in Washington (March 17-19) and they have kindly allowed us to republish the information for you here...
Unleashing Your Creative Potential Through the Arts
Alaine Handa
Do you get a “block” trying to write your article/book, choreograph a dance, paint a picture, design an outfit, etc.? In this session, mini-activities using movement, character writing, art therapy, and free-write will be introduced, to help you unlock creative potential that can become material for your work. TCKs are rich with unconscious thoughts that may or may not have been repressed. By unleashing these vulnerable thoughts, we let go of what we have kept “locked” inside and can use it as material to move on with our mobile lives.
Does where you're from make a difference? Comparing American and Japanese TCKs
Ann Baker Cottrell
Nearly all TCK research is based on American or Japanese TCKs. A review of these literatures, including findings from a study of over 600 American ATCKs, reveals themes in common to TCKs. It also makes clear that the TCK experience, especially on re-entry, is shaped by socio-cultural characteristics and history of the passport country. TCKs from other countries will be encouraged to share their experiences and how they are similar to or different from American or Japanese TCKs.
Death from a Distance: Practical and Emotional Guidance
Apple Gidley & Laura Stephens
Death is not something we like to talk about and wherever you live is difficult to handle. Add an ocean between you and your aging loved ones and the issues can be magnified. This session aims to provide a greater awareness and understanding of the challenges of dealing with aging parents and death from a distance. Apple Gidley will share her experiences, both practical and emotional, and Laura Stephens will draw on her therapeutic training to offer clarity around the process of grief and related issues.
Department of State Support to Foreign Service Families
Archana Dheer
Department of State is a leader in the field of preparing its employees and family members for overseas assignments. While many organizations provide the required training to employees, we focus also on the accompanying family member. Transition Center at FSI runs training courses, seminars and workshops to cover many aspects of international life that are a challenge to these families. It can be traveling with pets, recognition of gay couples as family, relevant allowances, adequate education for special needs children, employment opportunities for family members, etc. What all does the department do? How does it do it?
Perspective Coaching: Empowering Expatriates with Choice and Action
Becky Matchullis
Using perspective to one’s advantage is a key factor in moving forward with courage and resiliency in the expatriate life, especially during transition. Going to a new perspective expands the way to look at a situation by creating new possibilities – leading to choice. This workshop is for both expatriate coach as well as expatriate. Interactive and experiential, you will learn when perspective coaching is most strategic, where to find perspectives, and the 4 step process of Perspective Coaching.
The Teen Perspective on Transition
Caitlin Morse & Amy Casteel
International schools, coaches, parents, sponsoring organizations and others will discover how teens perceive transition and what contributes to successful transitions, based on the responses of 100+ teens. This session will use survey results, video interviews, case studies, 15 years of experience working with TCKs, and audience participation to explore what transitions are really like for youth. Participants will be equipped with strategies for making transitions successful for teens.
We’re All in This Together! Navigational Strategies for Intercultural Intersections of School Communities
Candice Hughes
This session focuses on the multiple intercultural intersections that exist in school communities comprised of diverse populations that represent host country and other cultures. The cultural iceberg metaphor and a framework of intercultural knowledge and skills will be used to demonstrate how these intersections can be navigated by students, families and staff members to allow learning to occur in an environment of acceptance and tolerance. Participants will engage in a set of exercises to learn how to analyze school settings to identify potential problematic intercultural intersections and learn how to help community members navigate them successfully in their respective roles.
Traveling beyond the Limitations of Identity
Carolyn Vines
Everyone has an identity that's been foisted upon him/her by family, community, culture, religion and/or nationality. Everyone experiences various crises of identity caused by those prefabricated identities. However, not everyone recognizes these crises as opportunities to search within for a definition of self in one's own terms, on one's own terms. The objective is to help participants recognize that identity can be the fiercest of limitations on one's personal growth potential and to identify some tools for seeing/defining themselves in different terms.
TeamWork ABC
(Availability/Being Prepared/Communicating) = SEE! (success in expatriation experience)
Chantal Duke
Show how understanding of expatriation concepts and potential issues can benefit the employee, family and the company’s relocating staff during different cycles of the adaptation process.
Finding The TCK Voice: A Personal Journey Through Art, Creativity and Intuition
Cheilaugh Garvey
What is art? Art is creation, imagination, recording, investigation, arbitration and culmination. It helps define our existence and makes us less alone and frees our frustration. Anonymous. Don't be afraid of the "art part"! No previous experience required! In this hands-on workshop, you will learn to tap into your own intuitive creativity in order to discover your distinctive TCK voice. Everyone's experience is different! Through a variety of fun and informal creative exercises, you will find ways to visualize and verbalize your experiences as a TCK or ex-pat. This process will evoke memories and emotions and help you to reconnect with your cross-cultural experiences. Through art and journaling, you will express your personal voice and embark on a journey of reflection, reevaluation and growth. The influences and perceptions of living abroad will also be explored. Enjoy the process and conversations during this enlightening workshop.
The Modern Expat
Diane Endo
The notion of acculturation seems to be disappearing from the verbal and mental vocabulary of today’s expats. Shorter assignments, ease of global travel, technology, and busy work and family life are several reasons why expats today are more apt to opt out of total immersion in their host country culture. This session will introduce modern methods for being a resident in a foreign culture.
Choosing the right expat support services for every budget
Doris Fuellgrabe
Are you organizing relocations while juggling a tight budget? Are you wondering which support fits best for individual cases? In this session, participants will explore different areas of expat support services and receive practical resources how to choose which ones are right for them. This is not a sales presentation! We are going to look at the advantages and limitations of language training, readiness assessments, destination services, cross-cultural and repatriation training, and expat coaching. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences, thereby creating a synergetic exchange of information among the group.
Developing a Personal Model of Resiliency for Expatriates
Duncan Westwood
An interactive workshop that trains participants to identify, build and strengthen a model of personal resilience with expatriates. Expatriate employees, spouses, TCKs and their service providers will personally and professionally benefit from learning how to foster resiliency in themselves and/or coach others to do so. Relevant findings from the research on expatriate resiliency will be an integral part of our interactive learning.
The Impact of Confucianism on Asians' Crossing Culture
Isabelle DS Min
Our values and languages shape the way we see the world. Just as most western view of the world were shaped by the Greek philosophies, Confucianism dictates Asians’ perspectives (Richard Nisbet “The Geography of Thought”). Confucianism, among other things, is highly hierarchical, relationship based perspective of the world. Among many Asian nations, Confucianism still holds a strong grip in Korea where there still exist 7 levels of honorifics. This session uses real life examples to illustrate how Confucianism still thrives in Korean life and business and offers practical solutions for smooth transition into such Asian mindset.
Increasing importance of expat partner support
Jacqueline Van Haaften
Companies and organisations are offering all kinds of assistance to the partners of the employees whom they are sending abroad. They have good reason to do so. But just how effective is their help? What are the trends? And how do the partners themselves feel about the support they receive? In order to answer these questions, Global Connection conducted a survey among its members around the world, mainly traditional expatriates, although the ‘expat-light’ trend is starting to emerge. The expats surveyed were posted abroad by a total of more than 50 organisations.
Blogs, books and bylines - How getting in print will boost your global business
Jo Parfitt
Do you want to stand out from the crowd and get more clients? Then you need to increase your client base and your profile through writing and getting into print. From writing a blog, to articles, booklets and books, there are many ways to increase your Googlability. This workshop will discuss how writing can help you to achieve expert status, passive income and an impressive Internet presence. Learn how to use the power of blogging, Twitter, booklets and books to grow an impressive business regardless of where you may live.
Action, Identity, Success or Failure: What makes an expat child grow?
Julia Simens
When does a child take failure from an action (I failed) to an identity (I am a failure) and why this follows them around the world as they relocate. Pick up some practical tips on how to make those around you ‘grow’. The view you adapt for yourself or the view your child takes on profoundly affects the way each of you lead your life. Listen to parents and teachers give comments and compare them to what a child really hears. Learn what is the most common mistake we make and how it can hinder motivation and performance.
Cross-Cultural Career Counseling and Job Search Coaching:
Supporting Accompanying Expatriate Spouses or Partners
Katarina Holm-DiDio
This session explores how a career counselor or job search coach can support the expatriate in a job search process in a country different than her/his passport country. We will discuss how to be mindful about cultural differences in career development and in career related values; how to find ways to help the client identify his or her values, strengths and challenges as an expatriate and ways to address them in the global job search context; how to assist the client to understand and address the employers/recruiters concerns about hiring an expatriate, and by exploring cultural differences in networking and job interviewing.
Advocating for Families – Ensuring the Voices of Families Are Heard
Kathleen Moakler
The families represented at this FIGT conference have all experienced global transition. They face the challenges of everyday family life enhanced by the additional stresses of changing environments and locations. Military families face these challenges as well. The National Military Family Association was formed to empower military families to become their own best advocates for addressing these challenges in their Nation or in their neighborhood. They are military family members serving other military families. They have grown to be a credible information resource for those families and for the policy makers that serve them. We will discuss how to form and sustain an advocacy organization, why it is important, and how we serve our constituents. We will trace our growth over 40 years and how we have had to adapt to changes. We will invite all sectors to brainstorm on how they could use this model to advocate for the needs of their families.
Oh the Places We Will Go: A Look at the Cross-cultural Adjustment Process of Expatriate Families in a Multinational Organization
Katie Rosenbusch & Len Cerny
Currently, there is limited research evidence on the cross‐cultural adjustment of expatriate families; therefore, there is a need to develop a better understanding of the impact that family makes on the cross‐cultural transition. This study investigated the impact of the family characteristics ‐ family cohesion and family flexibility‐ on the cross‐cultural adjustment process from the perspective of the expatriate and his/her spouse and child. The findings of this research provide insights to organizations and their HRD professionals as well as to the expatriates and their families on how family flexibility impacts cross-cultural adjustment.
Crossing Sectors for Good Practice: Practical Lessons from International Mission/Aid
Kelly O'Donnell
Go and grow broadly. This presentation looks at the importance of interacting with different sectors on behalf of our international work with staff and their families. How can we take advantage of the wealth of opportunities for connecting and contributing to various international sectors? We’ll share personal stories, key concepts, and practical grids based on the presenter’s 30 years of experience in the humanitarian and mission sectors. Crossing sectors involves three overlapping areas:
• Crossing domains (e.g., health care, human rights)
• Crossing disciplines (e.g., human resource management, organizational management)
• Crossing deserts (e.g., personal challenges in the context of challenging work).
Getting the Most from an International Education: A How To Guide for Parents and HR
Laila Plamondon
Navigating life abroad can be daunting. Faced with tough decisions and life changes, parents often opt for the safest options... However more and more parents want a true global experience for their children; increasingly expensive international schools are just not an option. We’ll explore ways to get the most from every international education, from day-long activities to the ultimate immersion experience of attending a local school. We’ll discuss common dilemmas and long-term pitfalls, and share new strategies and trade secrets to help make the most of every international educational experience.
Through Western Eyes
Lesley Lewis & Betty Eng
Using the Whole Person Development concept along with Personal Experiences, Journal Entries and Narrative Inquiries (storytelling) of forty-five Hong Kong Chinese and ten Mainland Chinese undergraduate students - this presentation will present "cutting edge" findings and solutions to work with TCK's from China. There are many Asian students and adults moving internationally. The session will discuss the approaches to working with Asian Students in a most effective fashion allowing the students to feel they are "being heard" and how as professionals we can be culturally sensitive to their needs using the Whole Person Development approach.
Adjusting to Life in Brookline: A community-based program to help new international families in their adjustment to a new country.
Liliana Busconi, Andrew Miser & Mindy Paulo
People moving to another country are faced with cross-cultural dilemmas, such as lack of understanding of the social norms and rules, challenges to their personal and cultural values, inability to communicate, disruption of family functioning and loss of identity. This session will present a description of a successful free community-based intercultural program developed to support newcomers in the process of adjusting to life in a new community. We will analyze the benefits of a community-based program, present the program curriculum and cross-cultural activities and discuss the possibility of reproducing similar programs in other communities.
The World Bank Family Network, a long success story: a professional volunteer based support network
Maaike Le Grand
Volunteers can play a unique and determining role in welcoming relocating families and easing their transition in their new environment. The World Bank Family Network is a case in point. A group of some seventy spouses of the WBG staff volunteer their time welcoming around 500 families per year and organizing as many as 30 activities per month as well as 9 big events per year. This is done seamlessly and efficiently despite the transient commitment of the volunteers and with the help of only 3 WBG full time staff. What makes this work and what lessons can be drawn for other institutions?
Strengthening Resiliency in Military Children: Insights for Military Parents, Teachers, Counselors, Youth Leaders, Clergy and Other Helping Professionals
Mary Wertsch
All military children face tough challenges: repeated uprootings; caregiver adults who disappear to the combat zone; the delicate daily negotiation of fitting into both military culture and the radically different civilian culture around it. That's just for starters. There can also be the tensions of a blended family; a warrior parent dealing with high stress or trauma; a family member with an addiction. Can anything be done to help military children weather these storms? Yes. This session will teach participants a paradigm for helping military kids find the inner strength to survive and thrive, whatever the emotional weather.
Writing the Story of Your Overseas Experience
Maureen Sullivan Romagnoli
The world is made not of atoms, but of stories. These are the words of the poet Muriel Rukyser. We define our lives and our experiences through the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. The challenges you have faced and the incredible education you have acquired about living and working overseas is filled with a myriad of stories that need to be set down in some systematic manner. This workshop is the place to start. It will provide you with the questions you need to ask yourself in order to begin to record your story.
Best Practices in International Assignee Cross-cultural Training and Support
Neal Goodman
In this very interactive session we will share and examine the latest best practices that contribute to a successful cross-cultural training program. These include: training methodologies, use of technologies, social networks, and support services which promote the successful integration of international assignees and their families into their new host country and their successful repatriation back home. Attendees will be asked to share their experiences and best practices and a Model of a successful cross-cultural training and support process will be presented and examined. Each participant will be expected to develop a minimum of one action item to implement immediately.
When Friendship Becomes A Weapon, Exploring TCK Relational Aggression in International School Students
Noel Roberts
Relational Aggression is not a new concept but is still understudied in certain settings especially as it relates to TCK’s in the international school environment. Building on David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken’s work, “Third Culture Kids”, this workshop begins to investigate the complex friendships of TCK International students between transitions. We explore how issues of unresolved grief, guardedness, rejection, cultural miscues and unfulfilled expectations in both students and their parents, entangle and fuel TCK relational aggression. The workshop offers solid strategies for caregivers to help them learn how to unravel and disengage from these destructive relationships.
One Woman’s Air Force: Professional Opportunities and Personal Challenges of Women in the Military
Paulette Bethel
Women make up a growing component of the US military, especially in the last decade. Currently, women represent 14% of the US active duty forces and 20% of new military recruits. Current research findings and interviews with military women will be presented through the lens of the presenter's personal experiences to explore and “connect the dots” regarding the benefits and challenges of a military career. Discussion topics will include single parenthood, dual-military marriages; deployment issues; family adjustment issues, including medical and mental health impacts on mothers and their children. Suggestions will be offered for areas where further research is needed.
How Can EAP’s Retool to Address the Global Business Demands and the Familial Need of the Expatriate
Philip Berry & Tom Diamante
As companies and organizations increase their global focus, the value of the expatriate assignment is rising. However, the expatriate, like the domestic employee cannot focus on the job when family concerns are pressing. On the global business stage, the work-life dynamic is complicated by cross-cultural elements and added familial issues. Research indicates that family/cultural adaptation and on-going support is critical to retention of talent overseas. Pre-transition, during assignment and post-transition (repatriation) periods each require focused attention. We will explore the strategic integration of technological, organizational, social and familial elements critical to business success in the context of “transitions” on a global level.
The Resilience Doughnut: A strengths-based model for building resiliency and a route to solutions for the transition issues faced by young people
Stephanie Schwarz
The Resilience Doughnut (created by Lyn Worsley) is a practical, strength-based model for building resilience in young people. It considers how to enhance internal positive beliefs and make use of seven external life factors to develop resilience. This session introduces the model and applies it to a case example. It then explores why, at times of global transition, young people’s resiliency is particularly vulnerable before exploring strategies for parents and schools to help transitioning children remain resilient. Finally, participants will see how the model informs an International School’s “Transition Mentoring Program”, which works with new Elementary students to speed and smooth their transition into school.
ATCK Repatriation Challenges: Counseling Needs and Techniques
Tina Quick & Lois Bushong
Once ATCKs step out of the international, highly mobile third culture, they begin to witness differences between themselves and others who have grown up in more traditional cultures. Counselors, EAP providers and member care directors will benefit from this anecdotal filled session that looks at the issues young adult TCKs struggle with upon repatriation and how they can be helped to navigate the deep waters of adjusting to the new culture of their home country. Stories and video clips will be interspersed with counseling techniques and treatment plans in the therapy office for helping ATCKs cope with grief, identity questions, relationship challenges, belonging, old wounds and other themes.
FIGT is always a great conference: educational sessions plus wonderful networking with a group of people that really do become like 'family'. I highly recommend the conference (I went in 2007 and 2009) and encourage you to find out more details here.
Thanks and enjoy your weekend! Andrea
STOP PRESS: MORE SPEAKERS NOW LISTED ON THE FIGT SITE HERE: http://www.figt.org/2011_Conference_Schedule (18 January 2011)
Monday, November 8, 2010
November Edition of Mobility Magazine Online
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the November edition of the Worldwide ERC® Mobility Magazine, which is now online and features the following:
The Rise of Alternative Assignments
By Michael S. Cadden, MBA, GMS
Expecting the Unexpected: Knowing Who and How to Ask for Help
By Robert Quigley, M.D., D. PHIL
Protecting Critical Data in the Age of Global Mobility
By Matthew Dickerson, CRP, and Waqas Akkawi, CISM
A Texas Treasure—An Interview with Ebby Halliday
By Margie Dillon, CRP, GMS, PHR, and Deborah Dull, CRP, GMS
Qatar
By Anne Dean, GMS, and Dr. Mostafa Reda
Five Hard Lessons in Global Talent Management
By Ed Gaydos, PH.D.
The Challenges of Mobility in African Markets
By Brenda H. Fender, SCRP, GMS
Moving with A Flourish
By Wendy Kendall
Pets in Relocation—the Emotional Glue Holding a Family Together
By Walter M. Woolf, V.M.D.
Happy reading! Andrea
