Everything the world worker needs to know.
From London to Sao Paulo, Hong Kong to Amsterdam, more Americans are working overseas to improve their careers and their personal lives. If you are one of the thousands of Americans who stand at the global crossroads, there are some things to consider when deciding whether or not to take a position overseas. Experts and those who have actually worked abroad all know that becoming an expatriate requires significant cultural and lifestyle adjustments for employees and their families. It can also bring a great deal of personal enlightenment and career-building benefits in today's increasingly global business world. In fact, many companies now require international experience in their executive candidates.
Oceans of Opportunity
An estimated 300,000 American corporate employees currently work outside the United States, according to Bill Sheridan, senior director of the National Foreign Trade Council in New York City. That estimate doesn't include many Americans who are employed overseas outside the American corporate structure. Most American corporate assignments range from two to four years, according to Sheridan, but companies are offering shorter assignments these days because of the hardships that longer tours pose for dual-income families.
Consider the impact that an overseas move will have on your family, particularly when it comes to jobs, schools, and the
social environment.
Where are the hot locations for Americans overseas? Asia and Latin America offer markets that U.S. companies can't ignore if they want to be global players, says Sheridan. Other international experts think London is the top spot for Americans working overseas, followed by the rest of Europe, particularly Germany. Hong Kong comes in third, they say, drawing American financial services business personnel and those working for consumer products companies. Mexico, Brazil, and Japan are also hot destinations for American workers, Sheridan and other experts confirm. All kinds of industries--from finance to consumer products to high technology--tend to concentrate their employees in these areas. For information technology companies, however, Ireland and Southern India are key focal points.
Making It in Mexico or Madrid
Regardless of the location, experts and expatriates offer the same advice:
- Talk to people who have lived in the proposed job locale.
- Weigh your personal ability to adjust to the cultural and lifestyle differences there.
- Consider the impact that an overseas move will have on your family, particularly when it comes to jobs, schools, and the social environment.
- Investigate the effect the move will have on your career; international experience is highly valued by most companies.
- Understand that returning to America will be another adjustment, both for you and your loved ones. Some American companies do a very poor job of repatriating their overseas employees.
Thomas Tilghman, senior consultant with Towers Perrin in Stamford, CT, says that people should decide where to relocate overseas based on their level of motivation. If you just want to "get your ticket punched," then the UK's familiar culture may best suit you. If, on the other hand, you want "to be where the action is" and don't mind a little cultural adjustment, he suggests a stint in developing regions like Latin America or Asia.
Tilghman definitely believes that employees who take jobs overseas will enhance their careers in this time of global commerce. In the past, he says, there was some risk involved in moving to an overseas office and being "out of sight, out of mind." But everything has changed in today's marketplace. "We're entering a time when the fast track may well be international," Tilghman says. For one thing, overseas employees can often use the freedom that comes with being far from the home office to make huge career strides.
Broaden your Perspective Abroad
Lori Roland recently completed a two-year assignment in greater London for the Massachusetts-based Gillette Company. As program manager in the grooming division, Roland managed the introduction of the division's new products in Europe and the UK. She thinks the move definitely enhanced her career and broadened her personal experience. "It changes your perspective," she says. "I can't say enough about how astonishing it all was."
The move and its attendant cultural changes required considerable adjustment. She actually accepted the job while pregnant with her first child, making the overseas move when her son was three months old. Although England poses no significant linguistic or cultural barriers, Roland found many little differences difficult to get used to. The availability of health care for her infant son was a genuine concern. She managed her anxiety on that issue by making all her care arrangements in advance.
"The move is the hardest part. Once you're there," Roland advises, "if you take on the perspective that this is a life experience, then you'll do okay." If you take the attitude that it's bad because it's not exactly like the United States, then you may not have a good overseas experience.
Gillette has 140 Americans working overseas, according to Frank O'Connell, director of global compensation. In fact, the company does two-thirds of its sales overseas. Most of Gillette's overseas employees are concentrated in England and Germany. O'Connell himself spent three years in Ireland and two years in Germany. "It was one of those life-changing experiences," he confides.
Micky Baca is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience in business, political, and general assignment journalism. She has worked as a daily newspaper staff writer for the Lowell Sun and the Nashua Telegraph. Baca writes about careers, business, banking, real estate, environmental issues, and manufacturing for www.yourwriters.com.
