Being an expat can be enriching in terms of meeting new cultures and having adventures, but it can also be challenging. For example, you will need to build a social network from scratch in your new host country. Another challenge is that you will encounter cultural differences on a daily basis, and you can develop your intercultural competence to deal better with these situations. My research has taught me a lot about these and other topics. Interested? Read about my findings and advice below.
A quick note on the term ‘expat’ – I always like the following rather broad definition of an expat because it includes both those who are sent by a company as well as those who take their own initiative to find a job abroad – both groups face challenges in terms of settling into the host country. “An expatriate is anyone who works outside of his or her home country, with a planned return to that or a third country” (Cascio, 2006, p. 176).
Baking a Galette des Rois: I can do this!
When was the last time you tried something new? And how did you feel about it? Do you challenge yourself and do you see failure…
How to make friends with Danes
Expats find Denmark one of the most difficult countries to make local friends, as is shown in the annual survey of InterNations, the global network…
Learning the local language
One of the challenges an expat often faces when moving abroad is the local language. In a time when you are trying to settle into…
Navigating an increasingly intercultural workplace
Workplaces have become increasingly intercultural (1), and more and more people need to be able to navigate this new reality – even when not living…