Abstract
There are two routes for working abroad: either through a foreign assignment contract from the MNC headquarters (company-assigned expatriation) or by sending job applications to a foreign country (self-initiated expatriation). In this chapter, I will take an individual perspective and discuss how both company-assigned and self-initiated expatriates’ careers unfold, what the difficulties are that the individuals encounter, and how and where they need HR support. I will emphasize company-assigned expatriates’ careers since the relevant literature goes back several decades, but I will also briefly discuss the career experiences of self-initiated expatriates because this free form of migration is becoming more and more relevant, and it is important that HR managers understand it well and be equipped with the necessary tools to support them.
Notes
- 1.
The cases in the chapter have been developed for the sake of illustration. Any similarity to real cases is purely coincidental.
- 2.
Also sometimes called “career competencies” in the literature.
- 3.
Culture shock is the second stage of the culture adjustment process (Black et al. 1991). Adjustment starts with the honeymoon stage when one finds the unfamiliarity of the local circumstances as a new, exciting adventure, which is followed by the culture shock, adjustment and cultural mastery phases until he/she is able to adjust himself/herself completly to the local situation.
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Szűcs, N. (2018). Global Careers. In: Covarrubias Venegas, B., Thill, K., Domnanovich, J. (eds) Personalmanagement. Forschung und Praxis an der FHWien der WKW. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-15170-6_24
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