Expat Women August Home Page & Welcome To New Sponsor: Confused.com

Hello Everyone! A very special August welcome to our new Bronze Sponsor, Confused.com: a leading comparison service based in the UK. Though best known for car insurance, they also offer home insurance, travel insurance, a selection of financial services, the ability to switch energy suppliers, and plenty more besides. Just by filling in some forms which are nice and simple to follow, Confused.com will return a selection of great deals available on the web, and present them to you in a format that’s easy to understand. Thanks in advance for supporting Confused.com!

This month, our Expat Women August Home Page highlights the following fabulous features:

Success Story: Diane Gulyas
Dianne Gulyas runs DuPont’s largest business unit – a US$7 billion operation, with a 7,500-strong global team. It’s no wonder that Fortune magazine named her as one of their 50 Most Powerful Women. She attributes her accelerated success to working abroad...

Business Idea: The Antiques Diva™
Toma Haines believes that trailing spouses “have been offered the greatest gift on the planet: the time and resources to pursue their dreams”. Toma’s dream was to live abroad and create her own career in a suitcase. With The Antiques Diva™, that’s exactly what she’s done…

Queen Of Africa: Tanya Trevor
Tanya Trevor has led a fascinating life. She has lived in Kenya, Denmark, England, Scotland and Australia. She was with her father when he was filming Gorillas in the Mist, on set during Out Of Africa, and on screen with Jimmy Stewart in Tale of Africa…

Negotiations Abroad: The Female Factor
In order for women to be successful in international business negotiations, [they] need to be educated about how to deal with foreign business cultures. The secret of women’s success negotiating internationally is contained in the three angles of the “Triple A Triangle”…

Expat Confession: Keeping Secrets
"I am feeling a bit down because I have the feeling that my husband is keeping secrets from me. He’s getting distant from me and he always seems too tired to talk. I realise that his work is quite demanding, but we have been married for ten years and have lived the expatriate life..."

Expat Explorer Survey Results
Seeking the good life abroad? Then pack your suitcase and head for Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the United States (US). These three countries emerged as the best expat locations in the largest global survey of expats, with 2,155 respondents across four continents...

Newsletter Next Week
And finally... we are sending out our August newsletter mid-next week. If you do not already receive our newsletters, please support us by signing up today. New members receive our Free E-Book: Winning Stories.

Thank you very much - and here's wishing you a wonderful August!

11th Annual Talent Management Summit (IQPC), 20-23 October, Las Vegas

Hi Everyone, If you are looking for fresh strategies to engage and retain your employees, then look no further than the 11th Annual Talent Management Summit, this October in Las Vegas.

This conference, themed Aligning Talent Management With Business Goals, "unveils the latest tools for developing your employees including career pathing, onboarding, analytics, as well as other cutting edge topics including multi-generational workforces, RPOs, employer branding, engaging millenials, global talent, HR and business strategy and more".

Keynote speakers include:

Marc Effron, Vice President, Talent Management, Avon, Founder of the New Talent Management Network

Deb Capolarello, Chief Talent Officer, MetLife, Fortune 500

Jay Conger, Henry R. Kravis Research Chair in Leadership Studies

Scott Fleming, President, Replacements Ltd.

Joseph Cabral, Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, North Shore-LIJ Health System

Susan Hailey, VP Talent, Harrah's Entertainment, Fortune 500

Susan Hamilton, Chief Diversity Officer, CSX, Fortune 500

Robert Vosburgh, SVP and Head of HR, CenterCity, MGM Mirage, Fortune 500

Best of all, the conference will be held at The Venetian Resort (gorgeous place to stay, if I might say so myself).

Conference-only prices:

If you register by 1 August, US$1,608

If you register by 29 August, US$1,800

After 29 August, US$2,399

If you would like more details, or know someone in your HR department who would, Click Here to request your free PDF brochure from our friends at IQPC (International Quality & Productivity Center), who are also hosting the Global Talent Management Summit, August 25-27, in Chicago. Thanks Everyone!

HSBC Survey Results: Pack Your Bag And Head To Singapore, the US or the UAE!

Hello Everyone, If you have not already seen the impressive array of news articles in the expat media in the past few days about the HSBC International Expat Explorer Survey results, released on 24 July, here are some of the highlights:

• 2,155 expatriates surveyed, over 4 continents;
• Singapore, US and the UAE were ranked as the best overall expat locations;
• 74% of expats living in Singapore said their quality of accommodation was better than back home;
• 58% of expats save and invest more than they did in their country of origin; Hong Kong-based expats (on the whole) have the highest salaries;
• In terms of longevity, The Netherlands rated the highest, with 82% of expats there already residing there for 3+ years; and
• The UK and France were among the lowest-rated destinations, scoring poorly on their levels of luxury and standards of accommodation.

However, unlike all of the other sites that we've seen, we can offer you the full PDF summary of the survey results (great for expat research, articles, HR strategy, or just plain curiosity), thanks to our good friends at HSBC Offshore (a valued Expat Women Gold Sponsor). Just Click Here. :-)

Women In Technology - 20th Anniversary Summit & Bonus Membership Offer

Hi Everyone, If you are involved in the technology industry, you might be interested in the Women In Technology International (WITI) website, upcoming 20th anniversary conference (12-15 October, Santa Clara, California, US) and/or WITI's current bonus membership offer (pay for 12 months and get a bonus 6 months for free, as part of their 20th anniversary membership drive). Offer expires 15 August 2008. If anyone goes, please let us know what it was like. Thanks!

What Have You Done Today To Make You Feel Proud?

Ever wondered how you can make a difference? Need some inspiration? Then take a look at this four-minute video put together by the MBA class of a friend of mine. Their ethics class assignment was to change the fabric of society. Their idea was to use a YouTube video to inspire everyone to make more of a difference to the community. It's a nice, motivational video, giving examples of real people contributing to the community in real ways.

If you do nothing else other than watch the video (which has great music, by the way), your 'hit' on their view counter would have helped an MBA class and made them feel like their video was worthwhile. Thanks Everyone! Andrea

PS. Here is their blog as well: 1 Small Act.

Become An Expert On Google's New Knol

Have you seen Google's new site which allows you to write about your area of expertise? It's called Knol ("a knol is an authoritative article about a specific topic") and it may just offer you another great platform on which to grow your name, brand and/or network.

Knol is a bit of a cross between Wikipedia (in terms of the ability to share knowledge) and the world of blogs (in terms of its publishing tools). However, unlike Wikipedia, others can contribute their ideas/corrections for your page, but only you can edit your page.

To test their current offerings, I searched the site for the term expat and got zero articles. I then searched for the term women and it only brought up five articles:

1. Female Sexual Function and Dysfunction;
2. Urinary Tract Infection in Women;
3. The Decline in Women in Computer Science from 1940-1982;
4. Breast Pain/Lumps in Women; and
5. Libido Problems in Women.

C'mon everyone - let's get in and boost Google's offerings! I suspect the faster you get in, the more potential exposure you might gain for your name/company/brand/hobby/interest. Think about investing 30-60 minutes into creating an expert page on the new Knol - I certainly will. You never know who might discover you. :-)

Best wishes for your weekend, and thanks for your ongoing support, Andrea.

********************************************************************************

An update from Sébastien Deschamps (InterExpat and ExpatAngels): If you would like to invest the time in (the beta version of) Google's new Knol, be sure to read about the bugs, work-arounds and searchability issues first. It may help you navigate Knol and not lose your hard work. Cheers.

Expats In Denmark?

If you are expat in Denmark, of soon to become one, you might be interested in this new website: Expat in Denmark.

Launched on 30 June 2008 by the Danish Chamber of Commerce, who "would like Denmark to be an attractive country for businesses and international employees alike", the online network "is also created as a tool for companies and expats to help ensure that the stay in Denmark is a trouble-free and positive experience."

Even more interesting, is the fact that on 21 October, they are organizing a job fair event in the centre of Copenhagen at the beautiful, old Stock Exchange, “Børsen”, with the aim of matching business and Expat partners - to help expat partners gain employment and enjoy living in Denmark. Wow. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all host countries helped expat partners like this? :-)

To read more about the venue for the 21 October event, please click here. To see our Expat Women Country Page for Denmark, please click here. Thanks.

Would You Like To Speak At The Asian Women's Entrepreneur Conference?

Hi Everyone, In a blogpost last month, we let you know about the upcoming Asian Women's Entrepreneur Conference (AWEC) to be held in Seoul, Korea, from 25 - 27 September.

Well this week, we received an email from the AWEC Committee, asking us to nominate relevant, credible and high-level speakers for their conference.

If you feel qualified to speak (and/or you know someone who is) and you would like to pursue this further, please email the committee and request the Speaker Recommendation Form. Thanks.

Note: As a speaker at the AWEC Conference, you can also apply for an honorarium and/or financial assistance to help with accommodation and conference registration fees.

August 19 Webinar: International Mobility In The Pharmaceutical Sector (GMAC)

You may recall in a previous blogpost, we let you know about a financial services sector webinar that GMAC Relocation Services hosted, to expand on the results of their financial services sector survey results.

Well, know it's the pharmaceutical sector's turn, with one of the main topics being "As Companies Become More Global, Should They Hire Talent Locally Or Transfer Employees Globally?" A hot topic if you are an expat in the pharmaceutical sector.

The scheduled GMAC pharma webinar is on 19 August (US time). The webinar is free, but limited to the first 100 registrants. To learn more about the webinar and/or register, please click here. Thanks.

Looking For Ways To Save On Your Phone Calls?

Hi Everyone, A little while back, we read a good article about VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), or in other words, how to use the internet for free/cheap telephone services, answering machine services and more - from anywhere in the world. We wanted to share it with you, so thanks to author Debbie Jenkins, we have now added this article to our site: 11 Ways Lean Marketers Can Make The Best Use of VoIP. Take a quick read if you are interested. Thanks.

Stories, Stories, Stories

It seems that everyone except for Julie (in Switzerland) and Lucinda (in Jordan) are on vacation, so we're calling on you...

Can you help us by contributing an expat story to our Stories section this month? We are sure that you have plenty of stories to tell and we would be most appreciative. Please submit your stories here.

Thank you very much and enjoy your weekend!

BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour: Urgently Looking For Expats Who Returned...

...home to the UK, because they did not settle well in their expat posting abroad. Ideally, an accompanying wife/partner who was posted outside of Europe. If you can help, please get in touch via either their website or via Lydia Thomas urgently.

Thanks go to Marian Weston of Swift Transitions for this tip-off.

Reminder: FIGT Proposal Deadline September 1

Hi Everyone, You may recall that in a previous blog post in May, we let you know how to submit a proposal to speak at the next Families in Global Transition (FIGT) Conference in Houston, Texas, US, March 5-7, 2009.

Well, the powers that be at FIGT have sent around a note today, reminding everyone that the deadline for speaking proposals is September 1. So if you are keen to speak (and get exposure for your business, company or research project), get that brain into gear and start writing your proposal.

Here is the link to the submission form again. Go for it!

PS. Want to read what it is like at an FIGT conference?

2008 Report (an Expat Women Interview with FIGT Participant, Robin Pascoe)

2007 Report (by our ExpatWomen.com founders, Jill Lengré and Andrea Martins)

Want To Help Adeline? Ethnic Entrepreneur Research - Deadline 20 July

If you would like to participate in the research that Adeline Wielputz (a Franco-German graduate student) is doing on ethnic entrepreneurs, in terms of how highly-skilled ethnic entrepreneurs have used their ethnic (or expat) status as a competitive advantage in building successful businesses, take a look at Expat Career and Entrepreneur Coach Megan Fitzgerald's blog entry today.

Adeline is looking for entrepreneurs "who have a migrant background. These entrepreneurs can have recently settled in the country, being in the guest country for a long period, or even be born in the guest country. The size and the turnover of the company does not play a role in this research. The firm can also be in the start-up phase."

"Participants need to be: (1) Self-employed; (2) People with a migrant background: that is, be born abroad or have parents/grandparents who were born in a foreign country (1st, 2nd and 3rd-generation immigrants); and (3) Have a business in North America or Europe. The interviews will be conducted in English, German, French or Spanish via conference call."

Deadline is 20 July. So act quickly. Thanks.

Trends In Global Employment & Mobility

If you are interested in reading about trends in global employment, talent and mobility, either for interest, for your own research, or to assist you in the formulation of your company's strategies/policies, take a look at some of the great survey results and white papers available for free at the Manpower Research Center (from employment giant Manpower - based in 80 countries/territories).

Samples and snippets:

The Borderless Workforce Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed over 28,000 employers over 28 countries and territories.

Top 10 Countries Recruiting For Foreign Talent:

1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
6. Japan
7. Spain
8. France
9. Canada
10. Poland

The Borderless Workforce - White Paper (June 2008)

"More than 190 million people live outside their countries of birth." (Quoted in the White Paper, from the International Organisation For Migration website.)

"More than 40 million Americans moved last year, and by 2025, three-quarters of all US residents will live on the nation's coasts - a huge shift, especially for a developed nation." (Quoted in the White Paper, from TRENDS: "Moving Americans," Jacksonville News/ The Florida Times Union, January 2, 2007.)

"EuroStat data found that 59% of people who looked for work outside their home region found work within a year, the equivalent figure for those who stayed put was just 35%." (Quoted in the White Paper, from "European Year Of Workers' Mobility," Europa Press Release)

Relocating for Work Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed more than 30,000 people from 27 individual labour markets around the world. Three highest respondent countries/territories were Spain, The Middle East and Belgium.

Top 10 Preferred Destinations For Work

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Spain
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. United Arab Emirates
7. France
8. Italy
9. Germany
10. Argentina

Confronting The Talent Crunch - White Paper (April 2008)

2008 Talent Shortage Survey - Survey Results (April 2008)

The Virtual World Of Work - White Paper (October 2007)

The Power Of Cultural Diversity At Work (in Dutch) - White Paper (October 2007)

Latin American Talent Mobility - White Paper (October 2007) (or Spanish version)

Big thanks go to Eva Velasco (a Spanish repatriate, previously an expat woman in the U.S.) of The Passport Group for telling us about this research.

Need To Send Money Overseas?

Hi Everyone, If anyone needs to send money overseas, please consider using Canadian Forex (part of OzForex), with whom we have just entered a trial partnership, in our ongoing effort to raise funds to support our free resource site for expat women worldwide.

They are offering Expat Women Members their first two transfers fee-free before 30 July 2008.

Click here to discover:
(1) Things to consider when transferring money overseas;
(2) 5 Key Benefits of using OzForex; and
(3) How to transfer funds.

Thanks so much, Andrea.

Want To Help A Reporter and Get Quoted In The Media?

As you know, reporters are constantly looking for sources. They're always writing stories, reporting on something and always need experts in the field. Problem is, they don’t always know how to find the experts that they need.

On the flip side, if you are an expert at something (...and come on, everyone is an expert at something) how do you let the media know you’re available to talk and be quoted when they are writing a story?

Enter: Help A Reporter Out - a US-based site by Peter Shankman, which aims to gather a large database of members interested in helping reporters out and a growing daily list of requests from reporters who need help.

So far, the guy seems to be onto something... he says in this video that he has already built a database of 12,000 sources, used by >2,500 journalists... in just 3 months!

Not sure this site will ever be of benefit to you? Well, you'll never, never know, if you never, never go. Hope it helps some of you.

Best wishes, Andrea.

Want To Brighten Up Your Day? Watch YouTube's: "Where The Hell Is Matt?"

We watched a YouTube video today which not only made us smile a mile wide, but which reignited our travel spirits. We loved it!

To brighten up your day too, take four and a half minutes and click on: Where The Hell Is Matt?

To read more about Matt, click here to get to his own web page. This explains the background as to how a guy like Matt can travel the world in 14 months and dance in 42 countries with a cast of thousands. If there are any expat women out there who can equal (or better) Matt's effort, feel free to drop us a line!

1st World Congress For Women Empowerment, France, November 2008

At the recent Globe Women conference in Hanoi, I caught up again with dynamo Dr Amany Asfour, the President of the Egyptian Business Women Association, who asked me to promote an exciting upcoming conference:

Conference Title: 1st World Congress for Women Empowerment
Theme: Women Empowerment to Meet the Millennium Dev't Goals
Date: 19 - 22 November 2008
Location: Lyon, France
Cost: 600 Euro (before 1 Oct 2008) or 700 Euro (after 1 Oct 2008)
Objectives: Click Here
Topics: Social, Economic & Political Empowerment of Women
Who Should Attend: Click Here

Background: "In the year 2000, the member states of the United Nations signed the Millennium Declaration, which led to the adoption of the Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Five years later at the UN World Summit in 2005 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the MDGs. Despite these commitments, there has been mixed progress regionally and across the Globe."

Never heard of the Eight Millennium Development Goals? They are:

1. "Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger;
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education;
3. Promote Gender Equality & Empowerment of Women;
4. Reduce Child Mortality;
5. Improve Maternal Health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & other diseases;
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability; and
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development."

Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

New GMAC Survey Results (Financial Services Sector) & 15 July Webinar

GMAC Relocation Services have just released the results of their add-on survey: International Mobility in the Financial Services Sector: The Challenge of Emerging Markets. (See details of their primary relocation trends survey results in our May blogpost.)

This add-on survey involved interviews with HR professionals responsible for international assignment strategy at companies with offices throughout the world and employees totalling 1.25 million.

The GMAC press release has some interesting info in it, so we have put it up for you on our Expat Women site at this page.

Take a quick look if it interests you, because the page also details how to get free copies of the surveys, plus how to participate in an upcoming GMAC Webinar exploring the findings of the financial services survey, on 15 July (US time).

Third Culture Kid (TCK) Teleconference with Brats Producer, Donna Musil

In May, we wrote a blog post about the first-ever TCK Academy teleclass. Well, Brice from TCKid has written to us again. He would like to invite all TCKs in our audience to join in on an upcoming free teleconference with Donna Musil on the topic: Brats: Our Journey Home, scheduled for Monday 7 July, 1pm US Pacific Time, which is 9pm London time.

In this interview, Donna will discuss the making of her seven-year passion, Brats: Our Journey Home. She will be talking about finding that place of belonging, being comfortable with who you are in the mix of paradoxes, the positive and the challenging legacies that TCKs experience around the globe, and how BRATs/TCKs can develop an ability to fully employ their strengths and have compassion for their weaknesses."

If you are a TCK or are interested in TCK issues, and you are up for this 60-minute teleconference, do join in.

Do You Dread Delivering Presentations?

In a blog post two months ago, I recommended a great website called LeadStar, designed for anyone who "influences outcomes and inspires others". Here is another powerful snippet from Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch, which arrived in my Inbox this week:

"You have been assigned to prepare a presentation for your next staff meeting or company-wide event. You can feel your anxiety level rising already. This is not surprising as public speaking tops many professionals' list of activities in which they would rather not engage. However, often it is a necessity and a job requirement.

So, how do you overcome your fear and develop solid presentation skills? Here are three ways to ensure that your next presentation is a success:

1. Develop exceptional content.

The content, after all, is the heart of the presentation. Make sure that it is direct and to the point, that it is organized and that any information that must be retained by your audience is also provided to them in written form;

Practice, practice, practice. The only thing that is going to make you more confident in your abilities as a public speaker is practice. Grab any co-worker who is willing to listen and talk through your presentation with them. Practice in the shower, in the car on the way to work and while walking your dog. The better you know your material, the better you will be able to overcome your nerves and relax during the real thing; and

Realize that it's not about you. Although you may feel the glare of the spotlight, your presentation is not about you - it is about educating your audience. A simple shift in perspective and a few deep breaths prior to taking the podium can make a world of difference.

As leaders it is imperative that we enhance all of our communication skills - presentation skills among them. With a lot of preparation and the right perspective, your will lead your presentation to success!"

Trailing Spouses Working Abroad: Jeff Porter's Interviews with Jo Parfitt, Bertrand Fouquoire & Terri Williams

Dear Friends, If you are a Trailing Spouse, there is a good chance that you might enjoy this interview between Jeff Porter and portable career expert, Jo Parfitt.

Jeff Porter (founder of TrailingSpouse.net and now TheAusmerican) talks to Jo Parfitt about: Jo's book Career In Your Suitcase (3rd edition), which we featured on our Expat Women home page last month; the notion of when/how/if to look for a 'real job' abroad; the difficulties, but also rewards, of a portable career; some of the professional identity issues and stereotypes associated with trailing spouses; modern technology... and more.

If you still have stamina, you might like to also check out Jeff's interview with Bertrand Fouquoire (founder of DualExpat.com). Bertrand's website is in French, but the interview is in English. A HR Professional by background, Bertrand's goal is "to develop an international network for dual-career expat partners, plus help match companies with expat talent".

But wait, there's more...

Jeff also has interesting interviews with Terri Williams (of Seneca Coaching Solutions) about the job search process: interviews; resume-writing; negotiating the job offer etc. And I am sure he will add more in the future.

If any of these topics interest you, maybe listen to these talkcasts in the background, while you are working on other things, like I did...

Thanks Everyone and best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

Expat Women July Home Page

Hi Everyone! We hope you are really well. Our news today is that we just uploaded our July Home Page, if you would like to take a look:

Success Story: Paula Lucas
Founder of the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line
Paula lived what looked like an ideal life in the UAE: A Newsweek photo-journalist husband, worldwide travel, a successful business and beautiful sons. But in reality, she was trapped by domestic violence. Her chance to escape materialized, thanks to a thief…

Globe Women Summit Report
5-7 June, Hanoi, Vietnam
Have you ever wondered what 1,000 women, from 72 economies, would talk about if they were gathered together in the same room? Well, at the recent Globe Women Summit, it certainly was not football, cars or plasma televisions, that’s for sure…

Expat Confession: No Money Left
We answer this confession:
"In a few months, my partner and I will be returning to home base. We have enjoyed postings in Bangkok, Madrid, Berlin and now Vietnam, indulged in amazing holidays, eaten at spectacular restaurants and basically had a lifestyle that was second-to-none. The problem now is that this move home has made us realize that we have no more than two months’ salary saved in our joint bank account – which is virtually nothing. This is causing us both great anxiety, as we now see that we have been a little careless with our impressive salaries abroad and we are concerned that we have not set ourselves up properly for the future. What can we do?"

Eliminating Negative Talk: 5 Easy Steps
Thanks to Rebecca Wells
"At any stage in life you can encounter feelings of self-doubt and lethargy. It is estimated that we each have between 5,000 and 15,000 negative thoughts a day – rearing their ugly heads most prevalently when we are feeling vulnerable. Although moving and living abroad can be extremely exciting and often a positive step to make in life, it can also bring with it new challenges that test you to your limit and can leave you doubting your capabilities..."

Gap Years: Myths & Tips
Thanks to Jenny Early
"Gap Years seem to be like Marmite and world wars: They divide people into two groups - those who believe and those who do not. They may be a mistake for some, but for the majority, I am sure they are not..." Read Jenny's myths and tips...

LARM: Latin American Relocation Management
Valued Partner
Thanks to our friends at Trafimar Relocations (Relocation Specialists: In & Out of Mexico), we now have a relationship with LARM (who we have promoted on our home page for July, then will go on to feature on our Latin American pages for the rest of the year). If you are looking for relocation services in/out of Latin America, please do check out LARM's site first.

"LARM, is Latin America’s leading relocation service company. For the past thirty years, this group of 20 companies, in 19 locations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, has provided exceptional relocation services to thousands of corporate and individual customers."

Join ExpatWomen
And finally... we are sending out our July newsletter in the next 2-3 days. If you do not already receive our newsletters, please support us by signing up today. New members receive our Free E-Book: Winning Stories.

Thank you very much - and here's wishing you a fabulous July!

Business Networks In Australia

If you are looking for business networks in Australia, here is a great link that we discovered today, on Australian woman Robyn Henderson's website.

Robyn, who spoke at an event recently that we unfortunately missed, is a self-acclaimed networking expert, speaking more than 120 times per year, across 11 countries, without ever advertising.

Robyn generously lists all of her favourite networks (women-focussed and otherwise) in Australia by State and provides this information free on her website. Thanks Robyn!

Moving To Spain?

Thanks to oppSpain.com, who wrote to us recently to offer to contribute, we added three articles to our Spain Links & Expat Clubs page this week:

• Spanish Property Today: Post-Boom Influences
  by Patrick Collins
• Bringing a Car to Spain
  by Ciara Carruthers
• Spanish School System
  by Ciara Carruthers

If your company would like to contribute useful articles to ExpatWomen.com, feel free to drop us a line, anytime. Thanks and best wishes for your weekend! Andrea

WEXPO - A Forum For Women In Business

At their recent Summit of > 1,000 women from all over the world, Globe Women launched their new online directory for women's businesses: WEXPO.

Listing on the directory is free and open to all women, so if you would like to:

• Showcase your product or service;
• Connect with business women worldwide;
• Find a client or supplier; and/or
• Network with established business leaders...

...you might like to check out WEXPO today.

Asian Women Entrepreneurs' Conference, South Korea, September 2008

Hi Everyone, I recently met Moon Kyung Choi, the Director of the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association (Note: This website is only in Korean). She asked me to please promote their upcoming Asian Women Entrepreneurs' Conference in Seoul, 25 - 27 September, 2008, to our Expat Women members.

Apparently, they are expecting 300 Asian women entrepreneurs to attend, including Asian women leaders and CEOs. If you are an Asian woman entrepreneur, you might like to email Moon Kyung for more information. (She gave me an English brochure, so I know they have the info in English, ready to give out.)

Best wishes, Andrea.

Women Run The World

Do you run, or would you like to? If yes, you may like to check out Amy Montemarano's groovy new website: Women Run The World, which is a new social networking website designed to help women travelers find running partners all over the world.

On the site, travelers can find women running partners, running clubs that welcome out-of-town visitors to their group runs, and upcoming races at their destination. Plans are in the works to add special private online groups to connect women traveling to specific professional conferences and to connect alumnae of women's colleges. Amy says:

"Women account for 40 percent of all business travelers, according to a March 2003 survey conducted by the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University (NYU Tisch Center) and sponsored by Wyndham International, Inc.

Yet, women who travel are often left with two unpleasant alternatives for their regular run: hitting the treadmill in a cheerless hotel gym or running solo through an unfamiliar city, often in the early darkened hours before the business day begins.

Women Run The World.com (WRW) offers a way to partner up with local residents or other women travelers (who may be attending the same business conference or meeting). Women travelers can now shake off the jet lag, breathe fresh air, and stretch their legs, while avoiding the tedium of the hotel gym and the security concerns of running alone.

100% of the profits from the site will go to micro-financing programs for women entrepreneurs around the world. Women helping women run the world, so to speak."

Thanks for contacting us Amy and good luck with your site!

Confused About Social Media, Blogs, Wikis, RSS, Podcasts, Twitter And More?

If you politely smile when these topics are mentioned, but are secretly confused about what they really mean and how they might apply to you, try visiting the CommonCraft Show. This online source of quick, user-friendly video explanations "in plain English" is excellent. Bravo CommonCraft.

Thanks go to Martina, an expat woman in Europe, for reminding us about CommonCraft.

Got An Expat Story To Share?

Dear Friends, If you have an expat story to share, we would LOVE to hear from you. Why? Our Expat Women readers' Stories section has nearly 200 self-submitted stories, however, this month we have only had one story submitted and it is very lonely.

We are sure that you all have LOTS of stories to share, so please jump here and submit one for us. Your stories help to build a wonderful free database of experiences for expats of all shapes and sizes - and offer a real sense of global connection and community.

Ideally, we are looking for stories between 250 and 1,000 words. Read more Story Guidelines. Thank you very much and best wishes for your weekend!

Entrepreneurial Women's International Tradeshow, Seattle, U.S., 5 - 7 September

If you are a female international entrepreneur who would like to learn more about selling your goods in either the US market and/or the Japan/Asia market, Eri Takahashi of CUDA Consortium International Inc. has asked us to let you know about CUDA's upcoming 1st Annual Entrepreneurial Women’s International Tradeshow in Seattle, Washington, United States - and the discounts they are extending to Expat Women Members.

The tradeshow will take place in Seattle’s tallest skyscraper, the Colombia Tower Club, from 5 - 7 September 2008. The stated purpose of the tradeshow is to:

• Introduce innovative products;
• Gain feedback from entrepreneurial women colleagues regarding business structures, strategies, and products;
• Expand access to international business markets;
• Access direct consumer product feedback and response via your product display booths; and
• Explore partnering with other complementary entrepreneurial women’s enterprises.

Eri's prices for Expat Women Members (exclusive of airfare, of course) are:

• Participant from the US: US$99 (instead of US$120): including seminar participation, public tradeshow, and concluding celebration. Hotel can be arranged at their discount price for participants from outside Seattle.
• International Participant: US$1,120 (instead of US$1,320): including seminar and workshop, public tradeshow, concluding celebration, hotel (4 nights/person), food (during seminar, tradeshow) and sightseeing.
• International Exhibitor: US$1,420 (instead of US$1,520): including seminar and workshop, VIP tradeshow, public tradeshow, concluding celebration, hotel (4 nights/person), food, sightseeing and one extra complimentary event pass if you would like to bring a friend (however, hotel and food are not included in this price for the additional person).

For more information please Click Here. Thank you.

Special Thanks To You From Robin Pascoe (Family Matters Survey)

Hi Everyone, I talked just now with Robin Pascoe, the Expat Expert, in Canada. She wanted me to send a special thanks to everyone who responded to her requests for help with her recent Family Matters Survey, which we blogged about in February and in May.

Originally Robin was hoping for 250-300 responses from all of her sources. Well, the survey has now closed and Robin has been overwhelmed with 655 workable surveys - from people spread across 62 countries and representing 44 nationalities. Well done Robin - and well done respondents!

One of the wonderful things about Robin's survey is that approximately 30% of her respondents were men - which Robin says is unusual for an expat survey.

Stay tuned for Robin's survey results towards the end of the year, with Robin's e-book due out in November.

Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

Are You An Expat Angel?

If you enjoy helping and mixing with expats in your location (much like our Mentors did, when we had that section running on our own Expat Women site), you might like to volunteer on Expat Angels, a site launched last week.

My understanding, from meeting last week in Singapore with the creative force behind Expat Angels (a French-American guy by the name of Sébastien Deschamps), is that this new Expat Angels site will later morph into a dedicated section of Sébastien and his team's upcoming grander site, InterExpat (which is really still in the developmental stage until the official launch in September 2008).

Here are some words from Sébastien:

"The Expat Angels Network is a vibrant network of friendly and active people on expat earth! Expat Angels act as mentors, organizing local events or gatherings, influential in their local communities or simply friendly locals or expats always ready to share their experience. Each Angel can define what area of 'expertise' they are most interested in covering (eg. sports, parenting, events etc).

If you feel that you could be an Expat Angel too, sharing your experience and local knowledge, helping others and having serious fun with the other Angels and the community, come and join us! Thank you very much."

Best wishes, Andrea.

Global Nomads Networking Site & Dinners

If you self-identify as a global nomad, you might be interested in Janera.com, the new online magazine and social networking site which also hosts intimate dinner salons around the world for around thirty guests, primarily "social scientists, business people and cultural thought leaders".

To date, the founder Janera Soerel, has conducted dinner salons in Washington D.C., Rome, Curaçao, and New York City. With local co-hosts, her next events are scheduled to be in Istanbul, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Miami and Buenos Aires. She is also hosting the first Global Nomad Retreat in Tuscany, 7 - 13 September 2008.

If you are interested in the Istanbul dinner on 26 June, co-hosted by Anastasia M. Ashman, co-editor of Tales from the Expat Harem, at which Turkey-based experts will guide a dinner discussion on the evening’s topic: "Turkey's East/West Identity", anchored by: Ersin Akarlılar, the CEO of Mavi Jeans; Neşe Gündoğan, the secretary general of the National Turkish Olympic Committee; Şerif Kaynar, the country managing director of executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry; Ferhan Alesi, a global intercultural trainer; and Tara Hopkins, an Open Society/Soros Foundation grantee and American activist, please urgently reply here.

To learn more about Janera.com, especially if you are interested in a future dinner, you can watch a 3.5 minute You Tube video here.

Have a great week!

Have You Seen The Expat TV Show?

If you are (or intending to be) an expat in The Netherlands, you might like to check out the Expat TV Show, which we learnt about this week when their Operations Manager sent us the link. The shows we viewed online were very interesting and if you are in the business of targeting expats, what a great way to try to target the 150,000 expats in The Netherlands.

If you would prefer to mingle in-person, the TV show mentioned that the next Feel At Home In The Hague - International Community Fair (profiled in their first episode, and which attracted 4,000 attendees at last year's event) will be held on 28 September 2008. Enjoy.

Dubai Documentary: Night Secrets

When visiting Dubai Sunshine (a blog on our Expat Women Blog Directory) today, we found this interesting Frontline World documentary by Mimi Chakarova: Dubai: Night Secrets - The Oldest Profession In The Newest Playground.

This documentary is actually not unique to Dubai. If you have lived in Asia (or other places with similar issues), you will know what we mean. It only runs for 12 minutes and it is quite well done.

So, what is Frontline World? After viewing the documentary, we were curious, so we checked out the Frontline World site and it says that it "is a national public TV series that turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television." Other fascinating-looking documentaries include:

• Guatemala: The Secret Files - How Silicon Valley Helps Uncover a Dirty War
• Mexico: Crimes at the Border - The Business of Human Smuggling
• China: Out of the Rubble
• Zimbabwe: Shopping For Survival
• Burma: No Turning Back
• Egypt: Food Riots
• Pakistan: Student Resistance
• and many more...

If you are looking for some interesting features and alternative news sources, you might like to add Frontline World to your list.

500 Expat Women Blogs

A very sincere thank you goes out today to our Expat Women Bloggers, who by self-listing their blogs on our site, have helped us pass our 500-blog milestone on our Expat Women Blog Directory.

If you have not checked out the directory, I encourage you to do so, as Bloggers share a wealth of information and insights about their expat locations - that you just cannot get elsewhere on traditional expat content pages. It's on blogs that you'll usually get the 'real deal'.

Here are our running category totals in the Directory:
Oceania 14
Africa 26
Middle East 48
Asia 73
Americas 78
Europe 241
Service Providers to Expats 21

Living as an expat woman and got a Blog to list? Please list your blog Here, so we can grow the directory to 1,000 Blogs and beyond...

Thank you so much, Andrea.

Just Checking In...

Hi Everyone, Just a quick post to explain why it has been so quiet.

As mentioned in a previous post, I came this week to Hanoi, Vietnam, to attend the annual Global Summit of Women, which is rotated around the different global regions each year. For example, the previous three years were in Germany, Mexico and Egypt. Next year's conference will be in Chile. Mark your calendars if you are interested. :-)

More than 1,000 women attended. 300 women were Vietnamese, so a strong local contingent. Plus many women from neighbouring Asian countries. Around 70 countries were represented in total. I will write more when I am back at home base.

Best wishes for your week, Andrea.

Expat Women June Newsletter

Hello Everyone. Earlier today, we sent out our June newsletter - packed yet again with some really interesting interviews and articles. In addition to our June home page features listed in a previous post, the newsletter also included:

Samantha Honey's article: Oil Wives Save The Planet - 7 Ways Expat Women in Oil-Rich Countries Can Help

Ginnie Bedggood's article: Whoever Told You Mañana Means Tomorrow? mentioned in a recent blog post.

Sondra's Winning Story: Experiencing France (written in the format of a poem, but it still takes the prize this month). Congratulations Sondra, an American living in France.

The name of the winner of this month's fabulous Explorer Publishing giveaway.

An advert for Going-There - Global Destination Services, who are looking for expat women interested in becoming relocation consultants in their expat location. (Great idea!)

...and more...

If you did not receive a copy, you can view it online here. If you believe you should have received a copy, please write to us, with the name and email address that you believe we should have on our database.

Thanks and best wishes!

Global Talent Management Summit

The IQPC (International Quality & Productivity Center), a true leader in bringing together the best possible speakers for conferences worldwide, is hosting this year a Global Talent Management Summit, branded Winning The Global War For Talent, from 25 - 27 August, in Chicago, Illinois, US. Exact venue yet to be confirmed.

Some time ago, we agreed to promote the conference for them (which is why they are featured on our Expat Women home page for the month of June) in exchange for our logo being on their site, because the conference sounded very useful and relevant to (particularly) the HR Managers in our audience.

However... when we read their updated list of speakers just over a week ago, we very, very impressed and now we are even more pleased to help promote the conference. Take a look:

Matthew Paese, Vice President, Executive Solutions, Development Dimensions International
Casey Clemence, SVP HR, International Assignments, Bank of America Corporation
Lisa Lindores, Director, Global Leadership Capability and Talent Management, Technology Solutions Group, Hewlett-Packard Company
Phil Hendrickson, Manager, Global Talent Sourcing Strategy, Starbucks Corporation
Andrew LaValle, Executive Director, Entertainment & Networks, Worldwide Recruitment & Executive Search, Time Warner, Inc.
Anthony Cerquone, Global Head Management Development, Novartis AG
Stacy Reyan, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, APCO Worldwide
Mark Murata, Global HR Director, APCO Worldwide
David A. Binkley, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Whirlpool Corporation
Rebecca Nelson, Manager, Development Management, Microsoft Corporation
Julie Martin, Learning and Development Group Manager, Microsoft Online Services, Microsoft Corporation
Denise Broz, Director, Global Talent Management, McDonalds Corporation
Banks Lowman, Global Learning and Development Organization: Succession Planning Executive Development, Intel Corporation
John Balkema, Global Talent Manager, Caterpillar, Inc
Stephanie Lilak, Human Resources Director, International, General Mills, Inc.
Nancy Turner, Global Director, Leadership and Professional Development, Nike, Inc.
Kevin Cowherd, Learning Transformation Leader, IBM Corporation
Sheri Stolp, Director of Human Resources, Thomson Reuters

Conference prices:
US$1,799 if you register and pay by 20 June
US$1,999 if you register and pay by 25 July
US$2,199 standard price

If you are in the business of sourcing, advising and/or managing talent in your organization, and you are interested in taking part, we encourage you to Click Here to download a PDF brochure today. Maybe we might even see you there!

Expat Women June Home Page

Hi Everyone, We have uploaded our June Home Page features a little early, as June 1 falls over the weekend. Here is a quick summary:

Success Story: Anna Catalano
In 2001, Fortune Magazine crowned Anna Catalano as one of the most powerful women in international business. At the time, she was in London serving as a Group Vice President, Marketing, for BP. These days, Anna serves on several high-profile Boards, juggling Board duties for a global insurance broker, a consumer products company (whose main products are condoms and footcare/footware products), a chemical company, a finance company, a biotechnology company and a diabetes foundation. Anna is amazing.

Business Idea: Fiat 500 Touring Club
We talk to Brit Sophie Bye about her innovative business idea to set up a touring club in Italy, with a fleet of vintage 1950’s and 1960’s Fiat 500 cars. We ask Sophie her Top Five pieces of advice for expats setting up a business abroad.

Expat Confession: My Trailing Man
One of our Expat Women Girlfriends answers this confession:

"I moved to Europe 14 months ago for my career. I was offered a once-in-a-lifetime job and my partner agreed that it was just too good for me to refuse, so he happily supported our move and came as my ‘trailing spouse’. Before I accepted the assignment, we talked long and hard about what options there might be for my partner here, given that he enjoyed his field of work and derived a great deal of satisfaction from it.

Having worked for 20 years already, he assured me that whilst he would possibly seek out work opportunities upon arrival, he saw this as the perfect opportunity for him to take some time out of the rat race and explore his interests of golf, photography and medieval castles.

The problem is, he seems to have exhausted his interests in non-work pursuits and now keeps complaining to me that he hates it here because he is “a nobody”. I confess that I do not fully appreciate what he is going through… all I know is that I need to do something. Help."

Overcoming Conflict... Especially When Moving Abroad
Moving house is certainly a stressful life-experience, but when coupled with moving country too, it really does take some beating. Stress can cause tension and disagreement, particularly between you and your partner, as you plan and execute your plans to relocate. Thanks go to Rebecca Wells for contributing this article, in which she share six simple coaching strategies for you.

Featured Book: A Career In Your Suitcase
We talk to Jo Parfitt about the third edition of her must-have portable career guide. This is the one that we did the book review for recently for The Telegraph UK. We are Jo Parfitt fans anyway, but this book is fabulous: it is jam-packed with so much useful information and it really does prove why she is an expert in the field of developing your own portable career.

We will have a few more new features in our upcoming June newsletter. If you do not already receive our newsletters, please support us by signing up today (you will also receive our free E-Book: Winning Stories). We will be sending our June newsletter out early next week.

Thanks and have a fantastic weekend!

$10,000 Competitions

If you an Australian or New Zealand resident, here are two fantastic competitions that have come across our desk in the last 24 hours...

Lonely Planet and Expedia (together with a few other companies) have teamed up to offer a Gourmet Adventure for two to San Francisco, valued at AU$10,000. They are looking for the best on-the-road food and wine experiences, each 25 words or less. (Australian and New Zealand residents only.) The competition starts 19 May 2008 and ends 30 June 2008. For more details, Click Here.

Club Med are also running a $10,000 competition. First prize is a 7-night all-inclusive holiday for two people at a Club Med Ski Resort in Europe, including airfares to Paris with Air France, ski passes, ski lessons with highly-qualified instructors, three gourmet meals per day, open bar and snacking, plus nightly entertainment. Click Here to find out more. (Their Terms and Conditions link did not work, but we are guessing it is for Australians and New Zealanders also, as it seems to be mentioned on Club Med Australia's site only.) The winner will be announced 20 June 2008.

Disclaimer: For the record, we are not receiving anything from these featured companies... although we wish we were. ;-)

10 Favourite Networking Questions

If you have ever been unsure what to say in a networking situation, then Joe Gregory's My 10 Favourite Business Networking Questions article is for you.

We read Joe's article earlier this month in his Lean Marketing Champions newsletter. We thought his advice was so simple, yet so useful, that we have now put his article on our Expat Women main site (thanks Joe, for giving us your permission) and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Expat Women in Pretoria, South Africa?

Hi Everyone, we received a plea for help this week from Chrisna Groenewald. She is looking for any expat women living in Pretoria, South Africa who might be able to help by volunteering to teach life skills to destitute mothers.

Chrisna works for SA Cares For Life, a Public Benefit Organization with the vision of changing the destiny of children. If you are interested, please contact Chrisna. Thanks.

Third Culture Kid (TCK) 1st-Ever Teleclass with Ruth Van Reken

Brice Royer, the Founder and Admin Guy of various TCK Communities such as TCKid.com and the TCK Facebook group, has asked us to invite you to an upcoming special event for Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Here is some of the official text:

"Are you a "Third Culture Kid" or adult? Are you a parent, family member or teacher and feel like you want to learn more about this Third Culture way of life? Just about every TCK we talk to has occasional questions and some frustration when it comes to belonging, their relationships, and the Third Culture way of life.

What do you think Ruth Van Reken, co-author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, and Paulette Bethel, an international transition coach, have discovered over their careers serving expatriate communities through various forms of trainings, on-site workshops, and writing, that can help you? Plenty.

In this teleclass, you will learn:
1. How do I sort out who I am and where I belong when I can't get past the feeling of belonging "everywhere and nowhere?"
2. How can I make and maintain friendships with non-TCKs and TCKs?
3. How do I deal with the grief I still feel from long ago losses of country and friends?
4. How do I stop restlessness, and the cycles of separation and loss I continue to create for myself because I can't seem to stay in one place more than 2-3 years?
5. How do I learn to recognize and develop fully the gifts I received from this TCK experience?
...and there is more on the site.

This is an exciting event because it's the first teleclass held for TCKs. It has never been done before. You can ask Ruth and Paulette your questions live by email or on the phone. It's like a conference but without any travel or conference fees -- you can listen to it online or on the phone. And it's completely free. You can get all the details about this teleclass (and a list of some of the questions they are going to be answering) here. Hurry, spaces are filling fast. Date: Soon!"

To read ExpatWomen.com's 2007 interview with Ruth Van Reken, please Click Here.

To read the ExpatWomen.com TCK Expat Confession featured this month, please Click Here.

Want To Write As A Freelancer?

In Jo Parfitt's latest Monthly Inspirer newsletter, she included this very interesting link to Suite 101, which appears to be a great site for anyone wanting to write - and get paid for it!

Here is an overview of the site:

"Suite101.com's door is open to the curious novice looking for a "101" intro to any of our 400 topics, but it's also a meeting place for 7 million readers and 500,000 members each month to ask 101 burning questions of the day.

With 12 years online, over 100,000 articles and 1,000 professional, paid contract writers, Suite101.com is dedicated to delivering quality expertise and writing increasingly rare in the online world.

Suite101.com Media Inc. is a private Canadian company based in Vancouver, British Columbia with an office in Berlin. It has been a successful consumer internet operation for over 10 years and has an international full-time staff of 14. "

If you have got a burning desire to write and/or you are looking to start a more portable career, you might like to click here to find out how you too could become a Suite 101 Freelancer.

The Telegraph: Expat Networking Article & Portable Career Book Review

Anyone interested in reading the Expat Networking article A Little Help From My Friends and/or the book review for the newly-released third edition of A Career In Your Suitcase that The Telegraph online (UK) published for me on the same day as the book review for Get Ahead By Going Abroad (blogged about in a previous post), please just click on the links above.

In terms of the date, I could swear black and blue that only one of these was on their site until earlier today when magically, all three appeared - dated 14 May. But I suppose there is nothing wrong with a touch of magic each day... is there?

Enjoy your day! Andrea

Help Wanted: Got An Interactive Idea?

Earlier this year we removed the Forums from our site (mainly due to the high frequency of spammers and associated maintenance).

We said at the time that we would look out for alternative, more manageable ideas, to continue the vision of facilitating an online community for expat women.

Help Wanted: The problem so far is that we have not found any other great ideas. Do you have any?

If you have seen a site that offers a great interactive feature that we could use for our intended purpose, please drop us a line as soon as you can. We are still looking for ideas and maybe you might just hold the key... Thanks.

Have You Helped Robin Pascoe Yet?

Hi Everyone, this is just a quick post to kindly request that if you have not already completed the Family Matters! Survey of the iconic Robin Pascoe, please consider giving 30 minutes of your time to a woman who has done so much over the years to help, educate, inspire and connect expats all over the globe.

When we announced this survey in a previous post in February, Robin was hoping for 250-300 responses from all of her sources. The great news is that she has been overwhelmed now with 435 (perhaps a testimony to how well she is regarded around the world). But let's help Robin get to 500, because don't you think 500 would be much more powerful when she is presenting her results to corporates and academics than 435?

If you have already done the survey, could you possibly help out by forwarding Robin's survey link to friends, partners, family members (aged 14 and over) and to your local expat associations? I know Robin would truly appreciate it. Thanks Everyone!