We wish you a pleasant move if you are planning to relocate in 2009 and a happy life abroad if you are already living outside your home country.

Happy Family Expat in Singapore by Stanley Chia

We take a look at expat related new this week:

 

Christmas Expat online shopping

Here‘s a lsit of companies that specialize in keeping the hungry expats happy, sending stuff from your home country to your doorstep. this is a non exhaustive list of websites that specialize in sending goodies to expatriates around the world! Feel free to add more in the comments section if we missed some…

                                          ”Only an expat could have this much vegemite.” Photo copyright: balial

 
http://www.mailorderexpress.com/

http://www.britishdelights.com/

http://www.xpatshop.co.uk/

http://www.expatdirect.co.uk/

http://www.myexpatshop.com
“Mince Pies, Brandy butter, Cranberry sauce, Christmas Puddings and cakes… ”

http://www.americanfoodworldwide.com/index.html

http://www.shopanyamericanstore.com/index.php

http://www.canadiansweets.com/

 
http://www.mammafrica.co.za

http://www.expatshop.co.za/

http://www.expatshop.com/

Germany, country of love

                                                               “Please only love letters” copyright:AmiExpat

Germany is the number one place for foreigners to fall in love, according to an international study into expat life around the globe.

A quarter of expats in Germany have married locals, making Germany “the best location to find love”, according to the “Expat Experience” report, published this month by HSBC Bank International. The Netherlands following closely after. Read more from Reuters.

We take a look at expat related new this week:

Obama’s ‘Third Culture’ Team

“Obama has packed his staff with so-called “Third Culture Kids”-people who grew up outside the U.S. New research suggests this group shares common psychological traits that could shape his administration.

John Quincy Adams lived in France, and young Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Europe often enough to master French and German, but Barack Obama is the first modern American president to have spent some of his formative years outside the United States. It is a trait he shares with several appointees to the new administration: White House advisor Valerie Jarrett was a child in Tehran and London, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was raised in east Africa, India, Thailand, China and Japan as the son of a Ford Foundation executive, and National Security Advisor James L. Jones was raised in Paris. (Also, Bill Richardson, tipped as Secretary of Commerce, grew up in Mexico City.)”… Read more from Ruth E. Van Reken the Dailybeast

A growing TCK population!

In Hong Kong,  copyright: Ed-meister

In Hong Kong,  copyright: Ed-meister

in Delhi, India. Copyright: Carol Mitchell

In London, Copyright daveknapik

Expat skill transfer still to deliver

A new report by Arthur D. Little called “Expatriate Games” finds that the promise of localizing talent in the Middle East oil & gas industry has yet to be realized. (…) Arthur D. Little claims that the ‘unwritten rules of the game’ and systemic lack of follow through have caused the major stumbling blocks to a successful skills transfer in the Middle East oil and gas market. Read more. 

Expat workers leave US to hunt for jobs

As a business graduate from a very good university in the US, Pratik Shah had every reason to expect an easy passage into a well-paid corporate career. ut, even after applying for nearly 1,000 jobs, he will not move directly from his masters in engineering and management degree at Duke University to a position at a top financial company. Instead, he will head back to his home town of Aurangabad, near Mumbai, to search for work there.The realities of the financial crisis and recession are creating a very different environment for jobseekers from Asia in the US. Read More: By Daniel Pimlott  Financial Times

We take a look at expat related news this week:

Challenging Overseas Postings

The New York Times reports on family issues that remain a major factor in the failure of overseas assignments. “The initial excitement of an exotic new posting can turn to culture shock, loneliness, identity loss and depression, and it is often the employee’s spouse and children - without the familiar routine of work - who are most affected. ”

Cost of Living: London and Seoul down

“Volatile exchange rates stemming from the global financial crisis mean London and Seoul are no longer among the top 10 most expensive locations for expatriates, while Japanese cities have returned to upper end of the league table, a survey showed on Thursday.” Read more from Reuters

Retire in the Sun

Over a third of Britons questioned in a poll (source: YouGov) have said they would consider retiring abroad because of the weather and rising costs. Read more as the BBC reports.

Spread the word! watch the video on YouTube, Yahoo, MySpace, Metacafe, DailyMotion, Blip.tv and Veoh

We take a look at expat related news this week:

Troubled times

Troubled times for tourists and expats in two Asian countries. You can follow the difficult times and events through the eyes of expats in Mumbai and expats in Bangkok by checking the conversations from expats on Twitter list.

International HR: Different strokes

As global workforces become the norm, HR must manage an increasingly diverse range of cultures. Personneltoday reports on the difficulties they face and how can they overcome them.

Thanksgiving abroad:

American expatriates around the world are celebrating Thanksgiving. Here are some of the experiences we came across:

Thanksgiving in London

“As they have for 50 years, Americans in London packed St. Paul’s Cathedral on Thursday for an annual Thanksgiving service that, as evocatively as any event on the calendar, nurtures the home thoughts from abroad that are a staple of expatriate life.” Read more from The International Herald Tribune.

Copyright:Steve Forrest for The New York Times

 
Search for the perfect thanksgiving meal in London?

American expat Tikichris takes a look at Thanksgiving in London from a food perspective: turkey is it?

copyright:Tiki Chris

Thanksgiving in Berlin

Katie writes about “What We Put On Our Plates”

 copyright:Katie

Thanksgiving in Shanghai

“It’s Thanksgiving but this American holiday hasn’t caught on in China yet. The only evidence of Thanksgiving I can find in Shanghai are the hotel and expat restaurants that are stepping in to supply the turkey needs of expat Americans in the city” Read more from KevCham’s blog  

Thanksgiving Dinner in Panama city

November ExPatsWest get together on the day before Thanksgiving: 

 Copyright: Honey Dodge

Thanksgiving in Australia

An American Thanksgiving Down Under

 Copyright: Aussie Erin

Happy holiday season to all the expats around the world!

Twitter here, Twitter there, Twitter everywhere! Micro blogging is a great way to share the experience of other expatriates around the world. Get followers, find others to follow in their everyday life abroad in the four corners of the world.

This list is a work in progress, more will be added as you contribute to it. A facebook group was created to provide further interaction and maintain the list up-to-date.

Please add a comment at the end of this post if you wish to add your twitter adress or some of your favorite expat twitterers around the planet!

Share this!
 

 Africa  

Expat in Egypt

• Joan  http://twitter.com/chattylibrarian

•  Ms. Four  http://twitter.com/msfour

Expat in Kenya

• nairobinotes http://twitter.com/nairobinotes

 Asia

Expat in China 

• Beth Evans http://twitter.com/bethevans

• Dr Mathew McDougall http://twitter.com/sinotechian

• John Rocco Galloway  http://twitter.com/bigrocco

• Global Gal  http://twitter.com/global_gal

• GZ Expat  http://twitter.com/gzbhow

• Lonnie B Hodge http://twitter.com/lonniehodge

• Matthew Stinson  http://twitter.com/stinson

• Ryan McLaughlin http://twitter.com/thehumanaught

• wargoelizabeth  http://twitter.com/wargoelizabeth

Expat in Hong Kong

• Benjamin Sawin  http://twitter.com/bsawin

• Martin Malden http://twitter.com/abledragon

• Marc Magnee  http://twitter.com/marc_hk

Expat in India

• Danie Barkhouse http://twitter.com/earthtodanie

• yuyudin http://twitter.com/yuyudin

Expat in Indonesia

• Brandon Hoover http://twitter.com/javajive

• Brett McGuire http://twitter.com/spruiked

• gjjakarta http://twitter.com/gjjakarta

•  jenjenqld http://twitter.com/jenjenqld

Expat in Japan

• Kathy Bagarinao http://twitter.com/kathybagarinao

• Made in DNA http://www.twitter.com/mopedronin

Expat in South Korea

• Kelly Moyes http://twitter.com/kesumo

Expat in Singapore

• Cerbera http://twitter.com/Cerbera

• Hannah Parker http://twitter.com/parkerha

Expat in Sri Lanka

• Laurie Ashton http://twitter.com/LMAshton

Expat in Taiwan

• Carrie Marshall http://www.twitter.com/globetrotteri

Expat in Thailand

• Gerald David Greene http://twitter.com/geraldgreene

• thaipulse http://twitter.com/nilsno

• DarwinDennis http://www.twitter.com/DarwinDennis

• Dave Oliver http://www.twitter.com/daveoli

 Central America

Expat in Barbados

• Catherine http://twitter.com/HKWT

Expat in Grenada

• Maria Alisa Santiago http://www.twitter.com/PiscesInPurple

Expat in Guatemala

• Genesis Davies http://www.twitter.com/athomemom

 Europe

Expat in Belgium

• Lilacspecs http://twitter.com/Lilacspecs

Expat in Czech Republic

• dougiegyro http://twitter.com/dougiegyro

Expat in Finland

• Holly Longstroth http://twitter.com/hollysuel

Expat in France

• Elizabeth Albrycht http://twitter.com/ealbrycht

• Jennifer Chevais http://twitter.com/jchevais

• Kory Kessel http://twitter.com/kory

Expat in Germany

• AmiExpat http://twitter.com/AmiExpat

• Josh Dalzell http://twitter.com/cknlgs

• Clarsonimus Maximus http://twitter.com/Clarsonimus

• jagalicious http://twitter.com/jagalicious

• Peter_Gent http://twitter.com/Peter_Gent

• rmayda http://twitter.com/rmayda

• Sherry Neal http://twitter.com/sherryneal

• Nicole Fornaçon http://www.twitter.com/nicolemichele

• Tempered Woman http://www.twitter.com/nlnnet

• Scott Hanson http://www.twitter.com/papascott

• Ronna Porter http://twitter.com/ronna

Expat in Hungary

• NicoleB http://twitter.com/NicoleBPhotos

Expat in Ireland

• S S YAP http://twitter.com/mryap

Expat in Italy

• Emma Bird http://twitter.com/emmabird

• MeganFitzgerald http://twitter.com/ExpatCoach

• Alan Cox http://twitter.com/romoliarnie

• Bleeding Espresso http://twitter.com/michellefabio

• Christine Cantera http://twitter.com/MissExpatria

• Donna Jackson /wiseq http://twitter.com/wisequeen

• Judy http://twitter.com/divinacucina

• Cherrye Moore http://twitter.com/mybellavita

• Sara Rosso http://twitter.com/rosso

Expat in the Netherlands

• Aaron Ramroth http://twitter.com/aramroth

• Hochmeister Dave http://twitter.com/Hochmeister

• kittynel http://twitter.com/kittynel

• Peter Hilton http://twitter.com/PeterHilton

• TheWritingWell http://twitter.com/TheWritingWell

Expat in Norway

• The Texpatriate http://twitter.com/texpatriate

Expat in Spain

• oreneta http://twitter.com/oreneta

• Paloma http://www.twitter.com/Palomakidsin

• Didier Vallette http://twitter.com/didiervallette

Expat in Sweden

• Adrianne http://www.twitter.com/Adrianne

• Rowan Hanna http://www.twitter.com/rowanhanna

Expat in the United Kingdom

• Chelsea Blacker http://twitter.com/ChelseaBlacker

• expatsurferuk http://twitter.com/expatsurferuk

• Debra Denton http://twitter.com/debra47

• Finally Woken  http://twitter.com/finallywoken

• gkibler http://twitter.com/gkibler

• Igor Goldkind http://twitter.com/Igorgoldkind

• Lindy_ http://twitter.com/Lindy_

• Konstantin http://twitter.com/londonleben

• Jen Dixon http://twitter.com/regularjen

• Ryan Nai http://twitter.com/ryanontwitter

• Sarah Forrester http://twitter.com/SarahForrester

• Charlotte http://twitter.com/Sbeneli

• Nicole Thomas http://twitter.com/treefroggirl

• Daniel Rhatigan http://twitter.com/ultrasparky

• Chris Yanda http://twitter.com/yandaman

• David Caldwell http://www.twitter.com/daithaic

• A Modern Mother http://www.twitter.com/AModernMother

 Middle East

Expat in Bahrain

Expat in Turkey

• Bas http://twitter.com/Spartz

• Thandelike http://www.twitter.com/Thandelike

• kimmieluwho http://twitter.com/kimmieluwho

Expat in the United Arab Emirates

• Darcy Sharman Shires http://twitter.com/dsharman

 North America

Expat in Canada

• Louise Green http://twitter.com/greenlouise

• guinness416 http://twitter.com/guinness416

• Kevin Wilson http://twitter.com/kevinw1

• Rebkin http://twitter.com/Rebkin

• stokes22 http://twitter.com/stokes22

Expat in the United States of America

• arthur http://twitter.com/alangham

• Arnaud H http://twitter.com/arnaudh

• Michael Foley http://twitter.com/baawfatml

• culinaryprep http://twitter.com/culinaryprep

• Helen Bradley http://twitter.com/HelenBradley

• llance http://twitter.com/llance

• mattwoodget http://twitter.com/mattwoodget

• mcewen asker http://twitter.com/mcewen

• Sander R. http://twitter.com/nlborrels

• Kimberley Fenton http://twitter.com/onehipmama

• Andrew Pepper http://twitter.com/pepper_

• ScottEnglishSho http://twitter.com/ScottEnglishSho

• Ann… http://twitter.com/trubrituk

• Vada http://twitter.com/vadanajana

• andrewkavanaugh http://www.twitter.com/andrewkavanaugh

• Damaris http://www.twitter.com/KitchenCorners

• TinkEsq http://www.twitter.com/TinkEsq

• Alien Ted http://twitter.com/aliented

• Marcy http://twitter.com/mightymarce

 Oceania

Expat in Australia

• Danielle vV http://twitter.com/danivv

 South America

Expat in Argentina

• DaVe http://twitter.com/BuenosAiresDaVe

• Julia Evans http://twitter.com/jooliagoolia

Expat in Brazil

• lori1329 http://twitter.com/lori1329

• tintalasia http://twitter.com/tintalasia

Expat in Costa Rica

• XavierTico http://twitter.com/XavierTico

• NicoPisani http://www.twitter.com/NicoPisani

Expat in Peru

• Ludwig Theunis http://twitter.com/LudwigT Location: Chiclayo (Peru)

Expat in Venezuela

• John Olson http://www.twitter.com/jwolson

 We take a look at expat related news this week.

Finding and retaining globally competent employees

Saskia Meckman explores the challenges for the year to come.

“In 2009, companies will be forced to juggle expatriates and their families worldwide, while balancing the decisions involved in finding and retaining globally competent employees.

… For most companies, it is becoming increasingly hard to fill certain positions without providing comprehensive and lucrative compensation packages. Including career-support services and any other additional support for the spouse may make a difference in whether an employee accepts or declines an international assignment… Once companies have found talented employees, the main goal is to retain them. One way of doing this is by making sure that there is a job offer of equal or greater interest for them once they repatriate “home” or head off on another international assignment. Companies are often still losing their best talent by not taking advantage of the cultural understanding and global competence the employees acquired while on assignment. Read more from HReonline.

Cultural Skills are crucial to leadership in organizations

Mor than 100 senior human resource managers participated in this survey on the importance of cultural skills in senior managers.

” 81 percent of companies agree that international work experience is a crucial criterion for leadership in a global organization. The survey, “The Importance of Cultural Skills in Senior Managers,” conducted by RW-3 LLC, an online intercultural training organization, and ORC Worldwide, a global human resource consulting firm, was designed to measure the importance of cultural competencies and global experience as criteria for senior management

Key results of the survey , reported by TalentMgt.com, included:

• Approximately 20 percent of senior leadership comes from countries outside their companies’ headquarters, 21.5 percent are foreign born, 28.5 percent have international experience and 28.6 percent have worked and lived in another country
• In the next five years, organizations expect that nearly 30 percent (27.4 percent) of corporate leaders will be recruited globally.
• Culture is essential to business success in the global marketplace: 75 percent indicated cultural implications of business decisions are sometimes or always considered when making business plans, and 57 percent indicated that culture plays a very important role in the success of the organization’s business mission.”

Social Security guide for Americans Overseas

The American Association of Resident Overseas (AARO) has just released its “Social Security: How it works when you live outside the USA” booklet.  The publication is a guide to Social Security and Medicare for Americans Abroad.
This booklet is produced by Thomas Rose, chairman of AARO’s Social Security Committee and describes the history and policies governing US Social Security and Medicare programs and how they affect Americans who work or retire outside the USA.
It is available at a price of 6€. You can either download it online from www.aaro.org or order it in booklet format from AARO, 34 avenue de New York, 75016 Paris, France.

Reverse brain drain?

ABC News writes on a new study from Duke University on Foreign born professionals in the US:

“Vivek Wadhwa, an executive resident at Duke University and a senior research associate at Harvard, believes that the United States is headed for a massive reverse brain drain. 

 Wadhwa, who led a Duke study on foreign-born professionals, said there likely won’t be a short-term impact of loss of skilled expatriates, but it will have significant implications in the long term. In Silicon Valley, the percentage of immigrant-founded start-ups had increased to 52 percent in 2005. The study found that all companies founded by immigrants from 1995 to 2005 produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers in 2005. Indians comprised the largest group of skilled foreign workers.
More than 1 million skilled foreign workers compete for 120,000 permanent U.S. resident visas each year. Each country has a seven percent limit, so, for example, India and China are given the same quota as Iceland. According to the study, in U.S. engineering schools, 60 percent of Ph.D candidates and 42 percent of master’s candidates are foreign nationals.” Read More.

US Immigration to Go Paperless

Agency Plans Electronic Overhaul of Case-Management System, the Washington post reports:
“The Bush administration has launched a major overhaul of the nation’s immigration services agency, selecting an industry consortium led by IBM to reinvent how the government handles about 7 million applications each year for visas, citizenship and approval to work in the United States, officials announced yesterday.

If successful, the five-year, $500 million effort to convert U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ case-management system from paper-based to electronic could reduce backlogs and processing delays by at least 20 percent, and possibly more than 50 percent, people close to the project said. Those problems have long frustrated new Americans and other immigrants.” Read more.

Finding a home or office abroad?

Home search is a significant part of the relocation process. In some country you might find yourself in front of some very strange buildings and houses! Have a look at Unusual Architecture around the world!

The Crooked House ( Sopot, Poland)

                       Copyright:broca

We take a look at expat related news this week.

Bank stops lending to expat staff of real estate firms

“Emirates NBD, the largest bank in the UAE by market value, has stopped lending to expat employees of leading real estate companies in the region on fears of further job losses in the sector.” Arabian business reports on one of the early aspects of the global downturn affecting expatriate workers in the gulf.

 
ROI of an expatriation

HRonline explores the “Return on your expat” from a company perspective. “So what exactly is your company’s return on investment after sending an employee on an international assignment? (Don’t worry; most other companies don’t know the answer, either.) Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of surveyed companies stated that measuring the financial benefits of international assignments is a challenge. It is so difficult for companies to measure, according to the study, because businesses face time constraints and lack appropriate measurement tools and decentralized data. ”

‘Mobility’ to continue despite slowdown

BusinessWorld online interviews international human resources firm and finds that there will be continued movement of people across markets despite global economic uncertainties.

“ECA International general manager for Asia operations Lee Quane said global employee mobility will continue as companies seek better business opportunities in foreign markets. “If you go by these past trends, the same thing is happening now. Companies are looking at other markets when their own markets are not doing well. Despite the slowdown, we see an increase in the number of expats (expatriates),” he said Wednesday on the sidelines of a forum on trends and challenges in managing mobile employees globally.

Most bizarre complaints by travelers

“Travel specialists from around the world have now compiled a list of the most bizarre complaints by travelers, who can go to any extent to get compensation. One travel agent received a complaint from a tourist at a top African game lodge overlooking a waterhole, who spotted a visibly aroused elephant and complained that the sight of this rampant beast ruined his honeymoon by making him feel “inadequate”. ” read more from the TimeofIndia

Expat voices

We have created a new Facebook group for expatriates on Twitter. Come and join us! the group is for people living outside their home country and active on twitter. Find other expats around the world using twitter. Get followers, find others to follow in their everyday life abroad in the four corners of the world. We will blog about it next week!

A year ago now, in November 2007, we created the Expat Network on LinkedIn. It has now grown to over 6,500 members creating a dynamic professional networking environment for people working in expat-related jobs, working abroad or willing to relocate and give exposure to their international background. The description of the group has not change since its origin: the Network is for expat networkers, expatriate services professionals, expat associations, relocation service providers and more. Activities of members include: expatriation support, coaching, international human resources management, compensation practices, cross-cultural management, relocation etc.  But also various industries are represented by expatriates working abroad such as for example Finance and Banking services, Advertising, Insurance, Oil & Gas and of course a large number of headhunters and HR managers interested in global and foreign talents… Join us now and give exposure to your international experience!