2011 White Paper

Global ExpatriatesObservatory

1

SYNOPSIS

PREFACE 2

GLOBAL EXPATRIATES OBSERVATORY

1 GENERAL PROFILE OF EXPATRIATES AND EXPATIATION CONTEXT 5

2 EXPATRIATION EXPERIENCE 9

3 CURRENTLY ABROAD 11

4 RETURNING FROM ABROAD 14

5 OPINIONS FROM SPOUSES 19

CONCLUSION 20

SUMMARY OF STUDY RESULTS 22

WORK CULTURES 24

1 ASIA 24

2 UNITED STATES 26

3 EUROPE 27

4 THE CROSS CULTURAL CONTEXT AT WORK (MANAGERIAL VISION) 29

5 TYPOLOGY 31

EXPATRIATION: THE RETURN ORDEAL 35

1 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNING FROM ABROAD 35

2 PROFESSIONNAL EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNNING FROM ABROAD 37

3 INNER EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNNING FROM ABROAD 38

NOTES 41

Preface

“If I had it to do over, I would start with the culture.” This sentence, too beautiful to be true and long attributed to Jean Monnet, one of Europe’s founding fathers, couldtoday apply to globalization. First and foremost an economic phenomenon, globalizationobviously manifests itself much more in commercial, rather than cultural, exchanges. Beyonda few traveling art exhibits or televised reports, do the Italian really know more about theAmerican, Japanese, or Arab mindset now that globalization is in full swing? Nothing is lesscertain. What do they know of the psychology, way of thinking, wishes, or fears of thesepartners with whom they exchange only goods? And is the image that Mexicans or Russianshave of the Chinese objective or a caricature? This persistent lack of understanding of others,this ignorance of their inner identity, which is often explained by an absence of curiosity,by a paradoxical closed-mindedness in the age of open borders, inevitably breedswithdrawal, distrust, and sometimes fear.

Finding meaning in globalization and taking from it all the positives it can yield involvesa discovery, learning about others, their complexity, their richness, but also their individualtraits-in short, their “differences,” which go far beyond the national culture, to which wecould never limit each individual with his own personality.

Fortunately, effective pedagogical tools as well as links and aids exist that allow us to make progress in this mutual learning and “relearning”, enabling us to better understandsituations that at first glance are so foreign to us. The millions of expatriates, who each yeardecide to work abroad in some 160 countries, certainly figure among these aids. They arepioneers in this necessary cross-cultural approach without which globalization would loseall meaning; however, they are misunderstood and, when they return from abroad, their“value added” is often underappreciated by their employer.

As a major player in international mobility, Berlitz Consulting, of which I am Director,decided to accompany them on their assignment and to help them tell their story. This wasa logical approach for a company that never separates mastery of languages from that ofcultural idiosyncrasies. For more than twenty years we have been providing cross-culturalmanagement training to executives for their assignments throughout the world. Since 2010,we have carried out, with the BVA partnership and Magellan Network, a sweeping annualstudy on the motivations, daily life, acquired knowledge, difficulties, and expectations ofthis group whose role in the age of globalization is a strategic one.

For the 2011 release, we wanted to focus more specifically on expatriates’ return to theirhome country, for them a stage no longer about learning but of maturation, which shouldtheoretically allow the company that paid for their experience abroad to see a return on investment, to make good use of their international savoir-faire-in short, their “value

2

added,” if only the systems and shifts necessary for it function at headquarters. Accordingto this study, 68% of expatriates no longer feel “quite like the same person” upon theirreturn, particularly in terms of “knowledge of cultures, tolerance, and open-mindedness”…Discovering the real treasures of globalization: that’s something.

Patricia GlaselDirector, Berlitz Consulting

and Global Leadeship Training

GLOBAL EXPATRIATES OBSERVATORY

4

-Summary of Main Findings-

In 2009, the world leader in cross-cultural training, Berlitz International Consulting,in partnership with BVA, EuRA, and Magellan Network, implemented a study oninternational relocation for executives, managers, and employees involved in an upcomingassignment abroad.

In order to deepen our understanding of the profile and the journey of expatriates,this study was expanded in 2010 to include the profiles of expatriates who are:

- Currently working abroad- Back from their experience abroad

In a context of growing internationalization of employees, this study should enablea deeper understanding of the expatriate population:

• What is the typical profile for the different populations involved?• How do they envision or experience their expatriation?• How do they assess their time abroad and how do they experience their return?

These are the main questions that this study seeks to answer.

The results of the study were collected between April 28, 2010, and March 20, 2011,and involved 404 expatriates and 124 spouses, broken down as follows:

- 115 due to depart and 60 spouses- 229 currently abroad and 50 spouses- 60 back from abroad and 14 spouses

In concrete terms, an Internet link to an online questionnaire was made available toexpatriate populations in 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and German.

This summary presents the study’s main findings while attempting to highlight theprofiles that stand out from the average.

GENERAL PROFILE OF EXPATRIATES AND EXPATRIATION CONTEXT1.

1.1. The typical expatriate profile is rather young, educated, and male

Sixty-nine percent of expatriates are men and fall primarily into young age groups: 26%of them are younger than 30, while only 15% of all respondents are older than 45.

Age of expatriates

In the analysis, it appears that women expatriates are younger than the men: 31% areyounger than 30, compared to 19% of men.

The expatriation context is often the beginning of one’s professional career and involvesemployees who are particularly well educated: although this statement is not surprising initself, it is interesting to underscore the divide between expatriates and a representativesample of the population of salaried employees.

Regardless of the stage in the expatriation experience, education levels are particularlyhigh: 99% of those interviewed have at least a high school diploma. In a nationalrepresentative sample, that number is 57%. Close to three-quarters of expatriates (72%)have completed five years of university coursework or more.

Level of education

5

Level

High school diploma or less 12 %

Bachelor’s 16 %

Master’s 32 %

Doctorate 2 %

Professional degree/MBA 38 %

S/T 40 years and youngersubtotal:70 %

6%

20%

26%18%

15%

15% � 20-25 years

� 26-30 years

� 31-35 years

� 36-40 years

� 41-45 years

� 46 years and older

S/T 41 years and older

subtotal: 30 %

Finally, in terms of language proficiency, the contrast is rather pronounced dependingupon the language in question and the nationality of the future expatriate.

Level of foreign-language proficiency of French expatriates

According to the French, besides their native language, English is the language spokenbest (56% claim an advanced level), followed by Spanish, and German.

Level of foreign-language proficiency of English-speaking expatriates

English-speaking expatriates have a lesser degree of foreign-language proficiency,undoubtedly a result of the global dominance of the English language.

Level of foreign-language proficiency of Japanese expatriates

In summary, languages besides English are not widely spoken. Even though English willbe the commonly used language in professional settings, the lack of knowledge of other locallanguages fuels the idea that language constitutes the main challenge that expatriates willhave to meet, in particular according to interviewees with English as a native language.

Language Native Language Beginner Conversational Advanced

English 2 % 4 % 36 % 56 %

Spanish 1 % 22 % 21 % 7 %

German - 17 % 15 % 5 %

Language Native Language Beginner Conversational Advanced

English - 39 % 26 % 9 %

Spanish 9 % 13 % 17 % -

German 4 % 9 % 4 % 9 %

6

Language Native Language Beginner Conversational Advanced

English 3 % 24 % 44 % 23 %

Chinese 3 % 12 % 15 % 3 %

1.2 - Coming from a family with ties to foreign countries or studying abroad increasesthe desire to work abroad

Just under 40% of those interviewed have already studied abroad, and an equal numbercome from a family with ties to foreign countries.

Percentage of expatriates by age who have studied abroad

Percentage of future expatriates with a connection to a foreign culture or who havelived abroad

Generally speaking, the expatriate experience occurs within a family setting: 85% ofexpatriates with partners will leave with their spouse; 79% of those with children will bringtheir children with them. Understandably, parents older than 45 are least likely to bring theirchildren with them.

7

39 %

50 %

All Interviewees 20 to 30 years 31 à 35 years 36 à 40 years 41 à 45 years 46 years and older

42 %

29 %32 % 32 %

Future expatriates’ connection or prior experience with a foreign country or culture

Have studied abroad 39 %

Have a spouse whose family has lived abroad 21 %

Come from a family who has lived abroad 22 %

Come from a multicultural family 19 %

Have a spouse who comes from a multicultural family 17 %

1.3 - High expectations for the experience

In order to analyze in more detail how expatriation is viewed in its different stages, onewill notice how high expatriates’ expectations are for this experience, particularly in termsof the position itself and the level of responsibility attached to it.

Percentage who feel that the position abroad represents advancement compared tothe current position

These high expectations and job history will contribute to making the expatriate’s careermanagement more complex upon his return.

8

“Yes” “Yes, definitely”(subgroup)

The position itself 85 % 45 %

Level of responsibility 74 % 39 %

On-the-job independence 72 % 33 %

Pay 67 % 32 %

THE EXPATRIATION EXPERIENCE2.

2.1 - An experience met with enthusiasm that is simultaneously a chance to advanceprofessionally and an opportunity not to be missed

Future expatriates view the prospect of expatriation enthusiastically, as evidenced by theparticularly high average rating given to the experience (8.8/10). The experience generatesstrong optimism concerning a successful experience on a personal level (8.3/10) and aprofessional level (8.0/10); where the family is concerned, the rating is somewhat lower(7.8/10).

By contrast, knowledge about the new country and its culture appears to be much moremixed (6.0/10).

More precisely, the expatriation experience simultaneously addresses a personal plan(opportunity not to be missed, chance to see other countries) and a professional one(opportunity to advance professionally, career springboard). It is rarely cited as a duty relatedto professional imperatives (17%), except for Asians, 62% of whom say that expatriation isa duty related to professional imperatives.

Perceived benefits of expatriation

In other words, the search for novelty, the desire to be confronted with ways of thinkingand behaving that take one out of his comfort zone, and expatriation as a personal choiceare the values that the interviewees mention the most (around 75% agreed for eachstatement offered).

2.2 - Main challenges to meet in order to succeed: the language barrier and being asefficient as in one’s home country

In order for expatriates to succeed, the challenges are numerous and it is not necessarilyeasy to rise above them. While only 1 out of 4 has real difficulties with the adjustmentprocess, 1 out of 3 thinks that it will be difficult to adjust to a new cultural environment andto integrate socially. But out of the statements offered, the main challenges concern thelanguage, the spouse’s adjustment process, and the desire to be as efficient in the hostcountry as in the home country, with 1 expatriate out of 2 believing that these challengeswill be difficult to meet.

9

Perceived benefits of expatriation % who agree

Opportunity to advance professionally 92 %

Opportunity not to be missed 89 %

Chance to discover other countries 89 %

Professional springboard 80 %

Family experience 76 %

Opportunity to share expertise 59 %

Satisfies a need to break from the everyday 55 %

Duty related to professional imperatives 17 %

In light of this, the issues that one must address in order to successfully integrate are tiedto cultural, interpersonal, and linguistic dimensions as well as a necessary degree of open-mindedness.

The biggest challenges for a successful integration and expatriation experience

Finally, in view of this experience, expatriates feel that the term “expatriate” is closelyassociated to several words: explorer, ambassador, adventurer, and traveler, but much less tomissionary, mediator, and even less mercenary.

Several possible responses

According to the expatriate, his colleagues see him more as a mercenary or an adventurerbut considerably less as an explorer.

Finally, one should note that first-time expatriates on assignment abroad generally sharethe same outlook as the group of expatriates due to depart. However, they view thisexperience as a professional springboard slightly more than others do.

10

Challenges listed Most mentioned challenges

Understanding the country’s culture 75 %

Maximizing social contact with the locals 65 %

Learning the country’s language or perfecting your skillsin that language

58 %

Avoiding prejudices 57 %

Throwing yourself into your professional duties 56 %

Touring the country 54 %

Words associated with theterm “expatriate”

Assumed perception ofcolleagues fromheadquarters

Explorer 39 % 17 %

Ambassador 33 % 27 %

Adventurer 31 % 36 %

Voyager 30 % 28 %

Missionary 17 % 20 %

Mediator 14 % 10 %

Mercenary 2 % 12 %

CURRENTLY ABROAD3

3.1 Expatriation between general satisfaction and personal gain

According to expatriates currently abroad, expatriation seems to have only positive effects.Living conditions-housing, ease of life, children’s living conditions, quality of life-aresatisfactory for more than 4 out of 5 interviewees. And the assessment is similar whereprofessional life is concerned, be it regarding the job itself, the work conditions, or the levelof responsibility. Out of these criteria for evaluating professional life, there is a slightly lowersatisfaction rate when it comes to salary, but almost 3 out of 4 are nonetheless satisfied(versus 45% among a representative national sample of the labor pool).

It should be noted that the outlook of expatriates abroad is excellent. Indeed, they saythey are very enthusiastic about the expatriation in general, giving an average ratingof 8.2 out of 10. More specifically, optimism is equally strong when it comes to a successfulpersonal experience (8.2/10), professional experience (7.7/10), and family experience (7.1/10).

However, this prevailing enthusiasm is lower in comparison to that felt by expatriates dueto depart (regardless of whether they are first-time expatriates) and is not shared by Asian expatriates, who gave a rating of only 6.4 out of 10 when assessing their degree ofenthusiasm for expatriation, a discrepancy that we can most probably consider to be theresult of an involuntary expatriation.

What’s more, a majority of expatriates-more than 1 out of 2-feel that their degree of enthusiasm has not changed; expatriates are satisfied with the reality of living abroad.Where the degree of enthusiasm did change, it was usually an increase, whether it was for the expatriates themselves, from a professional standpoint, or for their family.Nevertheless, the number of expatriates who feel that their degree of enthusiasm from a professional standpoint decreased should be noted (17%).

Change in degree of optimism during the experience abroad

11

Personal success of the expatriation �

The expatriation �

Professional success of the expatriation �

Familial satisfaction with the expatriation �

8,2

8,2

7,7

7,1

For yourself �

From a professional standpoint �

For your family �

31 % 7 %61 %

29 % 17 %52 %

30 % 11 %57 %

It has increased It has stayed the same It has decreased

Still, it appears that the experience abroad has generated more open-mindedness amongexpatriates. More than 70% of those interviewed agree with the following statements:“through my experience abroad, I learned to play the game using different rules,” “I like beingconfronted with ways of thinking and acting that take me out of my comfort zone,” and“contact with other cultures has led me to question certain aspects of my own culture.”

In addition, expatriation was more jarring for expatriates who had never really had anyexperience with foreign countries, without this generating more satisfaction or dissatisfactionthan for others. Eighty-three percent (as opposed to 77% of the whole group) agree withthe statement “contact with the local culture led me to a keener awareness of my ownculture,” and 44% (compared to 38% of the whole group) with the statement “at thebeginning of my time abroad, I encountered cultural differences that were even greater thanI had imagined.” By the same token, those who had never studied abroad admitted to havingchanged the way they work; 65% changed their management style appreciably.

Percentage of interviewees currently abroad who agree with the following statements

3.2 - Keys to a successful experience abroad

Incidentally, this personal enrichment through being more open-minded is at the heartof a successful experience abroad. When interviewees currently abroad were asked to namethe components essential to a successful integration and expatriation, understanding thelocal culture and mastering the local language were deemed crucial, the former mentionedby 83% of those interviewed and the latter by 66%. These points are all the more essentialgiven that interviewees currently abroad (first-time expatriates or not) underestimate theirrole in a successful experience (difference of 8 points for each of the two criteria betweenthe two phases of expatriation).

The most important criteria for a successful integration and expatriation

What’s more, these keys for success are part of the toughest challenges to meet whileabroad, particularly where language mastery is concerned.

12

Throughout my adjustment, I learned to play thegame using different rules �

Contact with the local culture led me to a keenerawareness of my own culture �

I like being confronted with ways of thinking andacting that take me out of my comfort zone �

Contact with other cultures has led me to questioncertain aspects of my own culture �

78 %

77 %

74 %

70 %

Understanding the country’s culture �

Learning the country’s language or perfecting yourskills in that language �

83%

66%

Indeed, the adjustment process in general seems to be for its part one of the easierchallenges to meet for an expatriate: 83% of interviewees currently abroad consider this aneasy challenge, all the more so given that the number of those who consider this an easychallenge is lower among interviewees due to depart (75%, -8 points).

The extent of challenges such as adjusting to a new cultural environment and adjustingto a new professional environment shows the same assessment: respectively, 79% and 71%of interviewees currently abroad judge them easy to meet compared to 65% and 61%,respectively, of interviewees due to depart.

The 3 easiest challenges to meet

In reality, it’s not the adjustment but rather adopting the host country’s culture that isthe most difficult challenge to meet, and through this, the language, the ability to be asefficient in another country, and social integration. Indeed, these challenges are the mostdifficult to meet according to interviewees currently abroad.

The 3 most difficult challenges to meet

13

Your adjustment process in general �

Adjusting to your new cultural environment �

Adjusting to your new professional environment �

19 %

Somewhat easyVery easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult

64 % 16 %

20 % 59 % 18 %

24 % 47 % 24 % 5 %

2 %

1 %

Your social integration, meeting locals �

The language �

Being as efficient in your host country as in your ownculture �

12 %

Somewhat easyVery easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult

49 % 33 % 6 %

21 % 39 % 25 % 15 %

18 % 41 % 30 % 11 %

RETURNING FROM ABROAD4

4.1 - A significant gain from a personal standpoint and in terms of skills development

Returning expatriates viewed their recent time abroad very positively: their gains areparticularly significant from a personal standpoint (8.4/10) as well as in terms of developingprofessional skills (7.8), acquiring new skills (7.8), or professional development (7.7). Bycontrast, opinions are more muted when it comes to the gains that the expatriation producedfor the family (6.8).

If we compare these opinions to those of expatriates due to depart, we see that theexpatriation experience tends to put into perspective certain reservations expressed by thoseabout to depart.

Opinion about the experience being positive (avg. out of 10) given by expatriates

Expatriates back from abroad, then, rate the gains in skills development more highly; bycontrast, the ratings are not comparable when it comes to gains for the family.

4.2 - Challenges generally less significant than anticipated before departure

Generally speaking, the expatriation experience tends to put into perspective thesignificance of certain challenges, particularly those related to cultural and social integrationand adjusting to a professional environment.

Challenges to meet - % who consider each of the challenges easy to meet

14

Expatriatesback fromabroad

Expatriatesdue

to departDifference

From a personal standpoint 8,4 8,1 + 0,3

For your family 6,8 6,9 - 0,1

For your professional development 7,7 5,4 + 2,3

For developing your professional skills 7,8 5,6 + 2,2

For acquiring new skills 7,8 6,5 + 1,3

Expatriatesback fromabroad

Expatriatesdue

to departDifference

Adjusting to the cultural environment 82 % 65 % + 17

The adjustment process in general 81 % 75 % + 6

Social integration, meeting locals 71 % 61 % + 10

Adjusting to the professional environment 68 % 56 % + 12

Child’s adjustment process 55 % 52 % + 3

Spouse’s adjustment process 53 % 56 % - 3

The language 53 % 51 % + 2

Being as efficient in your host country as in your own culture 50 % 50 % =

On the other hand, fears related to children’s or spouse’s adjustment and learning thelanguage are confirmed by prior experience. That also goes for the challenge of being asefficient in the host country. (Note that this challenge seems to be less of an issue for WesternEuropean expatriates.)

Among expatriates due to depart, first-time expatriates have a good notion of thechallenges to meet: they note a bit less the difficulty in adjusting to a new professionalenvironment, the experience for them being more a professional springboard. Conversely,first-time expatriates think slightly more than others that it will be difficult to adjust to thecultural environment.

In light of this, challenges related to language and to understanding the country’s cultureare, logically enough, those mentioned as the most important to address in order to succeed,expressed by more expatriates currently abroad than those due to depart. Conversely,increasing social contacts in-country is regarded as a less significant challenge than predictedand is not mentioned as much upon return.

5 criteria that were the most important for successful social integration and expatriation

Expatriation was an experience that changed one’s cultural bearings (calling into questioncertain aspects of one’s own culture, awareness about one’s own culture) and that made itpossible to learn other rules of the game. In this sense, it is a positive factor for growth fromboth a personal and professional standpoint.

Percentage of interviewees who agree with the following statements

15

Expatriatesback fromabroad

Expatriatesdue

to departDifference

Understanding the country’s culture 82 % 75 % + 7

Learning the country’s language or perfecting yourskills in that language

73 % 58 % + 15

Increasing social contact with the locals 57 % 65 % - 8

Avoiding prejudices 53 % 57 % - 4

Touring the country 38 % 54 % - 16

Statements offered Yes

Contact with other cultures has led me to question certain aspects of my ownculture

80 %

Contact with the local culture led me to a keener awareness of my own culture 75 %

Throughout my adjustment, I learned to play the game using different rules 73 %

I particularly like being abroad in another culture 72 %

I like being confronted with ways of thinking and acting that take me out of mycomfort zone

70 %

Let us turn now to how the expatriate defines himself at the end of this period. If theterms in which he sees himself are rather varied, we see interesting changes as compared tohis notions prior to the expatriation: less an explorer and voyager, the expatriate will definehimself more as a mediator and a mercenary upon his return. Among Asians, this trend ismuch more pronounced.

With what word do you associate the term “expatriate”?

* Percentages for Asians in parentheses

What is assumed to be the colleagues’ view portrays the expatriate more as a mercenaryupon his return (a trend that is stronger among Western European expatriates) and less asan ambassador.

How do you think colleagues from headquarters view the expatriate?

4.3 - A return context that remains difficult professionally, particularly for WesternEuropeans

Returning from abroad is no small feat. Out of a total of 100 points to allot to thefollowing two challenges, adjusting to another culture receives 70 points and readjusting tothe home culture receives 30 points. Returning from abroad requires a readjustment periodseen as difficult by 42% of returned expatriates (62% among Western Europeans). Asiansfor whom expatriation was more of an obligation are, by contrast, almost unanimous insaying that the readjustment was easy.

16

Back fromabroad

First-timeexpatriates Difference

Explorer 32 % 38 % - 6

Adventurer 28 % 29 % - 1

Ambassador 28 % 35 % - 7

Mediator 27 % 10 % + 17

Voyager 22 % 34 % - 12

Missionary 17 % (53 %)* 15 % + 2

Mercenary 12 % (29 %)* 2 % + 10

Back fromabroad

First-timeexpatriates Difference

Explorer 18 % 16 % + 2

Adventurer 35 % 37 % - 2

Ambassador 17 % 28 % - 11

Mediator 5 % 12 % - 7

Voyager 30 % 27 % + 3

Missionary 23 % 16 % + 7

Mercenary 23 % 10 % + 13

This difficult readjustment can be explained first by the fact that many expatriates wantedto pursue a professional experience outside of their home country: only 35% were planningto return to their home country, 30% wanted to stay and work in the host country, and 35%wanted to work in another country.

It is also due to the company’s difficulty in offering a position that matched theprofessional growth of the expatriate:

- The company did not always take into account the expatriate’s wishes in terms of position upon his return (only 35% with positive responses)- In many cases, this situation led to a change in company after the expatriate’s return(47% and 62% for Western Europeans) or a change in industry (45%).

Expatriates take a dim view of how their companies supported them upon their return:only 19% of Western European expatriates say that their company helped them in thereadjustment process (71% for Asians).

The main difficulties experienced stem from how the expatriate’s international experiencein the organizational structure of the company is valued and from rebuilding one’s network.

Experienced problems adjusting on each of the following points

In concrete terms, regardless of whether or not it is in the same company as the onebefore, the position filled does not clearly signal progress in terms of level of responsibility,autonomy, and especially salary (only 34% positive responses on this point).

17

Adjustment problems % Yes

Rebuilding your network 55 %

Gaining an advantage from your experience abroad 50 %

Coping with your company's hierarchy 44 %

Readjusting to a different management style 42 %

Readjusting to different management methods 40 %

Organization of work particular to your country 38 %

Work conditions particular to the company 32 %

4.4 - Personal readjustment that was not necessarily anticipated but a genuine personalgain for the expatriate

From a personal standpoint, 43% of expatriates back from abroad say that theirreadjustment period has been difficult but only 50% expected these problems.55% say that no one brought up these problems with them before their departure.

The fact remains that expatriation contributed much to interviewees in terms ofdeveloping personal qualities and increasing comfort with using foreign languages.

% who say that the expatriation helped them grow for each of the following points

For its part, family readjustment did not pose major problems: 85% say that it went verywell or rather well for the family, 88% for the children, and the number still positive butslightly lower for the spouse’s adjustment (72%).

The impact of expatriation on the individual appears to be substantial in light of thefollowing statements:

“I feel that I have changed in many respects.” (68% agree)

“After the expatriation, I am no longer quite the same person.” (60%)

Finally, 90% of expatriates back from abroad would like to repeat the expatriationexperience.

18

Points offered % Yes

Knowledge, culture 91 %

Ease with foreign languages 90 %

Flexibility 89 %

Open-mindedness 87 %

Self-confidence 84 %

Tolerance 83 %

Network development 80 %

5.1 - Heightened enthusiasm for the experience even if less pronounced than for the expatriate

Where being abroad is concerned, the rating given by spouses is positive (7.9 for spousesdue to depart) but lower than that given by expatriates due to depart (8.8).This trend is seen again when comparing the rating given by spouses abroad (8/8.8

for expatriates abroad).

Spouses are rather optimistic regarding the potential for a successful experience, whetherit is for them or for their family. This optimism is confirmed by actually going abroad:expatriate spouses in-country are even more optimistic than expatriate spouses due to depart

5.2 - Challenges to meet that differ slightly from those of the expatriate

Spouses believe that the linguistic challenge will be more difficult than do expatriatesthemselves; even more so than expatriates, they dread the adjustment process in general,their social integration, and meeting locals.

Believe that each of these challenges is difficult to meet

5.3 - A desire to repeat the expatriation experience that is less pronounced than for the expatriate

At the end of the expatriation experience, 42% of spouses wish to return to their homecountry, while only 35% of expatriates do.

As for the desire to repeat the expatriation experience, 71% of spouses are open to thepossibility, while 90% of expatriates are.

19

Spouse Expatriate Difference

Being as efficient in your host country as in your own culture 50 % 44 % + 6

The language 50 % 43 % + 7

Adjusting to the professional environment 32 % 33 % - 1

Your social integration, meeting locals 51 % 37 % + 14

Your spouse's adjustment process 16 % 40 % - 24

Your adjustment process in general 28 % 19 % + 9

Adjusting to your new cultural environment 26 % 23 % + 3

OPINIONS FROM SPOUSES5

�The expatriation experience to come is above all a personal and family experience;it is seen as valuable from this point of view more than it is in terms of professionalgains.

It mainly concerns the young and the educated, but especially those who have hadcontact with foreign countries, whether due to family ties or as a part of one’ssecondary school or university studies.

Finally, expatriation brings about expectations on the part of future expatriates whoseek to augment their career from their experience abroad (the appeal of the job, levelof responsibility, or work autonomy).

� Expatriates due to depart are particularly enthusiastic concerning their futureexperience. They believe that is at the heart of both a personal undertaking (an opportunitynot to be missed) and a professional one (a chance to advance professionally).

While adjusting to a new environment is not considered one of the most difficultchallenges to meet, the language and the ability to be as efficient in the host country asin one’s own culture are, by contrast, challenges that almost half of those interviewedworry about.

� Interviewees currently abroad do not lose their enthusiasm while there. The levelof optimism remained stable for a majority of them and, for some, even increased.

It would seem, however, that the expatriate experience changes each individual’sbearings. Three interviewees out of four said that they “have learned to play the gameusing different rules” and that [the experience] “led [them] to a keener awareness of[their] own culture when exposed to the local culture.”

Ideas expressed by expatriates due to depart about challenges to meet are more orless confirmed by expatriates currently abroad, but the latter group stresses even morethe difficulties in mastering the language and being as efficient in the host country.Adjusting to a new culture happens without incident, while the adopting of this newculture is a more delicate task.

20

�Once they return, expatriates underscore the benefits of the experience, both froma personal and a professional point of view, though mostly the latter.

The challenges sensed at the outset are generally seen as easier to meet in the end,particularly when it comes to adjusting to the new environment. Expatriates alsoconfirm the importance of mastering the language as well as local norms and codes.

However, returning to one’s home country and the necessary readjustment areparticularly difficult to live through, especially for Western European expatriates. Onone hand, a majority of expatriates wish to continue their stay or at least continue theexpatriation in another country. On the other hand, companies have difficulty offeringreturning expatriates a position that matches their professional growth. Moreover, thetendency to think that expatriation is a professional springboard clearly decreases asthe experience becomes a reality.

Although the return was sometimes difficult, interviewees gained much from theirexperience abroad in terms of knowledge, culture, mastery of foreign languages, oropen-mindedness and self-confidence.

21

PROFILE AND EXPERIENCE OF EXPATRIATES DUE TO DEPART

The expatriation context is often the beginning of one’s career for salariedemployees who are well educated.Having studied abroad or coming from a family with ties to foreign countries

increases the desire to go abroad. The expatriation experience occurs most often within a family setting.High expectations with regard to going abroad involve the job itself, level of

responsibility, work autonomy, and salary. The expatriation experience is lived enthusiastically, both professionally (chance

to advance, professional springboard) and personally (opportunity not to bemissed, chance to see other countries, family experience). It is rarely done as aduty related to professional imperatives (17%), but the opposite is true amongthe Japanese (62%).The search for novelty and the desire to be confronted with ways of thinking

and acting that take one out of his comfort zone increase the desire to go abroad.The main challenges that expatriates anticipate concern the language, their

spouse’s adjustment process, and being as efficient in another context. The mainkeys to success according to the expatriates are “understanding the country’sculture” and “maximizing the number of social contacts with the locals.” Using suggested terms in a word association, the future expatriate sees himself

primarily as an “explorer.” He thinks that his colleagues in the home office are farless likely to see him this way and that some would not hesitate to call him a“mercenary.”

CURRENTLY ABROAD

The general level of satisfaction is very high (8.2/10) except among the Japanese(6.4/10). Enthusiasm and optimism seem to pervade the personal and professionalspheres.The cross-cultural dimension clearly emerges in the expatriation experience :

“through my adjustment process, I have learned how to play the game usingdifferent rules” (78% agree), “contact with the local culture has led me to a keenerawareness of my own culture” (78%), “I like to be confronted with ways of thinkingand acting that take me out of my comfort zone” (74%), “contact with othercultures has led me to question certain aspects of my own culture” (70%).Understanding the local culture and learning the language are recognized as

keys to a successful integration.

BACK FROM ABROAD

The recent expatriation is evaluated very positively by the returning expatriateboth personally (8.4/10) and professionally (7.8/10). Opinions, however, are moremuted where the family is concerned (6.8/10).Post-experience, the challenges that had been anticipated before departure

(concerning cultural and social integration and adjusting to the professional

22

SUMMARY OF STUDY RESULTS

environment) are finally seen as having been easier to meet. The cross-culturaldimension described above for those currently abroad becomes stronger (keenerawareness of one’s own culture, questioning, new rules of the game). In comparison to the expatriate due to depart, the expatriate back from his

experience abroad sees himself less as an explorer and traveler and more as amediator and a mercenary. He thinks that his colleagues at home office see himmore as a mercenary than as an ambassador. The Japanese have a very different profile from Western Europeans (French in

majority) where these issues are concerned. The Japanese expatriate back fromabroad defines himself very strongly as a missionary (53% versus 17%) andstrongly as a mercenary (29% versus 12%). Readjusting to the home culture is experienced with difficulty by a majority of

Western Europeans and with ease by the Japanese. Generally, returning to thehome culture represents 30% of the challenge of adjustment versus 70% foradjusting to a new culture.In the majority of cases, the company did not take into account the wishes of

the returning expatriate regarding his job. Sixty-two percent of Westerners havechanged companies since their return from abroad.A minority of Western expatriates believe that their company helped them in

the readjustment process compared to a majority of Japanese.The main difficulties in readjusting are the problem of rebuilding one’s network,

international experience that is not valued, and assignment to a position that doesmatch expectations in terms of level of responsibility, autonomy, and especiallysalary. This being the case, expatriates back from abroad are in remarkable agreement

concerning the advantages derived from expatriation in terms of personal qualities(knowledge of cultures, flexibility, open-mindedness, self-confidence, tolerance)and ease in using foreign languages.The readjustment both for the family and for the children generally went well;

the spouse’s readjustment also went well but to a slightly lesser degree.The impact of expatriation on personal growth appears to be substantial in light

of affirmative responses to the following statements:“I feel that I have changed in many ways.” (68%)“After the expatriation, I am no longer quite the same person.” (60%)Finally, 90% of expatriates back from abroad wish to repeat the expatriation

experience.

NOTEThe results of the study show and make clear the cross-cultural dimension of

the expatriation experience. They also show its complexity thanks to the differingratings of the Japanese: the cross-cultural context is experienced differently bypeople from different cultures. Outside of France and Japan, the smaller size ofnational samples does not yet allow an international comparative analysis to bemade that is likely to shed new light on expatriation.

23

Learning another professional mode of operation and adjusting to it as much as possible isthe primary challenge of expatriates, whether or not they are managers.

Becoming immersed in the culture of the host country seems to be the main condition forsuccessfully adjusting to the expatriate’s professional milieu because the work methods arein keeping with societal relationships. The fact remains that a number of expatriates areconfronted not with bicultural but multicultural work situations, which gives a new dimensionto the view that they have of their own experiences abroad.

Indeed, since multicultural contexts engender specific work relationships, it is difficult todecide where the exact lines are between the “national” work culture, and, strictly speaking,the company culture.

However, the accounts from expatriates reveal points in common in the notion that theyhave of the idiosyncrasies of certain Asian, European, and North American work cultures.Communication, degree of efficiency, initiative, and hierarchical relationships are only someof the themes related to this interpretation by expatriates of how “others” work.

Their analysis makes it possible to not only define several things at stake within thecross-cultural context in a professional setting, but also to see how certain expatriates endup benefiting from situations that are sometimes perplexing in order to learn how to workand manage differently, whether at home or abroad.

1.1 - China

Despite culture shock described as “huge” and “astounding,” not one expatriate negativelyjudges China and its work culture.

Fascinated by the pace of a country that is developing from one day to the next before theireyes, expatriates feel like they have been thrown into another dimension and endeavor tounderstand Chinese society and adapt to it.

When it comes to work, the Chinese are viewed as extremely proud people who never leton if they have not understood something that has been asked of them. The issue of honoris very important and losing face is, for them, the worst thing that can happen.

Within companies, few people appear to have genuine information, and that is the maindifficulty with which expatriates are confronted. The Chinese function a lot in-network:information is only shared in person, never in meetings, which serve primarily to communicatethe decisions of management to teams. Moreover, the Chinese do not appear to be veryopen to discussion; to them, it would even be disrespectful.

It should also be noted that a difference exists between the older and younger generationswhen it comes to how they approach work relationships. Older generations are much morepaternalistic, which is considered “rather awkward” not only by expatriates but also byyounger Chinese.

24

WORK CULTURES

ASIA1

1.2 - Korea

While it would seem that Koreans are very good at executing, they appear to lack initiativeand seem to go about their work without any strategic vision. Once a decision has been made,everything happens very quickly in sequence and the work is done rapidly and in detail. Again,as in China, decisions are made unilaterally by managers without ever being discussed withteams.

According to interviewees’ accounts, however, there appears to exist a very strong spirit ofteamwork and mutual aid that the majority of expatriates say they have never experiencedelsewhere. Koreans are viewed positively as people ready to stand up for the interests of theirgroup and not their personal interests, which, by contrast, would be the case in certain Europeanwork cultures.

Highly structured and hierarchical, Korean society appears to have the same generation problemas its neighbor China. Members of the younger generations are viewed by expatriates as muchmore open, particularly because they have traveled and have learned foreign languages. However,young Koreans seem to show initiative more often.

1.3 - Thailand

If there were a single characteristic of note in how the Thai operate, it would surely be thegreat reserve with which they build their work relationships. Those who spent their expatriationexperience in Thailand recall a permanent need to work with consensus, a way of being anddoing that barely tolerates direct interaction and instructions that appear to be explicitlystated.

To manage a team of Thai workers, one should be “patient,” “a good listener,” and knowhow to intervene, if necessary, as a “mediator.” For European expatriates, it is a real challengeto learn how to be less pushy with people whose culture is so unobtrusive and contained.

Resolving conflicts can prove difficult if one does not know how to go about it with skill andtolerance. Relationships based on trust are often built in more select groups, even with eachof the employees individually. As in the majority of other Asian countries, meetings do notlend themselves to genuine discussions, and it is rarely advisable to try to solve problems inthe presence of all parties concerned.

1.4 - Singapore

In the eyes of expatriates, Singaporean culture does not exist as such, because Singapore, acountry built on immigration, welcomes many other Asians (Indians, Malaysians, Thai,Indonesians, Chinese, etc.). The culture at work appears to be made up of several local cultures,but in a professional milieu that is very much exposed to the West, especially to Americanculture, from which it appears to have borrowed reflexes and behavior principles. The Englishlanguage is used perfectly by everyone or almost everyone, and all writing is done in Englishas well.

Still, expatriates who had to manage local teams noted the need to supervise them veryclosely. Several characteristics of working “like Singaporeans” include the need for very clearinstructions, reticence when it comes to autonomy that enables managing tasks and deadlinesoneself, and a habit of working with a schedule and obligatory results.

25

1.5 - Hong-Kong

Expatriates who worked in Hong Kong generally were happy with their experience, andenjoyed above all the multicultural dimension of the city and its population. The workculture appears to be imbued with an “Anglo-Saxon–style” way of operating, with a mannerof doing things “directly” and “very systematically,” and “by the book.” Hong Kongers aregoal-oriented, and, it would seem, are quick and efficient, committed and very professional.

The level of responsibility is very high, as is involvement. Few people are resistant; when adecision is made, everyone gets to work and moves in the same direction to get the jobdone.

However, in the accounts of expatriates in Hong Kong we again see the same problems asthose already mentioned about other countries in the region, particularly the mentality ofolder generations and the lack of autonomy and initiative.

Working with older generations appears to have been an unnerving experience for themajority of expatriates interviewed. They are unanimous: when with traditional managementmade up of Chinese and Hong Kongers older than 50, one must—at any cost—seek toposition oneself and make one’s point of view known. The additional problem with traditionalmanagement appears to be a strong reluctance towards any systematization, which is seenas a symbolic threat to authority. In the traditional mentality, decisions made by managementare not discussed, and misunderstandings can quickly arise, the use of English as a linguafranca being a possible contributing factor.

For Europeans, who made up the majority of our interviewees, finding themselves in amanagement position in such a context is an experience as trying as it is enriching. BecauseHong Kongers have a tendency to say “yes” to everything, it is highly advisable to start adiscussion with teams to ensure that what is being asked of them is possible and that theenvisioned stages of progress are in fact reachable by all. The lack of autonomy and of asense of priorities generally noticed by expatriates also would seem to make progress checksnecessary.

“Not very responsive” when confronted with problems that they are not always able tosolve themselves, and “too proud” to ask others for advice, Hong Kongers also appear tohave a tendency to let “problems fester” or “do the same thing twice.”

When it comes to the power of networks, Hong Kong is no exception to what we see withother Asian countries: the most important decisions are never made in offices, but insteadin restaurants, at weddings, or even in homes, while the only means of getting genuineinformation is to establish relationships built on trust, face-to-face with colleagues.

Most of the people who lived and worked in the United States admit to having experienced realculture shock during their time abroad. They had thought they knew North American culture, sothe gap in their understanding that they discovered there made a big impression on them.

Direct and frank communication seems to be the main key to success in relationships withAmericans, whether those relationships are personal or professional. The misunderstandingsthat can arise therefore stem mainly, it would seem, from an ignorance of the rules ofcommunication, which must be clear and open, with no ambiguity.

American society is generally seen as “tough,” too “individualistic,” and “competitive” inthe extreme. The approach is functional and the goal is well established: get results and“make money.” Managers are autocratic, and the management of qualified personnel bysome is “abysmal.”

Working in a team does not appear to have the same significance as it does elsewhere: itseems to be a simple “assembly” of elements prepared individually and reconstructedcollectively for the needs of presentations or reports. In the “American style” of working, a

26

UNITED STATES2

true sense of cooperation appears not to exist. The spirit of competition, it would seem, isby contrast highly developed and the search for efficiency ever-present.

Despite their oft-expressed negative views, expatriates remain taken with the Americansystem and regret their inability to fully share its values that “leave little chance to theweak.” They describe their time in the United States as “surprising” and “enriching,” but“not very appealing” in the medium and long terms.

The United States is also seen as a country where people have a hard time self-evaluating,both in general and in established procedures in the work domain.

3.1 -England

Appreciated by expatriates for their ability to execute and an open and delegating managementstyle, the English appear to practice a “different kind of communication,” which is difficultto decode for the foreigner. Confrontation and conflicts are rare.

Sometimes even described as hypocritical and arrogant, the English appear to be advocatesof a type of language that is full of overtones and they have a tendency to remain polite allwhile making comments “behind your back.” With zero support between colleagues, a logicof “every man for himself” also appears to be one of the characteristics of the English workculture.

Where management is concerned, opinions are rather positive: not very hierarchical andgood at listening, English-style management, it would seem, makes it possible to developinitiative and to bring out the best in coworkers, who are judged on results and not on howthey achieve those results. Each person is given much leeway in his day-to-day work, and isfree to direct his own course of action and to develop his expertise, the only problem beingconflict resolution.

Indeed, this type of management, which some describe as “self-effacing,” can prove problematicin times of internal conflict or with clients; the English culture is seen as one in which peopleavoid conflicts at all costs, which consequently makes their resolution long and difficult.

3.2 - Germany/Luxembourg/Switzerland

Does the Germanic mindset at work really exist? To hear our interviewees tell it, yes. Severalof them were sent to Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and are all fascinated by theprofessionalism that characterizes the work cultures in these three European countries, thecredo of which seems to be “avoid waffling.”

“Germanic” people are very organized, and seem to be more inclined to learn a single job indepth and stay in it for the majority of their career. Skills acquired in this way appear tofacilitate in turn a way of working in which the main characteristics are speed and efficiency.

Communication is very direct and not superficial in the least, precision and discipline beingthe operative words that make it possible to make progress “very, very quickly” and to be“exceptionally efficient.”

Remarks, reports, or assessments that could open up to debate all or part of what ismaterializing are rare and poorly received: “First, we see things through, as they should bedone, and then we do the assessment…”

This unyielding attitude, it would seem, is the only weak spot in the Germanic work culture:“When there is too much precision and discipline, people don’t necessarily have goodideas—they have blinders on,” explains a former trader expatriated in Luxembourg.

27

EUROPE3

People from Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland are often described as “solitary”, “notvery talkative”, “efficient”, “pragmatic”, but it is not certain whether these descriptors areenough to speak of “exoticism”, as one interviewee does. What is certain is that we are oftenmore surprised by the differences that separate us from our “neighbor” and what isgeographically “close” than by the differences that we might experience in distant countries.

3.3 - Scandinavia

“Calm,” “kind,” “attentive,” and “respectful,” Scandinavians have the reputation of beingvery efficient and extremely pragmatic.

Immersed in Anglo-Saxon culture, the Northern European way of working is also characterizedby a certain period of preparation and decision-making: coming together, thinking, discussing,and making compromises seem to be the essential stages prior to implementing actionsthat, afterwards, take place quickly and with a high degree of efficiency.

The notion of respect, viewed as fundamental in the Scandinavian culture, is also seen in thework domain. Respectful of others, Scandinavians are also respectful of the company forwhich they work.

We can therefore say that rationalism and pragmatism are seen as two main characteristicsof the way in which people work in Northern European countries.

3.4 - Spain/Portugal

If English management is considered “self-effacing” and “not very hierarchical,” Spanishmanagement is seen as very authoritarian and hierarchical.

Meetings do not seem to be places for genuine discussions or a real exchange of ideas; rather,they are a chance for people to get themselves noticed by others. Credit seems to go to theone who speaks the loudest.

Although rather individualistic and poorly organized, the Spanish are very responsive andintuitive, bubbling with ideas and quick at implementation.

Respect for the hierarchy is also insisted upon in Portugal, and education is mentioned asthe main reason for this. The sense of competition is not highly developed, and other people’sword plays a very important role.

3.5 - France

As if there were a “barrier to foreigners” stronger than that felt elsewhere, the French mindsetin the workplace is often seen as too closed in on itself. “A little bit too self-absorbed,” theFrench appear to often operate using reference points that they consider universal, whilethey are valid only in their own country.

“Incapable of mixing in with others”, “divided into castes”, “always negative and critical”,the French abroad are even seen as particularly “arrogant”, and “full of themselves”. Theexample of the Frenchman, who, upon going abroad, immediately enrolls in the local Frenchclub, is for our respondents a typical sign of a “lack of flexibility and adaptability.”

One other element is seen as a lack of openness from the French: the duty to perfectlymaster the French language, both spoken and written, and this, even at multinationalcompanies in positions that are completely international in scope.

As a general rule, French society is seen as too elitist, and unreceptive to the qualities andpractical experiences brought in by foreigners, which affects the performance and the careersof those foreigners.

Interviewees repeatedly underscored the problems with the French educational system, the

28

outdated procedures of which are echoed at work. Failing to bring out the best in studentsand too severely stigmatizing failure and mistakes, French schools seem to promote thementality of “every man for himself” and the general distrust that one often finds in workrelationships.

The deficiencies in the teaching of foreign languages, and above all English as the linguafranca of the business world, was also regularly mentioned by expatriates, who consider itthe main hurdle to the opening-up of France to the outside world.

The positive aspects of doing as the French do include, above all, team professionalism anda certain flexibility in work methodology.

The French tendency to “intellectualize things” is not seen as a negative element of theirmentality. On the contrary, the fact that they need a “way that is rational and not intuitivein the least” to solve problems generates, by all accounts, an almost constant stream of newideas.

An analytic approach and a fondness for discussion are the two main elements of a French-stylemeeting. Contrary to Anglo-Saxon culture, debates and analyses that take place most oftenduring meetings offset a certain detachment in the preparation of a topic. Giving an opinion,challenging, and making suggestions are therefore part of how things progress à la française.

Regardless of the difficulties experienced and the hurdles overcome while trying to optimizeone’s own skills as well as those of the team in a new professional environment, there is noconclusion other than that expatriated managers always end up benefiting from thecross-cultural situations with which they are confronted on a day-to-day basis.

Two main themes related to the expatriation experience stand out in their accounts, onewith a rather negative connotation: communication problems and identification/management of terms with multiple interpretations within the cross-cultural context,and the other positive: mutual enrichment, development of new skills, and knowledgebeing valued in new situations.

Communication and terms with multiple interpretations in the cross-culturalcontext

Although new technologies and the Internet have contributed to “erasing cultural differences,”communication problems remain the major stumbling block to mutual understandingbetween people from different cultures.

When people stay within a representation system that is more or less similar, such as “theAnglo-Saxon work culture,” differences tend to become blurred, and communication happensmore smoothly. But as soon as cultural boundaries become impermeable, misunderstandingsincrease and the dialogue needs to be reinforced in order to arrive at acceptable solutionsthat are satisfactory for all involved.

“People think they agree, but they don’t, because they’ve understood differently what wassaid,” explains a bank executive currently abroad in the United States. Speaking the languagewell is therefore not a guarantee of perfect communication. It can even be deceiving inasmuchas “if we speak well, other people think that we understand all the nuances of their languageand culture.”

Those who encountered communication problems during their time abroad suggest “makingsure to convey simple ideas on all sides, and as soon as it starts to break down, recapeverything.”

29

THE CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT AT WORK (MANAGERIAL VISION)4

“Terms with multiple interpretations in the cross-cultural context” prove to be particularlydifficult to understand and to deal with. American-style teamwork and management in Spainattest to this:

a) “There are a number of words like ‘teamwork.’ Obviously, people will say that it’s veryimportant for everybody to work as a team, but people don’t attach the same meaning toit. (…) It’s something that is very hard to decode.”

b) “The Spanish style is generally very hierarchical and very authoritarian. However, Spanishmanagers do not consider themselves to be very authoritarian. In the eyes of the French,they are very authoritarian…So it’s necessary to navigate in between ways of interpretingbehavior that are often contradictory.”

Despite the perplexing nature of this type of experience, expatriates end up learning theseways more or less with ease and adjusting to the new professional and cultural setting: “Myown management style was considered too weak. The cultural context therefore led me tobecome more authoritarian.”

Mutual enrichment, development of new skills, and knowledgebeing valued

How do expatriate managers benefit from their experiences abroad? What are the best waysto reconcile one’s own work culture with that of the new professional environment in thehost country?

The personal qualities of flexibility and adaptability are certainly important in this kind ofexperience, but they are not the only ones. As we closely analyzed the opinions of our interviewees,the notions of straightforwardness and respect for others in work relationships stood outas the determining factors for the success of a professional experience abroad: “You have to behumble, extremely humble. No, it’s not a joke! Above all, you can’t arrive with a superioritycomplex. You need to be up on things, curious, asking questions,” recommends an expatriatebased in Sweden for more than ten years.

For many expatriates, the experience is also a chance to make significant changes to theirmanagement style. Such is the case for this U.S.-based executive of an American companywho has already lived through several expatriations in Europe and Asia: “Today, my managementstyle is much more open, I’m attentive. (…) You need to provide a spirit of leadership withoutlosing authority. Accept discussion more, explain the ‘why’ of decisions, and at the sametime involve people in certain decisions. Bring out the best in the teams we have around us,make them feel involved, so that they take ownership of what the company does. Withoutthis we’ll have a hard time getting anywhere.”

Making an effort, being attentive, and learning how to handle the cultural idiosyncrasies ofone’s coworkers seem to be prior conditions for the success of any management project inthe expatriation context: “Leading a local team is a real challenge. (…) I have had to make aneffort to be more patient, and more attentive, too. This doesn’t mean that I wasn’t likethat before, but these are the skills that I really had to rely on in managing the on-site team.”

“Patience! I learned not to underestimate problems and differences and to accept them.(…) It doesn’t do any good to insist on your own way of operating, you need to understandthe rules of the game, and learn to play by them,” recommends a Mauritian woman whohas been abroad for years, first in Europe (Luxembourg and England) and now in Singapore.

Patience, respect, and modesty must, however, be accompanied by a healthy dose ofstraightforwardness, the ability to explain things to and train others, and a fondness fordialogue to allow the manager to win the trust of his team members and avoid possiblecross-cultural misunderstandings. Interactions have to be transparent, and self-censorship

30

would be the worst reaction to have in such situations: “You need to support [your team].Suggest, challenge a little bit, and then above all take the time to do it. (…) And then positionyourself so that you can intervene if necessary. Adapt the operation method to day-to-dayduties as quickly as possible. Even if something seems to be only a detail, even if it’s a littledelicate, you can never self-censor, because that’s what creates misunderstandings.”

Professionally, expatriation also provides the satisfaction of mutual enrichment in theinteraction with local teams. Exchanging ideas, comparing practices, and looking for the bestsolutions together are considered the best ways to bring out the best in one’s team members,all while providing a new vision: “I think it’s also our role as expatriates to provide a differentvision,” says a young IT executive abroad in Hong Kong. “There’s the general vision, the wayit’s done at headquarters, with its rules and operating procedures, but where you need to betactful is in the local context. While trying to do what you’ve always done, you need toknow how to separate the real problems from the non-issues (…) After all, experience andspecific knowledge must come and does come from the people who work for you,” hecontinues.

With few exceptions, we can say that cross-cultural management is an experience appreciatedby expatriates. It makes it possible to develop many skills and at the same time better adaptone’s management style to other work contexts. Several keywords that came up repeatedlyin expatriates’ opinions, such as “real challenge,” “very interesting,” and “enriching,” are thebest indicators of this.

Despite the differences among interviewee profiles and the diversity of their experiences,we can come up with a certain typology for expatriates, a necessary summary for anycomprehensive approach such as ours.

The qualitative methodology that we have employed has allowed us to build this typologynot on the basis of traditional sociological variables (sex, age, socio-professional category,nationality) but by relying on correlations between different phenomena, using the criterionof the motivation to work abroad as a starting point.

Indeed, given that expatriation is a priori a voluntary act, it is legitimate to ask what predisposesthese individuals to live and work abroad and what connection exists between the intentionsbehind the business trip and the different aspects of the experience while abroad.

Thoughtful observation, then, demonstrates that the behavioral logic while abroad is stronglyinfluenced by one’s motivation at the outset, which is in turn, of course, influenced by eachperson’s individual career path.

In the case of our study, the application of the motivation criterion leads us to distinguishthree types of expatriates. The first concerns expatriates whose decision is influenced aboveall by a desire to capitalize on their experience abroad for their career; the second, thosewhose departure is primarily motivated by a desire for personal growth; and the third, bycontrast, involves people who have a need to break from their professional and/or personalenvironment.

We will see throughout this analysis how the motives for expatriation follow from, on onehand, one’s family past, and interact, on the other hand, with different observed phenomena,such as the type of company one keeps in the host country, the connection with the homecountry, or even how the return is experienced.

31

TYPOLOGY 5

5.1 - Expatriation for professional reasons

The desire to work abroad is, in a number of cases, heavily influenced by a strategic componentand the understanding of international mobility as a tool for career advancement.

Expatriations offer so many chances to enrich one’s “profile” and to acquire professionaland cross-cultural skills that are seen as indispensable for career development.

People whose motivations are in line with this kind of “ulterior profitability” come, for themost part, from families who managed to inculcate a willingness to travel as an asset toobtain privileged roles and status. Understanding this type of population therefore cannotbe separated from an understanding of family parameters, as well as of the ensuing personalexperiences (travels and different foreign languages mastered for instance).

Motivated above all by career success, individuals in this category are generally on boardwith the development projects of the companies that pay them. Indeed, the potential forinternational recruiting often determines their choice of employer, and the desire to goabroad meshes perfectly with the company’s needs.

Once abroad, this category of people seeks out contact with the expatriate community.Their first reflex appears to be to contact the authorities from their home country andestablish social connections with their compatriots. Private schools and clubs play a centralrole in the socialization of these expatriates. Relationships with the locals are often superficial,unless the latter have already integrated into the expatriates’ privileged milieu.

We see a certain professional curiosity towards other ways of operating and a propensity tointegrate them to the extent that they can contribute to skills improvement and theenrichment of background knowledge.

However, given the fact that these expatriates think their role is to provide a different visionand to contribute while respecting norms, a true immersion in the local work is only rarelyachieved.

This type of expatriate maintains rather strong ties with his home country. Social andprofessional networks are generally well maintained, and there is a rather strong awarenessof their utility in preparation for the return.

Returning from abroad can prove difficult in certain cases, but these are primarily becauseof problematic practical aspects of repatriation (administrative, logistical). Introspection isnot very prevalent in the opinions of these expatriates. Indeed, they give the impression ofbeing so strongly anchored to their home country that no experience abroad seems tosignificantly affect their identity.

We note, then, that the behaviors that this type of expatriate adopts while abroad (but alsobefore and after the expatriation) result naturally from an approach that fits into a focus ontheir career.

Indeed, from the outset these expatriates keep a certain distance from the cross-culturaldynamic, as the intended goal is not so much discovering countries and local cultures butabove all beneficial training for capitalizing later on their experience.

32

5.2 - Expatriation for personal reasons

If the first type of expatriate is primarily motivated by professional development, anotherkind of expatriate views working abroad in a more personal light.

The logic that underpins this type of expatriation should be looked at from the standpointof a desire to leave one’s home country and to break from a known and mastered environment.Influencing these individuals’ choice are a curiosity towards other cultures and countriesand a willingness to engage in introspection, despite the objective reasons for the expatriation,which can be strictly professional.

A number of these individuals come from expatriate families and knew living conditionsduring their childhood that, it would seem, they are looking to reproduce in one way oranother. By contrast, others come from geographically stable families and subscribe to alogic of novelty and of challenges to meet. Whether they belong to one group or the other,personal growth is the point in common for these expatriates.

They are generally rather critical of their home country prior to the expatriation, sometimeseven more upon their return. Relationships in the host country are made primarily frommulticultural settings: mixed couples, expatriates from other countries, and natives. Theexpatriate community from their own country is seen as an environment that is too closedin on itself, sometimes even sectarian.

Upon their return, the majority of these expatriates experience problems reintegrating andexpress disappointment regarding their social relationships. As a matter of fact, they oftenend up spending time in international environments only.

It can be said that these individuals, who often have been abroad multiple times, are, becauseof their past, predisposed to living abroad. Their interest in foreign countries and languageswas developed all throughout the construction of their identity. Either children of mixedcouples, former students in international schools, or study-abroad scholarship-winners, thesepeople for the most part have already experienced extended stays outside their home country.

The vision of “internationality” as a way of life seems to us to be the main explanation forthe attitudes and behaviors of this type of expatriate. New realities to face, numerouschallenges to meet, and an unknown environment that sets into motion introspection andreshapes perceptions are just some of the hidden motives that appear to explain the actionsof these expatriates. In conclusion, their main characteristic seems to be the search forcoherence between a certain view of the world and life choices, among which expatriationplays a large part.

5.3 - Expatriation to break from the norm

Beyond a desire for professional or personal growth, the decision to live abroad can also betriggered by a need to break from one’s environment. For individuals in this category, it is away of “turning the page” and vesting a new, unexplored land with memories and personalconnections, with a view towards personal and/or professional “reconstruction.”

Once again, this type of expatriation can take the shape of a departure for professionalreasons, but, at its core, meets a need to break away from the individual’s various affiliations,whether they are passed down or created.

Expatriates whose motivations are in line with this deliberate act of breaking from theirpersonal background come for the most part from geographically stable families and, as ageneral rule, go abroad while single and relatively young.

The choice of country is made primarily in relation to the cultural distance that the countryrepresents in the mind of the future expatriate; the greater it is, the greater the feeling ofsuccess in the desired separation.

The degree of immersion in the local culture is fairly significant; relationships are almost

33

exclusively with natives of the host country, and mastery of the language quickly becomessatisfying.

Returns are particularly difficult when it comes to identity, and the “repeat expatriate”syndrome is widespread.

In cases where the return is “final,” social networks are almost entirely rebuilt; a strongfeeling of no longer finding a place in one’s own country means that the expatriate seeshimself “demoted” to the ranks of foreigners and only spends time in internationalenvironments.

In contrast to the first two types of expatriation, which aim for development of professionalskills and/or cross-cultural competence, this third type indicates a choice that is not “logically”integrated into the life path of the individuals whom it concerns.

Indeed, it would almost be necessary to reexamine the primary definition of expatriation,namely as an act of “leaving one’s country,” to understand this desire to give oneself a newpoint of departure, or at least to conduct a psychological and identity separation throughgeographic mobility.

5.4 -Motivation – explanatory key for the expatriation phenomenon

If we have constructed this typology from the motivation criterion, it determines, as wehave seen, behaviors while abroad and upon return, even as it is dependent on a number offactors, especially family factors.

Motivation is indeed a key component of the expatriation phenomenon. The resulting typologyhere is obviously only a rough outline of an analysis that could be done in greater depth, butit makes it possible to gain a greater understanding of the expatriation process.

The methodology that divides our analysis into three time periods (before, during, and after)is only justified by the fact that it gives us answers to the phenomenon as a whole, to thisprocess that, in the end, can only be understood in its entirety.

What role do mental constructs, the representations on which we all depend in our lifechoices, play in the case of expatriation? How do they influence motivations and in whatway do they participate in integrating a new land and a new identity?

What we can already see is that these various representations become the trigger in the“acting out” of the expatriation and that, moreover, they are used as a “master plan” forindividuals’ actions, practices, and behaviors during and after the expatriation.

34

35

EXPATRIATION: THE RETURN ORDEAL

The objective of the “Expatriation Study” is to better understand the characteristics ofexpatriates, learn what their assets are, and identify their difficulties and expectations.

Among the topics broached in the responses provided in the questionnaire and duringindividual interviews carried out for this study, led from now on each year by Berlitz Consulting,the return from abroad in 2011 makes up its own category. The majority of expatriates speakunprompted about it as a trying experience, not to say painful, which was seen in themajority of cases as a failure to reintegrate within the company or consortium ofcompanies. A failure and a frustration that often give rise to the desire to go abroad againas an escape.

The views of participants about the return experience are certainly ones of depiction,occasionally a caricature or given while in an emotional state. Consequently, it is difficult todetermine what is objective in expatriates’ perceptions of problems they encountered.However, it is possible to extract a number of common traits from individual paths.

Three major themes stand out: the first applies to the “personal experience” of the return(personal in the sense of private), the second focuses on the “professional experience”,and last, the “inner experience”, reveals the deeper feelings about the return. This studyshould thus allow us to look in depth at the genuine stakes of the return and to suggestseveral possible conclusions.

On a personal level, an expatriate’s return is often complicated by administrative formalitiesand red tape, problems with reintegration at school for families with children, difficultyreadjusting to the climate, a certain awkwardness in relationships with old friends, and theworry over finding suitable housing and material living conditions similar to those he had inthe host country.

Although expatriation is paradoxically only rarely a guarantee of professional promotion andbetter pay, the life of the expatriate is generally seen as very pleasant in its day-to-dayaspects (climate, food, household help, activities, trips, and acquaintances). While abroad,the expatriate generally enjoys a special living environment that he has a hard time replicatingupon returning to his country: “We had better housing; there was a maid who did everything:watched the children in the evening, prepared breakfast in the morning, etc. The social lifewas rich, we went out to dinner every other night and often took trips, at least once a month(…) And the climate there was just ideal, it was summer year-round,” a bank executive whowas an expatriate in Singapore nostalgically recalls.

The downgrade in material conditions and administrative problems seem to be at the coreof the first “return shock”. “Hard,” “unenjoyable,” “complicated,” and “frustrating” are someof the words used by expatriates to describe their return experience.

Even in cases where the return is preceded by a feeling of failure regarding the period ofexpatriation or a premature and/or poorly prepared departure, the “personal experience” ofthe return is influenced by other, more personal factors.

Family cohesion plays a major role. Having gotten through the expatriation ordeal, the coupleis, as a general rule, sufficiently united to face the difficulties of the return without majorproblems. A rapid readjustment by the children and their success in school often providessatisfaction that offsets the negative effects of the return.

On the other hand, relationships with old friends, even those from childhood, are oftenaffected, and the majority of expatriates are inclined to break away from these “old” friendships

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNING FROM ABROAD1

in favor of new friendships established with people who also have lived abroad: “It’s mucheasier to maintain ties with people who have also experienced living abroad,” says anexpatriate’s spouse who lived on the island of Mauritius for two years. “We hit it off morewith people who have traveled,” confirms another expatriate due to depart for the CzechRepublic.

When it comes to friends, the return is a moment filled with misunderstandings and a lackof understanding, sometimes even negative sentiments like jealousy. Several years of differentlife experiences create a gap, even with childhood friends: “I left for the Netherlands with afriend, and when we got back, I got along better with him than with my French friends whohadn’t been abroad but whom I had known since I was a kid,” says a petroleum industryexecutive currently living in the United Kingdom.

Sometimes, ties are permanently severed among social and professional networks in thehome country: “When you’re abroad, people usually socialize a lot. One of the problemswith expatriation can be a lack of building social or professional networks in your owncountry,” explains an executive of an American company that makes office furniture, due todepart for the United States after a series of expatriations in Asia and Europe. This “problem”seems to be the consequence of a psychological distancing that happens with expatriates,which is the result of continuous efforts to adjust to a new environment: “I don’t even reallymiss my family and it wasn’t a problem for me to leave, the fact remains that I appreciate itwhen people come to see us,” admits a young woman expatriate currently in Turkey.

In certain cases, the break is even more apparent, and the feeling of distance reinforced witheach new return from abroad: “When I arrived, I no longer saw eye to eye at all with Frenchpeople. It was even worse than the first time. Now, my friends are very international. I havea really hard time having friendships with those who are typically French. I feel like Frenchpeople no longer understand me,” relates a French expatriate who has been back for severalyears but who now wishes to have a new experience abroad. There is also a disconnect withone’s inner circle: “It was very strange, I had to readjust in the other direction,” shares ayoung woman who lived abroad in the south of Italy. Another French expatriate upon returningto his country laments that now his compatriots seem to him by comparison to be “alwaysnegative and arrogant” and “self-absorbed.”

External elements (family circle, friends, environment) determine only in part the personalexperience: internal resources such as a desire to readjust and an ability to bounce back areessential for a successful reintegration process in one’s home country.

Obviously, the duration of this process varies from one individual to the next. However, inthe majority of cases, even before it has been definitively accomplished, the reintegration isinterrupted by the desire to go abroad again and to find oneself anew in an expatriationsituation.

Even if preparing for the return seems to be the best remedy against the loss of one’semotional and social bearings, few expatriates admit to having already resorted to it: “Thistime we’re preparing for our return, which we didn’t do the previous times (…) We’d reallylike to anticipate things,” says one mother due to depart for the third time.

“It’s as if there were an invisible boundary between us. When I gotback I found myself on a completely different wavelength, even withthose who were among my closest friends”

“You can never be too careful about the return (…), you need to prepare for it from the moment you leave the country.”

(A French executive back from Japan)

A former French expatriate who has experienced several difficult returns).

36

Contrary to the personal experience, most of the accounts do not mention a particularlydifficult professional experience upon returning.

Most often, it is professional reasons that are behind the return, but subsequently also giverise to new departures.

Indeed, the life of an expatriate is above all marked by professional challenges; returning toone’s country or embarking on a new experience abroad is a decision that is made accordingto career opportunities: “There was a position in New York, one in London, and another inParis. The most interesting one and the one that opened up first was in Paris. So I came backto Paris. (…) Pretty soon, I wanted to get back to things that were more operational and Isaid to myself, ‘I’ll find it abroad instead,’” explains a bank executive who has already beenabroad several times.

In all cases, whether it is a return to one’s country or a new trip abroad, moving around ismost often the result of a personal decision. As much as a first expatriation happens, themajority of the time, at the behest of the company, subsequent professional moves aredecided by the employee: “The few leads that I’ve been able to find, particularly the onethat worked out, I found through personal contacts” ; “I expressed a desire to leave again,but I ended up looking for it myself,” share two expatriates, one back in France, the otherdue to depart for the United States, echoing each other’s sentiments.

Even if the professional experience of the return is as a whole viewed positively, for certainexpatriates it did not go as they had wished: “The return to Paris hasn’t been very easyprofessionally (…) I wasn’t getting what I needed out of my new position; there was a sortof barrier, and what’s more, things had changed.” This account from a former expatriate inHong Kong confirms the opinion of specialists, who note that after having enjoyed a greatdeal of autonomy, the ex-expatriate often finds himself facing the indifference of his colleaguesand penalized by networks that have changed and departments that have been reorganized.

Others react by downplaying the professional effort that they have had to put forth uponreturning and by comparing it to what they were able to learn while abroad regardingpersonnel management in a multicultural context: “The return hasn’t been a problem; however,what was difficult for me was to leave the people whom I had known there.”

While it is sometimes difficult to come back, companies themselves are not very inclined toreintegrate expatriates, underscores this bank executive who has been back for severalmonths: “There are costs involved (fares, moving expenses, housing…) that make it so thatsome companies may be reticent to hire people who have just been abroad.”

Whether it is in the context of a return to the company that sent them abroad or from thestandpoint of a job search, expatriates are generally disappointed by the lack of interestothers show in their experience acquired abroad. The issue of whether the skills acquiredinternationally will be valued most specifically affects expatriates who are looking for workand who most frequently express their disappointment on returning. Here are two accounts:“When I looked for work, I was told that having worked abroad did not make any difference.The search for employment here in France is very complicated; they don’t ask you aboutyour reasons, they don’t look at your people skills. I didn’t want to come back at all becauseI found that experiences abroad did not interest my company, which was shut off from theoutside world.” Or this: “At the Unemployment Office, none of the listings matched myprofile.”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNING FROM ABROAD2

37

Despite several bad experiences of this type, the majority of expatriates rely on their“professional mobility capital” built up over the years to advance their career in their homecountry or elsewhere.

The decision to work abroad may sometimes be influenced by a strategic dimension aimingfor “ulterior profitability” in one’s home country or elsewhere, even if the “return oninvestment” does not happen right away: “You have to be patient,” warns an expatriatespouse who has been back from the United States for six months.

For certain expatriates, notably those who have been abroad for more than ten years, theaccumulation of experience and an awareness of their “professional mobility capital” mayalso be a motive in the decision to return to the home country with an idea of “servingone’s country”: “There are many things to do in my country and it would please me greatlyto add my piece,” shares an expatriate currently working in Sweden in the health sector.

Bringing together the components of the personal and professional return experience,describing them, and pinpointing the aspects common among them make it possible topredict the main stakes of this phenomenon: a lack of preparation for the return and theresulting reintegration problems shared by many, followed by a desire to go abroad again; adeclared wish to put one’s international experience to good use, and disappointment whenconfronted with the reality that one’s “mobility capital” is not always taken into account…

In order to be able to outline several common traits from individual feelings, let us firstask the question: What kinds of statements can we consider to be revealing about the innerexperience of the return?

Expatriates’ opinions about their personal and professional experience often take theform of concrete examples, perfectly identifiable in time and space, most often referring tomaterial problems and practical aspects of the return. On the other hand, we have observedanother register in expatriates’ comments, one that simultaneously covers emotional aspectsand thoughts that, when put into context, make it possible to spot a number of contradictions,revealing the ambiguous connection that expatriates have with their home country andmain identity. The presence of these contradictory views tells us that the complexity of thereturn experience, or more generally the expatriation experience, is much more significantthan we think, and that a reliable analysis must take it into account.

3.1 - What do expatriates’ opinions reveal about the inner experience of the return?

First, we are struck by how many accounts mention difficulty in sharing one’s experienceabroad with those who have not lived it, a phenomenon that is not anticipated and thatleads to isolation and socializing exclusively with the expatriate community: “I was surprisedto see that people asked me questions but, when I told them about my experience, they lostthe thread. With my husband, we’ve noticed this and have told ourselves that it was betterto share this experience with people who had lived through the same thing as us. (…) Withthem, we had the opportunity to speak again about our time abroad.”

“They were not used to dealing with a profile like mine, there wasa total disconnect.” (An expatriate speaking about his return to France)

INNER EXPERIENCE UPON RETURNING FROM ABROAD3

38

The problem is not only with the person to whom one is talking, the entire communicationprocess seems to be compromised: “I tried to find the words to explain my experience, butI didn’t know how to do it. They can’t feel it; it’s as if there were an invisible boundarybetween us.” When the expatriate cannot find the words to verbalize his emotions andmemories and when simultaneously the expatriation context does not fulfill its referentialfunction (since the two people speaking do not share the experience), it hardly comes as asurprise that the message recipient is not very receptive and that the verbal exchange isseen as a disappointment by both parties.

It is common to be unable to find the words to convey one’s experience, and not just forexpatriates. Other types of “displaced” persons (mixed couples, immigrants) experience thesame thing: “When I came back, I had lost my language reflex. People would ask me aquestion in French and I would answer in another language. (…) It’s scary, because you comeback home and yet you’re forced to open a dictionary to find a word in your native language.”

The “boundary” is drawn starting with the first experience abroad, this sensation of beingdifferent that people feel vis-à-vis others who have not had the experience of living inanother country. Here is how a young executive in the petroleum sector, currently in theUnited Kingdom, describes it, in a manner that is both strong and detached: “I imagine thatI experienced my return like all people who have had an experience abroad. We lived throughthings that people can’t understand. We tried to explain, we tried to tell them, [but] theydidn’t experience it and they can’t understand.

In the life of the expatriate, then, there is definitely a before and an after. It is evident inrelationships with others upon returning from abroad. Nationals who have not lived abroadbecome, in turn, foreigners: “(…) they lost the thread”, “they can’t feel it”, “there was aninvisible boundary between us”, (…) “they can’t understand.” And all this without one’sown national “membership” necessarily being questioned: “[I] come back home”, “a word in[my] native language.”

The comparison with living through war is not all that insignificant, either: allowing for thedifference in degree, isn’t it a sort of test of survival to be in a strange land, in situations thatare often confusing, and facing people whose way of operating is unknown?

Sometimes the two experiences, the expatriation and the return to one’s country, are simplytwo sides of the same reality. Such is the case for “repeat” expatriates, for whom life is justan alternating cycle of departures and returns: “The thing that is always strange is closingthe door on an empty apartment. I left, and I left the apartment. Now, upon arriving, I gointo an empty apartment and life begins again. After a while, we get our bearings, we getsettled in the country, we meet people, and we start to think about the differences, to seewhat’s better, what’s not as good. Then there are things we have to accept, there areday-to-day things that we’re going to find annoying in comparison to our own culture, andthen, on the other hand, when our experience is over, everything is reversed. We see ourfriends again, our family, it’s much easier, and then there are things that are annoying becausewe start to compare with the situation from before.”

A string of experiences abroad and returns to one’s country can become an escape from theproblems of reintegration and a necessity for staying balanced: “When I’m abroad, I’m happy,but when I come back, I feel a certain satisfaction. (…) then, when I have been here for awhile, I’m happy to go abroad again. This cycle suits me well,” explains an expatriate from aGerman company currently in Thailand.

“It’s as extreme as people who have lived through war. I mean, ourexperience can’t be communicated.” (An executive abroad in Great Britain)

39

Ambiguous relationships are often established between expatriates and theircountries. This is particularly noticeable with France: critical of its educationalsystem among other things, French expatriates are yet willing to come backto give their children a French education or to leave children already in Frenchschools in France while they go abroad but, on the other hand, they are ratherintolerant of, or even insulting towards, French society:

a) “I prefer not to think about the return.”

b) “Even though I’m really enjoying myself abroad, I still want to go back.”

c) “If I have to go back to France, it will be a source of frustration. (…) And if it doesn’t happen [staying abroad], I won’t be disappointed.”

d) “I don’t intend to go back to France for the time being.”

e) “After two years, I felt the need to come back.”

f) “This cycle [of going back and leaving again] suits me well. (…) I knowthat I will eventually come back to France.”

3.2 - After the return?

What we can say about the return experience in the home country is that it is a veritablesecond expatriation, a second culture shock. A jarring of one’s identity so profound that theindividual is unable to find his place again and, quite often, ends up forever on the move.

Identity and country: two complementary notions that explain the idea of “once an expatriate,always an expatriate” that we see in the majority of interviews, and notions that characterizeany type of mobile population but that take on a rather particular dimension for expatriates.

Indeed, despite numerous similarities (feeling of being disconnected, loss of the languagereflex, difficulty in establishing new friendships), expatriates choose not to live in this “spacebetween” that is so characteristic of other mobile populations.

The profound upheaval felt upon returning from the first expatriation leads, indeed, to adesire to experience other countries where the ability to adjust will again be severely tested.By continually updating the territorial aspect of his existence, the expatriate seeks to remakehimself without ever being able to return to the home to which he so deeply longs.

The “space between,” then, turns into “mobility capital,” an asset of which we have a hardtime depriving ourselves, and also a means to offset the shifts in identity that living abroadbrings about. Feeding off past experiences, it continues to encourage future experiences andmakes the transient nature of the expatriation obsolete.

“Starting over, with a new blank page that we turn to, is a real challenge.”(An expatriate who has experienced “return shock” several times)

40

NOTES

41

NOTES

42

NOTES

43

We would first like to thank all our partners, who have greatly contributed to this study, especially: Claude MULSANT - Cercle MagellanAnne- Laure BUDIN - Cercle MagellanGillles LOCKHART - L’ExpansionVirginie MATRAT - L’Expansion

Antoine - L’ExpansionChristophe BOURUET - BVACaroline De BRANCHE - BVAEstaban PRATVIEL - BVAAndré LAURENT - INSEAD

Nathalie BOURDIN GAZAL - EuRATad ZURLINDEN - EuRADominic TIDEY – EuRA

We would also like to thank:Yukako UCHINAGA, President & CEO Berlitz International, Inc.

Vice Chairman Benesse CorporationTadashi OKAMURA, Director of Strategy & PR/Communications Berlitz Corporation

Marc VERGER - PDG Berlitz FranceKeiko HARADA - Berlitz CorpLinh HOANG - Berlitz CorpJames DAY - Berlitz Corp

Myriam HAMEZ SPY - BerlitzGail CODY GUNTZ - BerlitzAsja PROHIC - Paris V

Alain LOUYOT - Journalist Prix “Albert Londres”Corinne ROBERT - Noir sur Blanc

And of course, we also thank all the expatriates who agreed to be interviewed and participate in this study.

Relocation companies:

INEXPAT - Cosmopolitan Services Unlimited - Ad Verbum - All Denmark Relocation - Clapham Gmbh Relocation Service - In Touch Relocations - Aef.info - Classe ExportFocus RH - Newzy - France Expatrié - UFE - Travailler en Suisse - Dualexpat

Dubai Madame - Expat Blog

What trace would you like to leave ?

Contact :

Berlitz Consulting

38 Avenue de l'Opéra 75002 Paris

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 94 50 38

Fax: +33 (0)1 44 56 06 23

E-mail : berlitzconsulting@berlitz.fr

http://www.berlitzconsulting.com

Se

eY

ou

So

on

On

Th

eM

oo

n 2

011