Help A Study Into Expat Assignment Failure

expat network

Help A Study Into Expat Assignment Failure

Lili Castille approached us to promote her study looking into the factors that impact on adjusting to a new culture and the causes expat assignee failure. This is an opportunity to share your experience as an expat to help this study. Here she sets out the background.

Hello! I’m Lili Castille, a multicultural polyglot and lifelong learner. Originally from Los Angeles, my educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master’s in both Psychology and Education, and now I am pursuing a doctorate in Psychology. My specializations are Cultural and Organizational Psychology.

As an expatriate, I have worked in academic and business settings for more than 30 years in nearly as many countries. During this time, I have noted a curious phenomenon: There has been a high turnover rate among expatriate employees, with many quitting before completion of their contracts. In fact, statistics show that “expat failure” has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last 4 decades. More and more organizationally – assigned expats (those who are company-sponsored) as well as self-initiated expats (those who move overseas of their own volition and are hired locally) are quitting their host country jobs early, costing companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in relocation, re-assignment, retraining and recruitment fees.

This study investigates the issue from different perspectives: Why do some expats stay longer in a host country? Why do some become more easily adjusted to another culture? Does it depend on resilience or personal orientation? Do other factors such as nationality or age play a role? This study seeks to find out if there is an interaction among these factors.

One of the benefits of this study is that it may provide information on expatriate/host country compatibility. The published findings may be used as guidelines for self-initiated expats to determine their most suitable host countries. Moreover, the information may aid organizations in recruiting and assigning employees to the best matched countries. Country and culture compatibility may be a solution for improving life satisfaction and job performance, thereby increasing the likelihood that the expatriate employee will remain for the duration of their contract.

Here is the link to the Expatriate Adjustment survey and we would appreciate your participation in the study.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.