Rolling the Dice on Life
[powerpress]
Rolling the Dice on Life 
The headline statistic from our research in 2012 was that 78% of participants wanted to work while living abroad but at the time of the survey only 44% were working in some form, 16% in full time employment.
Other studies have found similar results, a survey of French expatriates in 2015 found that only 50% of partners who wished to work when expatriated did so and 62% believed that expatriation was negative or very negative for their careers (Expat Communication, Alix Carnot).
Of course, career is not everything and many of the participants to our study talked about the value of the international experience from family and cultural, experiential perspectives as well.
Life is a balancing act. Whether we relocate abroad or stay home the relevance and importance of career will change over time to match our changing personal, professional and family needs.
Partners who relocate with children often tell us that their support role comes first, career second. We can absolutely relate to that, having taken time out of our careers to devote to our families when our children were young. A decision we don’t regret for a moment. We were lucky to have the opportunity.
Then, the time came when we knew we wanted to start to pursue our professional interests again. It was then that we wished we had kept our professional interests and networks active. Getting back, at times felt like an uphill struggle.
Whether the desire to pursue professional interests hits at the beginning of an assignment or further down the line… and years, it is important to be prepared.
Today’s interview is with Jacquie Kane. Jacquie is Scottish currently living in Boston in the USA. Jacquie is a PR and Marketing Specialist and is currently Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications at School Year Abroad.
We got to know Jacquie when she worked with us on the launch of Thriving Abroad providing valuable PR advice. She is an eminent professional and someone who loves her work and values her career.
When her husband first popped the international question, having been offered a position in Shanghai, Jacquie felt that a curve ball had been thrown. She loved her life in Scotland, had a great work and social life and hadn’t anticipated moving abroad. After much discussion and a fact-finding trip to Shanghai, Jacquie decided to commit to what she hoped would be an ‘incredibly transformative experience’ and said ‘let’s do it!’.
Jacquie does not have children and knew that her career was going to be hugely important in helping her to adjust.
‘I’d anticipated that my husband would be out at work, working long hours, and I didn’t fancy the idea of sitting alone in my skyscraper wondering what to do with myself.’
So, she set to and found herself a role in a large American global PR firm.
In this interview Jacquie shares with us her strategy for securing not one but three international roles while living abroad.
This interview is longer than our usual ones but the advice contained within is extremely valuable for anyone wishing to pursue and/or develop their chosen profession while living abroad.
We recognise that not every expat partner can or wants to work while living abroad. However, we recommend that everyone is cognisant of their skill set and strengths so that different future choices can be made. This is part of Jacquie’s heartfelt message and advice.
There is something for everyone in this interview wherever you are currently at in terms of your professional interests and development.
Jacquie says:
‘The art of managing your career abroad is to be open minded, adaptable, resilient and tenacious. Having the focus and energy to want to do something different demonstrates to a prospective employer that you’ve got grit… which most expat partners have in bucket loads. Because, if you’ve had to leave a familiar culture and a familiar environment to go overseas, you’ve already demonstrated that you’re courageous and that you’re happy to walk into the unknown and just roll the dice on life. So, capitalise on that and keep moving forward’
We hope that you enjoy this interview.
Jacquie was also keen to share the following resources with you. We hope you enjoy them and have fun!
PERSONALITY TESTING/SELF-ASSESSMENT
PERSONAL BRANDING
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