ExpatExchange Blog

There has been a lot of interest in moving abroad since the economy took a turn for the worse. Is it more than usual? On ExpatExchange, we’ve simply noticed that some of the reasons have changed a bit. More and more people are at ease with the idea that the world is highly interconnected, and don’t care if they need to move to another country to work and live well. Others want to stretch their savings as they retire.

Whatever the reason, homework is critical when you evaluate this life changing decision about whether or not to work abroad. This recent article on FastCompany.com contains the following quote:

“A recent survey by Manpower Inc. found that employment prospects are most favorable in India, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, China, Australia, Singapore, Costa Rica, Canada, Taiwan, and Poland. Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc.’s chairman and CEO says a reason for this is because the populations of developing countries are increasing nearly six times as fast as those of developed countries. ‘This essentially creates a magnet pulling American workers to developing nations, and moving them along as each destination stabilizes. So you can see how Prague was hot for a while for American workers, then Vietnam and Dubai.’”

As many posts on our forums have recently focused on where to go, we thought this would be a good launching point for some discussion. Enjoy!

Here are a few expat related stories to kick of the week:

Forbes has created yet another “Top 10″ list in its unending effort to drive as much traffic as possible to its website. (Not knocking it, what company isn’t trying to do that!) This last one is about the Top 10 places to retire abroad.

Also, expats in the UAE may be required to take new drivers tests if proposals aimed at improving traffic safety are implemented.

And, finally, with the U.S. dollar once again plummeting, a great financial opportunity for expats has been created, and many are taking full advantage of it.

The recent arrest of film director Roman Polanski has ignited a fiery debate among other artists various media outlets. Polanksi, who might not accurately be described as an expat, has lived such an international lifestyle that it is worthy of of mention in our blog. While he was born in Paris, his family moved back to Poland in 1936. Following, the Nazi invasion, he escaped the Krakow ghetto in 1943. His mother died in Auschwitz, and his father survived the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. He eventually lived in London, Los Angeles and elsewhere in Europe. In short, he was well versed with crossing international borders and he jumped when it became clear he was going to be held accountable for his actions.

One of the reasons that I find it relevant is the fact that Polanski is not the only individual, obviously, who moved to a foreign country following the commitment or conviction of a serious crime. Last month we posted this request by U.K. officials for the help of British expats in securing the arrest and conviction of criminals in Spain. I often wonder how many expats have come across a fellow countryman (or woman) who is hiding from the authorities.

And don’t miss Chris Rock’s comedic diatribe aimed at the people that defend Polanski’s actions (From E! Online).

One of the obvious hazards of an international lifestyle are the health risks associated with exposure to large numbers of people that might have infections that your immune system may find difficult to fight. Commercial air travel has long been one of the prime culprits, as it places a large group of people together in a cabin with recirculated air.

According to this article, expats that fly may be a bit safer with the development of a new air filtration system:

“A revolutionary new air filter could help reduce the spread of swine flu and other illnesses among passengers on board commercial airline flights, British researchers say.

“The aerospace giant BAE Systems has joined forces with a Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, to develop a machine that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights.”

My reaction to this article is the same one I’ve had whenever this topic comes up: Airlines don’t already have that? I find it hard to believe no entrepreneur tried to make this work already. Maybe the airlines just weren’t interested?

In a shrinking world with a contracting job market, people are more and more willing to go where the opportunities are. Even if that means leaving the (perceived) security of one’s own country. NYTimes.com recently posted an article about young Americans - those in school or just out - taking jobs in China.

As young Americans begin to take in the fastest growing market in the world, one begins to wonder how long the trend will continue. Is this something that will continue for a year? A few years? Decades?

The reasons for the Americans going to China varies, from wanting to do something “off the beaten path” to finding opportunities that aren’t ordinarily available to someone in their early twenties.

And there are benefits for the employers, too. Those mentioned in the article include the new hires having the abililty to communicate with and navigate western markets, and an ability to seek opportunities take initiative rather than just take orders.

It will be interesting to see what comes of young American expats in China.

What was it that made “The Expat Life” so engaging? I’ve thought about this for a while now, and I’ve come up with a few answers.

First and foremost, it did such a wonderful job of covering the various stages of expatriation. However, it never felt like a manual for international living. Over the course of 3.5 years, Alan Paul led us through his family’s journey into the heart and soul of Beijing. It wasn’t academic, and it didn’t pretend to be something that it wasn’t. There was just the right amount of insight and reflection. Too little and it would have been just another expat diary, too much and it would have drowned out the richness of detail Alan Paul painted in each entry.

And then there were the people. Alan Paul did not just travel among Beijing residents. He engaged them, and it seems as if they were just as happy to do the same. The cultural dynamics somehow shined through in a manner that captured the humanity of the expat experience, or at least what many fledgling expatriates want that experience to be.

Who goes to a foreign country and starts a blues band? Well, Alan Paul. That’s something I know I would have loved to have seen, and I don’t think it’s because I too play guitar and love the blues in its many variations. What would it be like to walk into a bar or festival of some sort in China and find an American leading a blues band? I’d like to know. Somehow, thanks to Paul, I feel like I already do. At least an much as I can without actually getting on a plane.

And so, farewell to you, Mr. Paul. But hopefully not goodbye. Your readers have lost a source of moving overseas information that made it so easy to understand what it is that motivates expats to pursue their globetrotting lifestyle. Alan will continue to have a web presence at www.alanpaul.net. You can keep track of him there… I know we will at ExpatExchange.com.

According to a recent article in the Times Online, British expats are feeling the pain in Spain.

“We just couldn’t make it work any more financially,” one expat quoted in the article said. “We would have loved to have stayed but things are too hard here for my husband and we cannot last any longer.”

In the Expat Life, Alan Paul writes about how his deepest respect is reserved for expats that choose to truly go off the beaten path, rather than in developing cities such as Shanghai or Beijing.