Tune in to the podcast, where I discuss living and working abroad.

Below is a snapshot of what you’ll hear in my podcast with ACA.

The road to Milan

My fascination with life beyond the States began in high school, when I toured Scandinavia as a member of a regional soccer team. The experience sparked my curiosity about different cultures. Later, studying abroad in Florence and Milan deepened my appreciation for Italy and ultimately led me to pursue a career in international business, setting me on my expat journey.

While completing my MBA in the U.S.A. and Italy, I interned with Pirelli in Milan. Two years later, Pirelli offered me a job at their headquarters in Italy.

Upon my return to Milan, I encountered my first set of hurdles. Navigating Italy’s bureaucracy to obtain a work permit was an early challenge. Determination and adaptability made the process less painful.

Four lessons I learned on my expat journey

• Going with the flow – Italy can test your patience. Long waits at government offices, frequent transportation strikes, and bureaucratic hurdles taught me to stop sweating the small stuff and focus on adapting instead of resisting.

• The power of determination – Five years into my expat life, Pirelli sold my business unit, and I found myself without a job. Networking and persistence helped me secure a new role with a U.S. multinational in Italy, proving that resilience is a key trait to thriving in a foreign job market.

• Embracing cultural differences – Corporate culture in Italy differs from that in the U.S.A. One of my biggest adjustments was learning the importance of face time with colleagues. Some of my best career insights came from informal conversations over coffee, lunch, and social events, rather than being glued to my desk.

• Understanding hidden costs – I underestimated taxes and some other common expenses. For example, paying roughly 700 euros for my driver’s license caught me off guard. Later, I learned how to better manage my budget and anticipate expenses, resulting in fewer surprises.

The reality of living abroad

The fantasy of moving abroad often glosses over the complexities. An expat journey presents challenges such as feeling lonely, adapting to a new way of life that may not make sense at first, being labeled a foreigner, and dealing with skeptics. Despite that, creating a new life from scratch fosters resilience, resourcefulness, and cultural openness.

Advice for aspiring expats

Thinking of relocating? Do your research. Evaluate the job offer—salary, relocation assistance, health benefits, and long-term career impact. Understand the cost of living, essential documents needed, tax implications, and logistics. If you have a family, also factor in education.

For women seeking expat roles, assertiveness is crucial. Take initiative and communicate your interest in international assignments within your company. Opportunities can arise through company expansions, acquisitions, or rotational programs.

Reflections and final thoughts

Milan’s expat community is diverse—students, business professionals, artists, designers, and entrepreneurs make up the American community here. Milan is more than just a “working city.” It has beautifully manicured, hidden courtyards, notable art, rich culture, and opportunities to meet people from all over Italy and the world.

If I could advise my younger self, I’d say, “always step outside your comfort zone and take advantage of every opportunity–whether staying put, moving to another country, or returning home.”

My expat journey has enriched my life in ways I never expected. I received career opportunities across EMEA. Have friendships with people from all over the world. Lastly, I have experienced a deep cultural immersion that is not possible through travel alone. If you’re offered an opportunity to take an expat assignment, take it! It could be the most transformative experience of your life.

Photo by Khush Sandhu from Pexels

The post My expat journey: an honest account of life abroad. appeared first on Ciao Lulu!.

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

March 8th marked International Women’s Day 2021, a day when we, as women, should have celebrated our achievements and brought visibility to the inequalities that still exist. As I reflect on that day and my own life, #ChooseToChallenge is such a fitting theme for so many reasons, including one area that is close to me, multicultural expat assignments.

A successful overseas work experience can accelerate your career advancement.  In Topia’s Adapt or Lose the War for Talent Report, results revealed that 57% of employees agree that international experiences are critical to career growth and mobility, especially for senior roles. And while this is promising news in itself, the presence of women on the expat circuit is low. 

According to Mercer’s Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices, females represent 20% of international assignments.  This number is up compared to 14% in 2017 and 11% in 2015. Even though progress is being made on the number of expat assignments going to women, growth is too slow.

This is where this year’s International Women’s Day theme comes into play. We need to choose to challenge our HR, Training and Development, and Workforce Mobility experts, and, above all, ourselves to develop and demand expat programs that are more inclusive so that more women can take advantage of these opportunities.

As a female working abroad, here are my suggestions for making expat assignments more accessible to women.

Flexible Programs

It’s not enough to offer long or short-term programs. Get creative. Customize expat assignments for women based on the woman’s needs and/or circumstances – single, care taker, single parent, or married with family.  Break up the assignment into modules where the female expat alternates modules between the host and home country.  On longer term assignments, schedule periodic travel back to the home office to review progress, and allow the expat to get face time with colleagues and management, and to take care of personal business.  If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are more than capable of working remotely.  Incorporating remote work options into your expat program will allow candidates to take baby steps toward work abroad. It will also open the doors to more female candidates that may have ruled out an assignment due to personal obligations or fear of making the move. 

Assimilation and Support

On top of relocation, if the female expat is not traveling alone, she may need help with navigating school systems, child care or a traveling spouse.  It is not enough that the expat settles in, the entire family needs to find its place on an overseas move.  Knowing that support exists for the entire family will help alleviate the fear of going abroad.  In the case that family members decide to remain at home, break up the assignment. Allow the female expat to travel back and forth from the host and home country.  Lastly, having a point of contact on the ground throughout the assignment will be critical for a successful expat assignment. 

Defined Start and Finish Dates

Almost everything in life has a start and a finish date.  Expat assignments should too.  Be clear on milestones and deliverables, but most importantly be transparent about what comes next.  The expat shouldn’t fall off the grid. What are the female expat’s options at the end of her assignment – return home, stay or go to a new location?  Knowing that opportunities will be available after the assignment will make the experience that much more attractive.

Mentors and Sponsors

Working abroad is a big decision and shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Female mentors with expat experience can help prepare future expats for what they will face throughout their time abroad – differences in culture, fitting in and creating a network, unconscious biases, sentiment toward the home office or country, healthcare, finances and taxes, hidden costs, etc.  An in-country sponsor is a must.  I can speak from experience about life without one. Just on the work front alone, the experience might be 100% different than what you expected. A sponsor can provide tips on business etiquette, office culture, labor laws, etc.  For life outside the office, a sponsor can introduce you to new experiences and help you build a personal network. This is just as important as success on the job.

Clear Outcomes and Next Steps

Many expats will end up returning home, but some may stay or move onto a new location.  All assignments should have clear, quantifiable metrics with periodic reviews. There should also be a mechanism for feedback.  Before heading overseas, the expat should know her next steps or career choices upon completion of the assignment.

Make Expat Assignments for Women a Reality

It has always been my belief that you get the best out of your employees when you respect, appreciate and reward them, and are transparent.  These behaviors will drive loyalty and will attract top talent.  In these days, everyone has gotten on the inclusion and diversity bandwagon, some mean it and others are just paying lip service.  As women, let’s make a conscious choice to challenge convention and develop programs that are inclusive of women’s needs.

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Earlier this year, I was all ready to start writing again with a new article titled, “Why not now?  There is no time better than the present for an expat assignment.” And then it happened — coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Just like that…

Life in lockdown with nowhere to go.

I have spent roughly five months working from home with the majority of that time in lockdown.  During lockdown, my routine became the following: waking up and having breakfast, watching the news, switching on my laptop and working, breaking for lunch, getting back to work, and stopping for dinner and personal time. 

Of course, there were the trips to the market, catching up on the latest Netflix series, reading historical fiction, and online workouts.  Throw in some virtual happy hours and video calls, and that pretty much sums up my life in lockdown.

When the COVID-19 news was really bad, the stress of the unknown made me think about my family, my community and my job.  Life abroad is such a big part of who I am. So it is only natural that I also wondered about that too.  Would COVID-19 deprive other business professionals of the expat experience?

Time to reflect on your next career move.

Given the state of the global job market, I am thankful to be employed and doing the work that I love.  However, I know that this is not the case for everyone. The reality for many is daunting. There are now millions of individuals who are out of work, on furloughs or soon to be laid off.  We all know someone living through this nightmare. 

I have been made redundant more than once in my career. So, I am familiar with that feeling of uncertainty. It can be overwhelming.  That said, jumping on a plane for an expat assignment may not be your number one priority today. However, it can be within your next one-to-two career moves.

From a career standpoint, one thing this pandemic has given us is time to assess what we want to do. If it is still your dream to work abroad, don’t stop planning.  Maybe now is not the time to travel, but it is certainly the time to take action.

Workplace trends pre COVID-19.

On a positive note, prior to the pandemic, talent management professionals were expecting short-term assignments to be one of the top workforce mobility trends for 2020. Another important trend we were expecting to see was the return to internal hiring, which can also be seen as positive for overseas assignments.  Per a report from LinkedIn Talent Solutions, LinkedIn Global Talent Trends 2020, 73 percent of the talent professionals surveyed stated that internal recruiting is becoming more important to their organizations. 

In the same report, 96 percent of HR/talent professionals stated that employee experience is becoming more important too.   While economists are struggling to understand the impact of the pandemic, companies are realizing that it is a two-way street. If you want to keep top talent, you will need to meet employee needs. Hiring from the outside takes time and ends up becoming more expensive for your organization. 

Why work abroad as an expat?

For me, my time abroad has enriched my life in so many ways. Here is how my life has been positively impacted.

• Regularly introduced to people from all over the globe who I never would have met.
  
  
• Exposed to opportunities to work throughout Europe that would not have come my way.
  
  
• Discovered, in depth, a new culture something one can only grasp by living in that place.
  
  
• Created a new life in a new country from scratch.
  

I’ve also traveled extensively, learned a new language, tested myself in ways never possible before, obtained dual citizenship, and purchased a house in another country. I could go on here, but I hope you get the point – an expat assignment opens the doors to life-changing opportunities and experiences.  So, if your company offers it, go for it! 

Employee benefits and expat opportunities.

After reading the findings from MetLife’s 17th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study published last summer, I was both pleased and perplexed.  Pleased to see that Americans are, in fact, still interested in working abroad.  Sixty-seven percent of American employees are interested in taking an expatriate (expat) assignment through their employer. This is encouraging given the times we are living in – economic uncertainty, and the rise in nationalistic and anti-immigration sentiment.  Yet, I was confused when I read that only 15 percent of American employees stated that they have taken an expat assignment.  So, what’s going on here?  Employees are interested, but unaware that an overseas assignment is within their reach with their current employer.

Rewards of an expat assignment.

Expat assignments can range from extended business travel of a few months to multiple years abroad.  Whether it is a short stint or a long one, expat opportunities provide a win-win scenario for both the employer and employee.  So, where’s the disconnect and why the miss on both sides of the fence? 

For the employer, it’s obvious.  Companies need to do a better job at pitching overseas opportunities as a company benefit for top performers. If this is, in fact, a benefit why would a company hide it? With the shortage of qualified candidates for open positions and the increasing competition for top talent, you would think that companies would do a better job at communicating these types of company perks as part of their retention strategy. 

Accelerate career development.

Expat assignments not only help retain top talent but also help create a bond between the employer and the employee.  On top of building loyalty, expat assignments help develop both professional and soft skills.

Learn a new language.

Expat opportunities provide the ideal environment to learn a new language. The expat will need to learn the basics of the new language quickly. Fluency will depend on how intrenched the expat is and how much he or she works at it.

Understand and manage cultural differences.

Often overlooked, awareness and sensitivity to differences in culture will be critical to success abroad. What worked at home won’t necessarily work overseas. The sooner the expat is open to new ideas, the better he or she will be at fitting in and achieving success. In late August, around the globe, people witnessed the most recent episode of civil unrest in America, demonstrating just how important cultural awareness and acceptance of others is. 

Problem solve for new challenges.

Working abroad typically places the expat outside their comfort zone. Unknown scenarios will require a new way of thinking for everything from small everyday issues to complex work problems. 

Develop teamwork skills.

Success on an expat assignment depends on multiple factors including collaboration and relationship building skills. Understanding the local culture, fitting in and being open to new ideas will be essential to success abroad. Flexibility and patience will also play an important role. For potential leaders, success on an overseas assignment will be important for future jobs that require the management of teams spanning multiple geographies. 

Get to know yourself better.

If anything, an expat will walk away from their time abroad with a deeper understanding of who they are, what they want to do, and where they want to go.

Build confidence from day 1.

An overseas project can build confidence in one’s ability to tackle and succeed in unknown circumstances. The expat will be tested in ways that weren’t possible at home – from everyday communications, adapting to the local culture, building relationships, to getting the job done.  

Millennials are interested in expat jobs.

Furthermore, wooing millennials, who are expected to make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025, will require a shift in thinking when it comes to workplace benefits. Per the MetLife survey, 75 percent of millennials are interested in an expat experience among other things. That puts companies with no expat or rotational program at a huge disadvantage when recruiting this generation of workers.   

Find expat opportunities.

For the employee, if your company doesn’t openly advertise expat assignments, you may need to be more proactive.  Ask around, check in with HR or your career development department.  Consult your mentor or boss, network and explore your options which can include:

• Applying for an open job in another corporate office
  
  
• Being part of an M&A team that is onboarding the latest acquired business
  
  
• Opening a new office, and training and/or hiring staff
  
  
• Rolling out a new product or service in new geographies
  
  
• Introducing new internal tools or a software platform across multiple locations
  
  
• Onboarding a third-party vendor or strategic partner
  

Listed above are just a few of the many ways that you can find yourself in an overseas opportunity with your current employer.  It could be as big as a posted position on a job board or an informal project that requires you to be close to the source of the work.

Plan for your expat assignment.

Unless there is an immediate need, your assignment overseas will take time to plan even if it is through your company, pandemic or no pandemic.  Sorting out paperwork and getting overseas can take several months or more.

Accepting a job or short-term assignment overseas is a huge commitment for you and your family, if you have one.  It requires planning, flexibility, patience, and openness to the unknown, but the payoff can be big both personally and professionally. 

While it is easy to find excuses not to go abroad, my experience tells me the benefits far outweigh the costs.  There will never be a perfect time to take the plunge – just like publishing this article. So, do your homework and if everything checks out, follow Nike’s slogan and just do it! 

Image: Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

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