“When my partner and I discussed the expat assignment his company offered, I had serious concerns about my own career. But his line manager said, ‘Don’t worry, the partner support company we use has a great track record in finding jobs for partners.’ That’s what lured me in…”
Great expectations
When a line manager gives such an assurance about our services, you can easily imagine a partner joining her introductory call with one of our consultants with very clear expectations: we are there to find her a job. Now, our coaches do an excellent job supporting partners to find work. But in an ideal world where we could guarantee employment for every expat partner, I’d also own a chunk of the Caribbean island where I once lived (and, yes, where I couldn’t secure a job myself). The reality is that local labour laws, language barriers, cultural differences or simply limited job markets can all get in the way of securing an ideal job.
Sold up the river
When determined to secure talent for an international role, a business does not need to upsell the expat adventure with inflated assurances about paid employment. Believe me, if you dangle that carrot it can backfire badly – it’s easy to understand why. As another partner told us: ‘‘Before our relocation, we were led to believe that it would be easy for me to find work but that’s not the reality. In fact, because of the way taxation works almost no companies will employ expats as part-time professionals.”
Plotting a new course
This partner had arrived on a wave of optimism but soon found herself all at sea and directionless. Her Global Connection consultant helped her to steady the ship and plot a new course. The partner started with life coaching and then continued with career coaching sessions. Luckily for all, the programme of this multinational allowed us to provide such extensive coaching support. Having found a new meaningful purpose, the partner is now happily residing in her host country.
Honesty pays off
Thanks to our comprehensive approach to partner support, and the deep experience of our consultants, we can support partners, even in the trickiest situations. But we would much prefer that partners didn’t come to us with unrealistic expectations. If we assure partners of anything then let’s assure them it’s okay to experience some uncertainty when they cannot continue their lives seamlessly. Referring to a recent interview we published: “My consultant was incredibly supportive and shared experiences of other expat partners, which helped me to see that what I was experiencing was totally normal. I wasn’t failing – I just needed to reset my expectations.” And now? She’s thriving with zero regrets over her expat adventure.
