ExpatWomen Confession:


Dear EW Girlfriend,

I had a successful executive career in the UK before we moved for my husband's first overseas assignment to Morocco. We have just moved again to Italy and have been informed that in three years we will likely move again. Building a career in a new place takes time, especially when you arrive in a new place and know no one. I want to be professionally active over the next three years, but I don't want to put in the time to build something when I may just have to start all over in three years. What do I do?

LW

ExpatWomen Girlfriend:

Dear LW

When you know that your next move may not be your last, whether it is by necessity or by choice, why not develop a portable career – one that you can take with you wherever you go? Technology has made it possible for us to live and work from wherever we want to call home.  A phone line, a computer with the right software and an internet connection may be all you need to get started building a portable career or business to support your international lifestyle. 

There are a wide array of services you can offer to meet the demand out there in the global marketplace – both as an employee and a consultant or business owner. You could be a teacher, a writer, a translator or interpreter, a graphic designer, a computer programmer, a photographer or a coach. You could start a local event management business, sell your expertise as a subject matter expert or consultant, create an import/export company, or sell products online. The possibilities are endless.  

Given the challenges of having to repeatedly secure a work visa, language barriers, and your credentials potentially not being accepted locally, starting your own business is a real option for many people who are on the move regularly. With job security being a thing of the past, and the average job assignment being around 3 years, we have all become CEOs of Me, Inc. anyway. The reality of the situation is that long-term attachments to one employer are less and less common. Even if we have a “job”, we are really just contracting our services to our current employer. In today’s world of work we must run our careers like we run a business if we are going to not just survive, but thrive.

If you do decide to start your own business, a very common mistake that many expats make is making choices about what services to offer based on your perception of market need alone. First and foremost, if you want to enjoy your life abroad you need to enjoy your work. For as much as we hear this, it bears repeating. Life is too short to spend time doing things we don’t like to do. So choosing services, no matter how high the demand, that you have no interest in, is just not a good idea. Making the right choices – choosing services that will keep you motivated, energized and support your lifestyle - means really looking at your values, motivators, past experience and skill sets. When we make choices aligned with these things, chances that you are satisfied professionally increase exponentially.

The other common mistake that expats make, once they’ve decided to start to provide or expand their services, is trying to do it all at once, without a plan to manage the work or their time or resources.  Successful careers and businesses, like my expat home town of Rome, were not built in a day. Once you have a clear vision of what you want for yourself, your life and your career, putting together a plan of action to guide you through the process of making that vision of reality is essential. Having made the right choices about what services will both energize you and support lifestyle will mean nothing if you can’t make them actionable in a constructive and sustainable way.

Getting support for this journey is another important thing to remember. There are those who have been where you are and have gotten beyond the challenges that you are facing. The fact that you have submitted this question shows that you are already reaching out for help.  Take advantage of the great resources on- and off-line that can help you with your journey.  Should you decide to start your own business finding a partner – someone to share the work and the success with – is another thing to consider.  Finding someone with similar values and complementary skill sets to be your team-mate could be the key to building a successful business abroad.  And there are also coaches that can provide structure, resources and guidance to help you through the exciting process of developing your career or business abroad. 

It is natural for expats (particularly accompanying spouses who arrive in a new place without a job or business) to have to do a bit of "starting over" with each new move. Making the transition to a new country is not always easy, but there are many who have successfully made the transition both personally and professionally. You will find many of these success stories here are expatwomen.com. These women are a testament to the fact that it is possible to create a career or business that is just as portable as you are!

Best of luck to you.

ExpatWomen Girlfriend
October 2007 

We thank Megan Fitzgerald for her special guest spot this month as an ExpatWomen Girlfriend. Megan is an American who lives as an expatriate woman in Rome, Italy. She is a career, business and personal branding strategist and helps expatriates build a career or business that fits them and their international lifestyle. She has certifications in career coaching, executive coaching and is one of the first 100 certified in personal branding in the world. Specifically she helps her clients build a clear vision for their career or business, identify and communicate their unique value or personal brand, and apply proven strategies for long term professional and business success. When she is not working, she enjoys exploring the streets of Rome, international travel, modern art, vispassana meditation and a caffè macchiato to start her day.

Disclaimer: This column is intended to be of general interest to ExpatWomen.com visitors. Its suggestions and/or inferences are generalizations and do not address the needs of individuals, nor should they be relied upon in any shape or form. Please seek professional advice/counseling/therapy If you genuinely need assistance to talk through issues in your life right now.