Today, helping dual-career couples go abroad is common practice, not the exception. Jo Parfitt on how you can improve the assistance you offer to expat spouses.

When an expatriate employee takes his family with him (or her) on assignment, there is no longer a reason to explain to HR as gently as possible that he (or she) has a spouse who would appreciate some support in maintaining a career.

According to the 2001 Global Relocation Trends Survey, around three quarters of all companies now automatically provide some kind of spouse career assistance.

Career counselling

There is no doubt that assigning a career counsellor to each spouse is the greatest benefit of all. While this does not come particularly cheap — prices start around EUR 2,500 — the services tend to stretch far beyond the creation of a CV and cover letter.

Typically, a career counsellor will know the new location extremely well and be able to advise on the best networking groups to attend, which papers to buy, and the companies to work for. The counsellor can also set up informational interviews with experts and professionals in the spouse’s chosen field.

With such in-depth knowledge, many counsellors find themselves providing settling-in advice too. There is no doubt that this service is the best you can give to trailing spouses.

Networking

It is said that three quarters of all jobs are found not through advertised vacancies or recruiters but through networking. It is also said that to enjoy networking success you need to meet or find out about 25 new people every month.

Helping your spouses to network is the single most effective thing you can do for them.

Options that won't break the bank

Fortunately, there are plenty of options available that can significantly improve the morale, networking and career success of the accompanying partner. And really the most important thing you can do is to simply show that you care, that you understand the problems and that you are available to help.

Too often, the accompanying partner is kept away from contacting HR directly. This is partly because the employed spouse is secretly scared their partner will make waves and jeopardise their career, and partly because, sadly, HR rarely makes the first move in contacting the spouse.

If you want to show your spouse that you care and that you want to help, then learn all you can about the dual career issue. Find out what it is exactly that continues to get these partners angry and frustrated and develop a range of simple solutions that are guaranteed to cool them down:

• Recognise that the spouse is typically responsible for all the domestic and social matters relating to the move and that she or he has to experience a huge shift in role and experience.
• Recognise that if that partner has worked before the move, she or he has sacrificed a fair amount in order to come on the assignment. Self esteem, professional identity and a stimulating and satisfying purpose outside the home are just three of them.
• Find out what other companies are providing for their spouses and see if you might be able to do something similar.
• Find out the truth about work permit restrictions and inform the spouses before the move so that you manage expectations accurately. Don’t keep them in the dark.
• Take the time to find out about local professional and informal networks that can help him or her to connect with others of like mind and make those all-important business contacts. See if you can provide a list, even if it is only on your website.
• Think about involving other spouses in the formation of a local or global spouses’ association. It need not cost much. One global company runs theirs on an annual budget of GBP 3000.
• Why not supply a few free tickets to career conferences or seminars to the spouses who show the greatest interest in those topics?
• Find out about new publications that have a career focus. Maintain a library of useful books, or better still, provide spouses with a copy of the best books or magazines.
• Join the partnerjob.com initiative. It allows member companies to post contract vacancies on a shared website so that they can recruit short-term staff from a common pool of talented spouses.
• Join the Permits Foundation (www.permitsfoundation.com) and do your bit to support the global lobbying for the lifting of work permit restrictions.
• Organise a simple seminar or careers workshop that is open to spouses in each expatriate location.
• Keep up to date on the new and recommended career websites and inform spouses regularly of what’s new. You could even employ a spouse to do this for you and send out a newsletter.

November 2002

Jo Parfitt is the author of A Career in Your Suitcase 2, a guide to portable careers and finding your passion. Order copies today for your expatriate spouses by clicking here.