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Portable Careers For Expat Spouses

© Huw Francis

Accompanying spouses (traditionally women) have historically been expected to support their partners in practical ways - running the household, entertaining and being the corporate wife. Diplomatic spouses even more so, were expected to do their duty. However, these days, increasing numbers of employees are turning down a move because of their partners career aspirations.

Spouses no longer want to give up their career and trail around the world after their spouse. Fortunately, they do not have to anymore. Firstly, turning down an international does not have to mean the end of your progression up the career ladder - some research has shown that it can actually hinder your climb up the ladder if you want to stay with your current employer. Secondly, an accompanying spouse can create a career that travels with them.

Portable careers are the modern accessories for accompanying expatriate spouses - not the frustrated mind and abandoned dreams.

Constant international moves, or the threat of moving unexpectedly at short notice, have been a major barrier to finding a good job. Employers will often not want to take the risk of employing someone who is likely to move soon and spouses do not see the point in looking for a job if they will have to give it up just as they have settled into it and learnt the ropes. There is also the frequent official barrier to expatriate spouses taking up employment. Even when it is possible to find a good job, expats often have the problem of little or no practical support for childcare and at times of childhood illnesses and other family crises - so the job or career has to be put on hold yet again.

Now, though, there is another option. Instead of finding employment, expatriate spouses are creating their own enterprise and work (at a time that is convenient for the expatriate) with clients both locally and around the globe, who do not really care where or who they are.

The old-fashioned term for the enterprises created by expatriate spouses would have been 'cottage industries' - though this does not really do justice to the work done by today's energetic and determined spouses.

It takes hard work, effort, time and the support of the working spouse to make it work (like much of expatriate life), but many expatriate spouses have found it worth the effort - not just for financial reasons, but for their own satisfaction and sense of fulfillment.