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Expatriate:
An Excellent Source
For Overseas Job Search
In simple terms, an expatriate
is someone who is temporarily (or
permanently) residing in a country other than that of their own legal
residence.
If you are a Latin buff, the word comes from ex (out of) and patria
(country, fatherland).
And the correct spelling is expatri"ate" (with
an 'a').
Some people often confuse this with ex-patriot.
Let's examine what it takes to become an expatriate.
As I mention in
the international job search, working abroad and moving abroad
sections, there is a lot that goes into packing up and relocating
overseas.
When I was researching how to find work abroad and beginning my career
as an expatriate, I noticed that there was a huge difference between
looking for low-skilled, seasonal jobs overseas and international
employment with a veteran company.
If you are just coming out of school and want to work abroad, you might
want to "get your feet wet" and focus on some volunteer or entry-level
type work.
Or maybe you just want to take some time off to travel the world with
nothing more than a backpack. This will definitely gain you some
valuable international experience.
As you grow as a professional, you will more than likely be hunting for
an overseas
job that requires more experience and skills, and will
hopefully come with a higher salary.
As a seasoned professional, you
may want to look for those overseas opportunities within your own
company.
Expatriates generally go through a phase of adjustment when moving
abroad. Everyone is different, but most people will experience some
sort of transition from hectic to stable and all the ranges in between.
When you become an expatriate, you will more than likely go through
similar phases of
adjustment as mentioned below.
Excitement
phase
- You are eager to get on the airplane and get
started.
- You can't wait to
start the new job and meet new people.
- You are looking forward to
trying the new food, or go shopping or whatever is racing through your
mind.
Culture shock
phase
- Probably within the first month or two, you
will no doubt go through a
culture shock of sorts.
- Could be all the stuff you were so excited
about was a little different than you expected.
- Maybe you didn't
anticipate the work environment as precisely as you should have.
- No
matter the issue, nothing will be 100% as you expected.
Adjustment
phase
- After the culture shocks starts to sink in, you
will eventually enter
into a period of adjustment.
- This is when you start getting into the
groove of things.
- Maybe all the stuff that shocked you weren't so
bad
to begin with.
- At some point you will start to adjust to your
surroundings.
Feeling alone
phase
- Shortly after the initial adjustment, you might
start to feel like you
are alone.
- Maybe you begin to have second thoughts.
- You might not be
able to make new friends as easily as you thought, or you are having
difficulty adjusting to your new situation.
Integration
phase
- At some point most of you will accept your new
overseas assignment and
start to excel.
- During this time, you stop "bucking the system".
- You
start to integrate better with the new culture.
- This is when you will
find that things really take off and you start to shine.
By understanding that most expats go through similar adjustment
phases may help you cope with your new life overseas.
You make take
comfort in the fact that everyone has gone through some form of
adjustment and that you are not alone.
For more detailed information on moving
overseas, such as the expatriate
section here,
please check out the moving
abroad, international
job search, working
abroad and overseas
jobs areas as well.
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