Today, I received an email from a very good friend who seeks advise on expatriation. She herself is a veteran traveler who have stayed in places I can only dream of. They used to be expatriated every 6 months...every 6 months, can you imagine, sometimes even less. That's some tough movements. I totally admire her for her resilience.
After awhile they settled in London for about 5 years and managed to lead 'normal' lives where her career slowly but surely got a foothold....until now. They are being expatriated again but this time for a longer period of time (I think 3 years). Now, that will be a different matter as a longer period of expatriation is a totally different thing and carries with it a different challenge altogether.
The week before, I also received an email from another friend (who will also be expatriated) seeking advise on schooling. How to find, evaluate, contact and arrange enrollment in International schools.
I would therefore like to use this opportunity to reply to both queries in one go that will serve as advise to others in the same situation. This is really how I intended this blog to be, a medium where I can share my experiences (both positive and negative). There is no foolproof manner of preparing yourself to move to another country but armed with as much information as you can alleviates the misery of unpleasant surprises. For me preparedness is the key but what does one prepare for? In this regard, the internet has been my best friend since I can remember.
Country of Interest
1. The CIA's The World Fact Book - the most updated information regarding the country that will give one a feel of the economic and security situation. Practical application: elevations and weather pattern will tell you what type of clothes to bring, language, religion, etc.
2. Tales from a Small Planet's Real Posts Reports - real reports of expats currently on assignment in the country of interest. This site provides a slew of valuable information based on an individuals experience, including what to bring, what NOT to bring, cost of living, housing, schools, pollution level, security situation, etc. What I like about this site is that they allow both positive and negative comments on a country, no sugar coating. It is then to you to evaluate the report if they apply to you or not or at the very least take the negatives as warning and keep what's been mentioned in mind.
There were some red lights for Nicaragua when it came to the American Nicaraguan School. Since V never had any problems in any of his other schools, I thought we can hack it there so I went ahead and enrolled him anyway. Later of course, I wish I had taken heed of other people's experiences, would have saved us a lot of misery. Now, I know better to take this site more seriously.
3. Expat-blog.com - here one can access blogs (real expat experiences) about the country of interest and where expats take the time in a forum to answer expatriation related questions. A good support system to have as one can write about anxieties and concerns, etc. where other expats (knowing from experience) readily give good and comforting advices. Here, one can also come across important information regarding cost of living.
4. Search the internet for country specific expat groups and when found, spend time to read, if possible everything. Ex. Nicaragua expat forum / group, etc. Be discerning as there are a lot of business websites that will pop out of the search (this is how I found Nicaliving and The Real Nicaragua). This will take time but worth it. The topics in real forums could range from 'I love it here to I hate it here' - again to give you a better feel of the place. Once found, sign up...this will help put you in the mood for moving and this early, a sense of belongingness (an insider, if you want).
In the beginning, everything would be psychological. Develop a psyche of belonging to a place even before you get there. Get to know it as much as you can - not through realestate, travel, expatriation related services nor through local (will have a totally different point of view) sites - through real people who currently lives there temporarily or as immigrants.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Regardless of what you read about the PEOPLE (positive or negative) of that country, reserve the judgment for YOURSELF. People react and interact differently with different people. Do not carry the burden of prejudice even before you get to the place because you will know as soon as you get there (you just will - maybe sooner for some than others) how to handle their culture. Note that I did not say 'keep an open mind'...although a given, is easier said than done, to the point of being a cliche.
Before You Go
Knowing what you know now from spending time on the sites mentioned above:
1. Everything (you think) you may need that are expensive or not available at country of post should be bought and arranged to be shipped (together with allowable household goods).
2. If a different language is spoken, arrange for, at the very least, a crash course on specific language or time permitting, a 2 months extensive course (we did 1 month of Spanish in Denmark and another 6 weeks in Costa Rica prior to arriving).
3. Make an inventory list on Excel. Especially helpful for insurance purposes, can later serve as your packing list and would be very useful in receiving your cargo (to check against your mover's packing list). Update this at post each time you buy something you intend to take back and use as reference for things you want to sell prior to repatriation. Keep this list updated and use as many times as necessary on different posts. Make a separate inventory for items in storage.
4. Update all pertinent documents, scan and take actual copies - ex. passports, birth certificates, insurances, marriage certificate, driver's license, etc. Leave a copy with trusted relatives, friends or your bank.
5. For spouses, scan and bring actual copies of updated resumes, documents pertinent to education and letters of recommendation in case there is a possibility for you to get a job in the post country.
6. For spouses with hobbies, make sure you bring supplies that can tide you over for at least 6 months. This will ensure that you have something to do on your spare time ( you will have a lot) without the frustration of scouring the country for supplies and paying maybe 2x or more as much for it. I brought with me tools, semi-precious stones and pearls from Asia and Africa for my costume jewelry hobby and good thing that I did as they are prohibitively priced here if can at all be found.
7. With regards to your sports equipment and except for your golf set, bring only what your research says sports facilities offer at country of post. If you miss something, chances are it will be sold there and you can just sell it later before you leave, ex. Nicaragua is big on surfing, so while here, V and T are taking surfing lessons and therefore are in need of surfboards but since our sport is tennis (what we're serious about), we just rent the surfboards each time we need them.
8. Find out about the type of electrical inputs and outputs used and other systems pertinent to your electronic goods (110 / 220 / PAL / NTSC, etc) to decide which to bring, ex. of converters and adaptors. If appliances are not expensive, you may want to buy it there and just sell them again later.
9. Arrange for transport and local driver (temporary until you get your bearings) with your company prior to arrival until you can get your own. This will give you the freedom to explore and lessen the feeling of inadequateness when you arrive at post until you get your own vehicle. On a similar note, get a map of the country if you can prior to arriving and familiarize yourself with it.
10. I would suggest that the accompanying spouse will have her own car and a driver in the beginning until she (male accompanying spouses seem to have less problems with directions) with the place and get her driving permit in order, for her to have as much freedom (I can't stress enough how important this feeling is) to explore and arrange her own activities without having to wait or feel dependent on the working spouse.
11. If housing is pre-arranged, make sure that there is a maid (if in a country that holds the norm of having househelp) in contract for possibly, no more than 3 months. This will give you the time to get your bearings, find out about labor laws and will give you the option to change help later if not happy with the one you have. Never hire someone from a distance even if highly recommended by a predecessor. If you like him / her, make the contract permanent according to the labor laws but first, see for yourself and work with them.
12. If no housing is pre-arranged (and you have the option to look for your own), scour the net for housing in that country - there are many real estate sites that will tell you how much rentals are at which part of the country. This is my favorite part as I love looking at housing photos that puts me in 'moving' mood. If possible, request from your predecessor their housing details and photos of their house (or apartment) to get an idea, while arranging (working spouse) with the company or embassy to make ready an apartment hotel (hotels can get very tiring if staying for more than a week) until you can find something appropriate.
13. Pack essentials that will last you at least a month in case your cargo arrives late.
14. For accompanying spouses, establish contact (via email) with working spouse's company or embassy at post who can answer first-hand all other question you may have specific to post country. If possible, contact the spouse of the working spouse's predecessor to discuss more practical details of the post. As I am and in my experience, predecessors are good sources of invaluable information and are always willing to help incoming expats. If there are other accompanying spouses on post whose spouses work in the same company, contact them and establish camaraderie prior to arriving. You will have time to evaluate later if these are friendships you would like to keep, but for the moment, they are necessary allies. Questions like which schools their children go to, what they do on their free time, what's available or not available, dress code at country of assignment etc, are best answered by these people.
15. For those with school-age children - check the directory of International school members at Council of International Schools or even Wikipedia. Work from there and evaluate each country specific schools. Check out each website listed and if an International Baccalaureate is important to consider (which to me it is), check out International Baccalaureate for their list of schools.
16. Narrow down your choices according to your criteria and email pertinent school officials ex, primary, middle or high school for initial information, stating your purpose and at which time of the year you are coming (International schools are used to high turn-over of expat children at any time of the year). They will request for some documents, so be ready to send scanned documents and arrange for an interview, test or meeting prior to arrival. If possible as soon as you arrive. This should be made a priority as some schools get full at certain times of the year and may not be able to take in more students at certain grade levels even if they want to. Prepare copies / originals of documents on hand prior to arrival - one set per school.
If for some reason you will lack the time to make arrangements with more than 1 school (middle of the school semester for ex), enroll the child for a quarter, evaluate the school in the process, while keeping other schools in mind. If the child is happy with the school and the quality pleases the parents (remember that International schools are very expensive and therefore should be worth the tuition), the kid will of course stay, if not, by this time you would have had the time to evaluate other schools and will be able to enroll him / her the next quarter or semester.
Important Note: If possible, no more than 2 moves within a post and only if necessary. It is hard enough for the child to have left his friends from his previous school not to mention moving to another country. It is important that the school will have a very international atmosphere for the child to immediately adjust. Culture, he will learn outside the school environment (in reality) where he can immerse himself together with his family who will make the effort to really learn and socialize with the locals...that is if the locals will be open enough to socialize with the foreigners (here they're not). Please do not put your children in a position where they can be rejected first-hand for being a foreigner. Children sometimes are more cruel than adults in that respect.
Upon Arriving
1. While using your company issued car (specially temporary), arrange to immediately buy a car, if possible, a brand new one. You do not need the headache of a second-hand car specially on your first year (remember that you can always sell it later). I have found out that one of the biggest headaches in expatriation is always scouring for services, and car service centers and spare parts are one of the biggest scorers in this regard. You have better things to think about than dealing with automobile inefficiency. Security wise it is always good to have a new powerful vehicle while exploring the country of post.
2. Contact your company or embassy to register and immediately provide them copies of pertinent documents for your residence permit and expedition of release of your cargo.
3. For the accompanying spouse - the first Friday (normally more relaxed than any other day of the week) after you arrive, take the time to visit working spouse's place of work to introduce yourself (believe me, it will be appreciated). Regardless of working spouse's position or level at work, people are always apprehensive about, not only the new guy, but his family as well. This gesture will not only put them at ease but more importantly, will put yourself at ease at the same time.
4. Your company or embassy will have a list of accredited real estate agents you can work with to find proper housing. See as many as you can before you heed anyone's advise. This way you can filter suggestions according to your taste and needs. In Kenya, I was checking out with various accredited agents as many as between 8-10 houses a day. It was fun.
5. For accompanying spouses, independence and the feeling of being in control is the key. I suggest that the spouses agree beforehand that decisions that have to be made with regards to housing or domestic situation will be handled by the accompanying spouse. This may be difficult in the beginning (and to be honest, a stepdown to some) but it will give you something to be responsible for where you call the shots - entirely. It's all about perception, until you fall into some kind of rhythm. Besides, working spouse will barely have the time to bother with anything except familiarizing himself/herself with his new work environment and the giant pile of work waiting for him/her.
6. The accompanying spouse should not look down on her situation as her part of taking care of everything else is essential to the successful start of working spouse's assignment.
7. If eligible, check out the 'Damas de Diplomaticas' or Diplomatic Ladies. Mind you, I said check out, not join. If you find the group agreeable, join them, but it's up to you. I did that but up to now am not a member (I have my membership papers here vegetating since last year), but it's there where I met a lot of wonderful ladies and that's good enough for me, for the moment.
Important Note: Establishing network as soon as possible is important for the accompanying spouse, therefore, timid is not the way to go on new posts. Be ready to go around, introduce yourself (if no one else will do it for you - there are posts where you do have to do it yourself) and make effort to socialize. You can even do your own welcome party if necessary. Don't be shy as most expats try to find reason to get together and will be most certainly happy to attend yours.
This will have to suffice for now. I surmise that this will be my most edited post as I will add each time I think of something else. My memory serves me poorly at the moment and unless I'm on full 'expatriation or repatriation' mode, I will need to regroup my brain cells. Next will have to be the most difficult part to discuss (for me anyway)....Finances.
Entonces, hasta luego.
After awhile they settled in London for about 5 years and managed to lead 'normal' lives where her career slowly but surely got a foothold....until now. They are being expatriated again but this time for a longer period of time (I think 3 years). Now, that will be a different matter as a longer period of expatriation is a totally different thing and carries with it a different challenge altogether.
The week before, I also received an email from another friend (who will also be expatriated) seeking advise on schooling. How to find, evaluate, contact and arrange enrollment in International schools.
I would therefore like to use this opportunity to reply to both queries in one go that will serve as advise to others in the same situation. This is really how I intended this blog to be, a medium where I can share my experiences (both positive and negative). There is no foolproof manner of preparing yourself to move to another country but armed with as much information as you can alleviates the misery of unpleasant surprises. For me preparedness is the key but what does one prepare for? In this regard, the internet has been my best friend since I can remember.
Country of Interest
1. The CIA's The World Fact Book - the most updated information regarding the country that will give one a feel of the economic and security situation. Practical application: elevations and weather pattern will tell you what type of clothes to bring, language, religion, etc.
2. Tales from a Small Planet's Real Posts Reports - real reports of expats currently on assignment in the country of interest. This site provides a slew of valuable information based on an individuals experience, including what to bring, what NOT to bring, cost of living, housing, schools, pollution level, security situation, etc. What I like about this site is that they allow both positive and negative comments on a country, no sugar coating. It is then to you to evaluate the report if they apply to you or not or at the very least take the negatives as warning and keep what's been mentioned in mind.
There were some red lights for Nicaragua when it came to the American Nicaraguan School. Since V never had any problems in any of his other schools, I thought we can hack it there so I went ahead and enrolled him anyway. Later of course, I wish I had taken heed of other people's experiences, would have saved us a lot of misery. Now, I know better to take this site more seriously.
3. Expat-blog.com - here one can access blogs (real expat experiences) about the country of interest and where expats take the time in a forum to answer expatriation related questions. A good support system to have as one can write about anxieties and concerns, etc. where other expats (knowing from experience) readily give good and comforting advices. Here, one can also come across important information regarding cost of living.
4. Search the internet for country specific expat groups and when found, spend time to read, if possible everything. Ex. Nicaragua expat forum / group, etc. Be discerning as there are a lot of business websites that will pop out of the search (this is how I found Nicaliving and The Real Nicaragua). This will take time but worth it. The topics in real forums could range from 'I love it here to I hate it here' - again to give you a better feel of the place. Once found, sign up...this will help put you in the mood for moving and this early, a sense of belongingness (an insider, if you want).
In the beginning, everything would be psychological. Develop a psyche of belonging to a place even before you get there. Get to know it as much as you can - not through realestate, travel, expatriation related services nor through local (will have a totally different point of view) sites - through real people who currently lives there temporarily or as immigrants.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Regardless of what you read about the PEOPLE (positive or negative) of that country, reserve the judgment for YOURSELF. People react and interact differently with different people. Do not carry the burden of prejudice even before you get to the place because you will know as soon as you get there (you just will - maybe sooner for some than others) how to handle their culture. Note that I did not say 'keep an open mind'...although a given, is easier said than done, to the point of being a cliche.
Before You Go
Knowing what you know now from spending time on the sites mentioned above:
1. Everything (you think) you may need that are expensive or not available at country of post should be bought and arranged to be shipped (together with allowable household goods).
2. If a different language is spoken, arrange for, at the very least, a crash course on specific language or time permitting, a 2 months extensive course (we did 1 month of Spanish in Denmark and another 6 weeks in Costa Rica prior to arriving).
3. Make an inventory list on Excel. Especially helpful for insurance purposes, can later serve as your packing list and would be very useful in receiving your cargo (to check against your mover's packing list). Update this at post each time you buy something you intend to take back and use as reference for things you want to sell prior to repatriation. Keep this list updated and use as many times as necessary on different posts. Make a separate inventory for items in storage.
4. Update all pertinent documents, scan and take actual copies - ex. passports, birth certificates, insurances, marriage certificate, driver's license, etc. Leave a copy with trusted relatives, friends or your bank.
5. For spouses, scan and bring actual copies of updated resumes, documents pertinent to education and letters of recommendation in case there is a possibility for you to get a job in the post country.
6. For spouses with hobbies, make sure you bring supplies that can tide you over for at least 6 months. This will ensure that you have something to do on your spare time ( you will have a lot) without the frustration of scouring the country for supplies and paying maybe 2x or more as much for it. I brought with me tools, semi-precious stones and pearls from Asia and Africa for my costume jewelry hobby and good thing that I did as they are prohibitively priced here if can at all be found.
7. With regards to your sports equipment and except for your golf set, bring only what your research says sports facilities offer at country of post. If you miss something, chances are it will be sold there and you can just sell it later before you leave, ex. Nicaragua is big on surfing, so while here, V and T are taking surfing lessons and therefore are in need of surfboards but since our sport is tennis (what we're serious about), we just rent the surfboards each time we need them.
8. Find out about the type of electrical inputs and outputs used and other systems pertinent to your electronic goods (110 / 220 / PAL / NTSC, etc) to decide which to bring, ex. of converters and adaptors. If appliances are not expensive, you may want to buy it there and just sell them again later.
9. Arrange for transport and local driver (temporary until you get your bearings) with your company prior to arrival until you can get your own. This will give you the freedom to explore and lessen the feeling of inadequateness when you arrive at post until you get your own vehicle. On a similar note, get a map of the country if you can prior to arriving and familiarize yourself with it.
10. I would suggest that the accompanying spouse will have her own car and a driver in the beginning until she (male accompanying spouses seem to have less problems with directions) with the place and get her driving permit in order, for her to have as much freedom (I can't stress enough how important this feeling is) to explore and arrange her own activities without having to wait or feel dependent on the working spouse.
11. If housing is pre-arranged, make sure that there is a maid (if in a country that holds the norm of having househelp) in contract for possibly, no more than 3 months. This will give you the time to get your bearings, find out about labor laws and will give you the option to change help later if not happy with the one you have. Never hire someone from a distance even if highly recommended by a predecessor. If you like him / her, make the contract permanent according to the labor laws but first, see for yourself and work with them.
12. If no housing is pre-arranged (and you have the option to look for your own), scour the net for housing in that country - there are many real estate sites that will tell you how much rentals are at which part of the country. This is my favorite part as I love looking at housing photos that puts me in 'moving' mood. If possible, request from your predecessor their housing details and photos of their house (or apartment) to get an idea, while arranging (working spouse) with the company or embassy to make ready an apartment hotel (hotels can get very tiring if staying for more than a week) until you can find something appropriate.
13. Pack essentials that will last you at least a month in case your cargo arrives late.
14. For accompanying spouses, establish contact (via email) with working spouse's company or embassy at post who can answer first-hand all other question you may have specific to post country. If possible, contact the spouse of the working spouse's predecessor to discuss more practical details of the post. As I am and in my experience, predecessors are good sources of invaluable information and are always willing to help incoming expats. If there are other accompanying spouses on post whose spouses work in the same company, contact them and establish camaraderie prior to arriving. You will have time to evaluate later if these are friendships you would like to keep, but for the moment, they are necessary allies. Questions like which schools their children go to, what they do on their free time, what's available or not available, dress code at country of assignment etc, are best answered by these people.
15. For those with school-age children - check the directory of International school members at Council of International Schools or even Wikipedia. Work from there and evaluate each country specific schools. Check out each website listed and if an International Baccalaureate is important to consider (which to me it is), check out International Baccalaureate for their list of schools.
16. Narrow down your choices according to your criteria and email pertinent school officials ex, primary, middle or high school for initial information, stating your purpose and at which time of the year you are coming (International schools are used to high turn-over of expat children at any time of the year). They will request for some documents, so be ready to send scanned documents and arrange for an interview, test or meeting prior to arrival. If possible as soon as you arrive. This should be made a priority as some schools get full at certain times of the year and may not be able to take in more students at certain grade levels even if they want to. Prepare copies / originals of documents on hand prior to arrival - one set per school.
If for some reason you will lack the time to make arrangements with more than 1 school (middle of the school semester for ex), enroll the child for a quarter, evaluate the school in the process, while keeping other schools in mind. If the child is happy with the school and the quality pleases the parents (remember that International schools are very expensive and therefore should be worth the tuition), the kid will of course stay, if not, by this time you would have had the time to evaluate other schools and will be able to enroll him / her the next quarter or semester.
Important Note: If possible, no more than 2 moves within a post and only if necessary. It is hard enough for the child to have left his friends from his previous school not to mention moving to another country. It is important that the school will have a very international atmosphere for the child to immediately adjust. Culture, he will learn outside the school environment (in reality) where he can immerse himself together with his family who will make the effort to really learn and socialize with the locals...that is if the locals will be open enough to socialize with the foreigners (here they're not). Please do not put your children in a position where they can be rejected first-hand for being a foreigner. Children sometimes are more cruel than adults in that respect.
Upon Arriving
1. While using your company issued car (specially temporary), arrange to immediately buy a car, if possible, a brand new one. You do not need the headache of a second-hand car specially on your first year (remember that you can always sell it later). I have found out that one of the biggest headaches in expatriation is always scouring for services, and car service centers and spare parts are one of the biggest scorers in this regard. You have better things to think about than dealing with automobile inefficiency. Security wise it is always good to have a new powerful vehicle while exploring the country of post.
2. Contact your company or embassy to register and immediately provide them copies of pertinent documents for your residence permit and expedition of release of your cargo.
3. For the accompanying spouse - the first Friday (normally more relaxed than any other day of the week) after you arrive, take the time to visit working spouse's place of work to introduce yourself (believe me, it will be appreciated). Regardless of working spouse's position or level at work, people are always apprehensive about, not only the new guy, but his family as well. This gesture will not only put them at ease but more importantly, will put yourself at ease at the same time.
4. Your company or embassy will have a list of accredited real estate agents you can work with to find proper housing. See as many as you can before you heed anyone's advise. This way you can filter suggestions according to your taste and needs. In Kenya, I was checking out with various accredited agents as many as between 8-10 houses a day. It was fun.
5. For accompanying spouses, independence and the feeling of being in control is the key. I suggest that the spouses agree beforehand that decisions that have to be made with regards to housing or domestic situation will be handled by the accompanying spouse. This may be difficult in the beginning (and to be honest, a stepdown to some) but it will give you something to be responsible for where you call the shots - entirely. It's all about perception, until you fall into some kind of rhythm. Besides, working spouse will barely have the time to bother with anything except familiarizing himself/herself with his new work environment and the giant pile of work waiting for him/her.
6. The accompanying spouse should not look down on her situation as her part of taking care of everything else is essential to the successful start of working spouse's assignment.
7. If eligible, check out the 'Damas de Diplomaticas' or Diplomatic Ladies. Mind you, I said check out, not join. If you find the group agreeable, join them, but it's up to you. I did that but up to now am not a member (I have my membership papers here vegetating since last year), but it's there where I met a lot of wonderful ladies and that's good enough for me, for the moment.
Important Note: Establishing network as soon as possible is important for the accompanying spouse, therefore, timid is not the way to go on new posts. Be ready to go around, introduce yourself (if no one else will do it for you - there are posts where you do have to do it yourself) and make effort to socialize. You can even do your own welcome party if necessary. Don't be shy as most expats try to find reason to get together and will be most certainly happy to attend yours.
This will have to suffice for now. I surmise that this will be my most edited post as I will add each time I think of something else. My memory serves me poorly at the moment and unless I'm on full 'expatriation or repatriation' mode, I will need to regroup my brain cells. Next will have to be the most difficult part to discuss (for me anyway)....Finances.
Entonces, hasta luego.
1 Comment:
Excellent and informative post. Will bookmark this for future use.
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