It is not just a Fancy word. It is a way to describe the experience of living abroad and trying to adapt to the foreign culture which brings a lot of effort to be done.
In order to answer Question number 4 of the Discussion proposal: “Characterize one country and its main immigrants; describe the types of labour they perform and the living conditions of them”.
One could argue the case of the USA, where Mexican and Central American immigration is massive and basically everyday everybody from these countries depart on an uncertain journey in which reaching and crossing the border is a huge task. Once they reached the USA, especially all of those US States bordering Mexico, majorly agricultural jobs await them in hard conditions of labour. No Social security and also the fear of being deported everyday runs through their environment.
But this goes mostly for these communities in particular. However, on the other hand, Expatriates, especially the ones send by their employees abroad to foreign subsidiaries in which they must adapt to the existing conditions of well remunerated labour, must also undergo a process of adaptation which is difficult and in many cases traumatic.
Salaries must compensate the Purchasing power parity of the countries and the company must not only send their most experienced workers in the field to avoid Cultural shock, but also support and pay for the adaptation of their families abroad.
Expensive International schools and special activities to lessen the impact of foreign culture in family members are in order, when kids and wives must find a way to adapt and not damage the whole expatriation process for the worker.
There are several advantages in expatriation for companies, such as getting a broader global perspective and getting closer control. However, the disadvantages could be the high costs and the adaptability process.
“In 2010, more than 200 million people will be living abroad. While the number of worldwide expatriates increases, it is hard to quantify the exact size of the worldwide expatriate market.”1
1 Available at http://www.justlanded.com/english/Common/Footer/Expatriates/How-many-expats-are-there
Finally, one must say that due to Globalisation, the world is seeing more and more Expatriates for there is a huge market in need of these skilled workers.
Outsourcing, among others, for example, demands the use of expatriates to coordinate and organise the process of internationalisation of the product.
Students, most of them of languages, form part of the Expatriate group, their decision to take time off and go abroad to learn another language and culture is enriching and valuable.
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