Top 5 Things to Consider Before Taking An Expat Assignment in Berlin
I have reviewed the Brookfields Global Relocation Trends survey and the Cartus Relocation Survey and identified 5 key trends and therefore the 5 Top Things to Consider Before Taking An Expat Assignment in Berlin.
You can see them below. These reports are generally aimed at HR Managers, however, I have inverted the data and focused it more towards the expats and students themselves.
1. Inter-cultural training will help you succeed
89% of respondents to the Cartus survey believed that inter-cultural training had a positive impact on the success of their overseas assignment, with 89% of them saying that it had, ‘good or great value’.
So, if you are considering an expat assignment study year abroad, be proactive and take up any and all offers of intercultural training prior to assignment. While European countries share many customs, there are still cultural differences and of course language barriers to contend. Learning German while studying and working in Berlin will help you to adapt more quickly and may even give you the edge in the workplace as you’ll be able to communicate with a wider range of people.
If your company or learning institution does not offer it in-house, consider requesting some budget from the company to pay for intercultural training or for you to learn German in Berlin. Alternately, you might ask for a higher salary so you can go out and buy your own inter-cultural training.
2. Family is crucial.
According to the Cartus survey a, ‘failure of your family to adjust to the new assignment location’, and not lack of performance is a key reason that international assignments fail. 61% of the respondents cited, ‘inability of the family to adjust’, as being the number-two reason that assignments fail, coming second only to changing business conditions, (63%) as a reason for assignment failure.
This means that you should not underestimate the importance of pleasing, appeasing and supporting your accompanying family when in Berlin. And if your employer is not providing what you feel is adequate family support, seriously consider whether the assignment is viable. 76% of potential international assignees turn down assignments for this reason. The kind of support you should be looking for is help with: finding schools, spousal visa, finding friends and of course German language training.
3. Lack of previous international experience is not a barrier to expat assignments
According to the Brookfield’s GRS survey, 26% of respondents suggest that 6% of their international assignees had previous international experience, so while prior international experience is important to being accepted on an international assignment, it isn’t essential.
4. Hardest destinations to be an expat
Moving away from your home country is challenging under any circumstances but several countries have been identified by the Brookfields GRS survey as being especially challenging.
Many of these destinations may not come as a surprise to you, but some certainly will, namely the USA, which is ranked the 4th most challenging country to be assigned too. China (12%) was deemed the most challenging destination for international assignees, followed by Brazil (8%) with India and the United States being tied at 4th place (6%).
While Germany was not the hardest place to be an expat, it did appear in the top 20 list, which means you should consider investing in German language training to help you adapt to what will be an more challenging environment for expats or foreign students.
5. How valuable is an international assignment to you career ? According to the Brookfields GRS survey, 41% of respondents believed that an international assignment had enabled them to get promoted faster and 18% said it made it easier for them to get a job in a new company.
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