How was your experience of living overseas as corporate expats? Would you recommend it to your kids?
@Riversider are you asking because you are considering doing this…or is this a rhetorical question?
If it’s for you…what specific issues would you like answers to?
We have close family that lived overseas. It was tougher than they expected. They did not have a strong ex-pat community where they were living, which I think made it more difficult. There was little support for the spouse who wasn’t working, and a major language barrier. The company didn’t make it easy for them either and they had all kinds of visa issues.
We have other friends though who loved their time abroad so much that they never returned to the US.
Personally I think there are so many variables that there is no right answer. Depends on the company. Depends on the location.
Yes, it depends. I’m a hybrid of army brat ex pat kid.
I grew up in the foreign service and my experience living overseas then was being mostly part of the diplomatic community.
I have not lived overseas as a corporate expat. I did spend five years in Munich while my husband was a post doc there and last fall we were in Hong Kong for almost three months when he was a visiting professor there.
In Munich I was able to work for a German architectural firm. We were completely integrated into German life. Before I found my job I found opportunities to connect with people who wanted to trade German conversation for English conversation. One of them as remained friends to this day. I remember there was also a German American club hat had regular get togethers. The lab had a very international group of students, but everyone spoke German and there was a lot of socializing. When my mother visited one time she had tea with the ladies at the consulate who were all moaning about how difficult it was to get to know Germans. She thought it was quite funny as clearly I’d found ways to do so.
Hong Kong was a very different experience. We did some socializing via work and we spent several days seeing the sights and/or hiking with my younger son’s girlfriend’s parents who happen to be from Hong Kong. I took a painting class. The students were a mix of ex-pat wives and local women. There were pockets of Hong Kong where everyone seemed to be Australian and I suspect that many ex-pats stayed in their bubble and didn’t meet many locals. But I think they had a good time nonetheless. I was a bit frustrated by not being able to make real connections, part of that however was that we made three trips out of Hong Kong, so it was hard to sign up for anything long term. I knew from previous experience with Mandarin that I was unlikely to make much headway with Cantonese.
Any way, if it were me I’d jump at the chance. I love traveling and new adventures.
I’m asking as my son’s BFF’s family has done some expat assignments in Europe and my son visited them twice and loves their lifestyle. They are high level executives in global companies and get luxury treatment so likely not an average expat’s experience.
I was an expat for 2 years. My company was very generous with their expat package, especially at a senior level. My whole family had 2 round trip business class tickets home/year. My housing, car, utilities, driver were paid for by the company. I had tax equalizer, which meant I was paying US tax and my company paid for anything that was over and above. For some reason they also gave me cost of living adjustment to my salary even though I thought my host country’s cost of living was much lower. They took care all of my visas and tax filings. The paid for D2’s private school while we were there. They would have paid for her boarding school if that’s what she wanted to do. If I had elderly parents I had to care for, they would have paid for that care.
There was a nice expat community. We all knew each other through parties and office events.
Many companies do not offer as generous packages, especially for lower level people, and then it could be a bit of hardship. My brother was an expat in Asia for 20+ years. His housing was also paid for, but for some expats without housing it is hard to get a decent place in HKG or Japan.
I wouldn’t work overseas as a local. I almost considered going to Australia, but decided against it when I figured out how much additional taxes I would have to pay and cost of living over there. People our age really wouldn’t be expats if economically it doesn’t make sense. I am not surprised your son’s BFF family has a very nice live style.
We moved to the US as expats and then stayed. How attractive it is depends on where you are in your personal life and career. We were a couple of found it hard to meet people until we had kids a year later (then it became much easier). I think a trailing spouse without a job could find it very hard unless you are in a specific expat community (for example we have friends who were oil industry expats and there is a big community in places like Houston). A younger single guy who moved to the same office found it hard to meet people too, but enjoyed the experience and the chance to travel around.
You definitely need the extra money at least for a while, for example it took us a year to figure out where it was economical to shop (though Amazon might mitigate that in some countries nowadays). Our friends who had done multiple postings reckoned you didn’t start benefiting financially until you’d been somewhere for 12-18 months, because of what you spent settling in that wouldn’t be reimbursed. And you did need to have money in the bank to draw on in the first month or two because you’ll be running multiple bank accounts and transferring money between them.
Friend of mine was an expat in the UK for seven years and loved it. Got involved with some women’s expat groups who ran many activities, traveled like there was no tomorrow. They had the funds to make it work really well for them.
My younger S is currently an expat in a former Soviet country. Has a work visa through his employer, is teaching at a local language school. Was going to stay two years, but is now thinking about a longer stay. Has been transitioning to more private tutoring and native-speaker writing/editing gigs, which make him a desirable candidate. He is also doing a lot of volunteer work in an area that is meaningful to him, and has been making contacts with some international good-governance organizations which might be better career-related job prospects going forward. His income is low enough that he was able to get the foreign income exclusion. Cost of living is very low, so he is able to live on his own, which he was not able to do here in our area. He’s single, so the logistics are not nearly so complicated.
He’s loving it – he majored in Russian, which made the transition far easier and enables him to communicate almost anywhere in that part of the world. He had attended a language program overseas in college, so Eastern European culture shock was less of a thing. He has also picked up the local language and is able to navigate all parts of his life. Has made many friends, both local and expat, has been able to travel, and has made an independent life for himself.
He doesn’t have a local bank account; for the most part, he uses local currency. Has a US account from which he pays his student loans and credit card. Works for him. He did save $$ before he left so that he have start-up funds and would not have to rely on current income to pay for his student loans.
I’m an ex Army brat who lived overseas. Was life-changing in a good way for me. My niece and her DH are military and currently stationed in Germany. They live off post and love it. Have been traveling extensively, which has been eye-opening for them in a good way. (They both grew up in smallish towns and never ventured far.) My other son has a friend working in Switzerland for a US-based employer. Has been there four years now and no signs of coming back!
OP, I think it’s a fabulous opportunity for a young person who is willing to try new things. The world is smaller these days, social media helps maintain linkages to home and friends, and English is spoken in most major cities, esp in Europe. If it’s an overseas branch of a current employer, there is continuity there, too. Expat life can get harder with a spouse and kids, esp if the spouse wants to continue a career. My niece wanted to teach private flute lessons and there is a ton of bureaucracy involved in Germany in order to do that, even if you are teaching American kids on a military base.
The question is really how open one is and willing to adapt. We found our own friends and friends who had friends, (US, other English speakers/internationals, and plenty of locals,) but we consciously joined activities meant to expose us to the culture and the people. Those I met who had troubles came with expectations life would be as it was, back in the US.
Like mathmom, we were in Munich. Two years. I did not work, DH was doing disseration research. No issues for me. D1 spent ten months in a 3rd world country where her friends were locals, fellow grantees, and ex-pats (she volunteered on the side through an ex-pat organization.)
A friend who lived in Australia for about 5 years went with 4 kids and moved to a home in a neighborhood full of older folks, not children. That did make a difference, for her and for the kids, in making easy connections.
If one of mine had this opportunity, I’d tell her to seriously consider it. In my own career, back in the US, I did lose time, some momentum. But, no regrets.
Much is in the details and location. One of my kids has been an expat for a number of years in two different Asian countries in similar positions. Quite happy in one location, less so in the other as the management style was not typical of US and was a harder adjustment. (Management by ridicule, criticism, attempted intimidation - typical of entire country, not this particular manager. Lots of turnover in staff also typical of Kid’s field in this country.) Has made local and expat friends in both situations. Social life (Kid is an introvert with a smaller group of friends, not a big partyer) has been similar to US habits.
Comments as kid’s parent - Kid let his US driver’s license expire. Upon research, that could have been replaced with a foreign version easily while valid. Kid has been able to bank at an Asian branch of a US bank and can send savings directly back to US thru the bank. Kid has pension in a foreign country which can be withdrawn if Kid leaves or it can be allowed to remain till retirement age. Kid has excellent national healthcare coverage in foreign country. Kid has had the adventure of a lifetime and matured beyond my wildest expectations. I often wish I had Kid’s opportunities!
Our daughter is an expat and loves it so much, she’s never coming back to the US. She’s fully immersed in the culture, pays their high taxes, and reaps the benefits of their free healthcare, etc. She’s lived there for five years so far.
I still miss German healthcare!
S2 could sign on for universal health care in his country, but it’s not great. His friends buy supplemental coverage. DH and I are paranoid enough about insurance that we asked him to get a US based policy since we don’t know what the climate for coverage and pre-existing conditions will be when he returns. So, he has a policy that is very reasonable ($900/yr, $1500 ded) except it doesn’t cover his maintenance meds. If he lands with a multinational corporation at some point, that may resolve the issue.
His driver’s license expired in Feb., but MD extended it with one that is valid until two weeks after he returns to the state. He may come home for a month for a cousin’s wedding later this year, so he’ll have to get a Real ID then.
Wow - insurance for $900 per year??? Where?
DD spent 7 years abroad and would have stayed longer, but it was time to come home if she really wanted to establish her adult life here. She has what I view as fantastic coverage, but was whinging just this week about how much better her coverage was abroad 
I’d highly recommend it if your kid has the right personality type. Another DD had an opportunity to work for a few months with an easy extension to a year, but it was just not her thing. She returned to the US after about 6 month abroad, married young (for this generation) and bought a house and had kids. They are nearby and that is also a great choice, for her, not so much for her sister. But this DD was just not embracing all there was to explore, it was not her personality to take advantage of the opportunities.
I wish you would all name the countries to which you refer…
He is still a teen so this is just a fantasy.
A number of people I know who got into corporate expat path have stayed on that path forever. One reason is their networks have primarily been within the expat community that would lead to other expat opportunities. Another which is probably more of a driving factor is they no longer have strong connections at their home country office to secure a position to return to after their overseas assignments. I would definitely urge anyone who is interested in the expat path to consider this aspect.
@FlyMeToTheMoon Would you mind saying which country? I’m looking to leave the U.S. and am interested in where Americans are happy abroad.