Managing Dual Career Expat Couples
The new challenge of HR
by Armelle Perben
Companies who attract and retain high potentials, have integrated the management of the dual career of expat couples in their HR policies.
They have understood that the trailing spouse doesn’t want to sacrifice their career to follow the other.
Talented, multitasking, educated and financially independent, their expectations have to be taken into account.
Who are these new spouses? What are their personal and professional expectations? How to support their integration and job search? What tools can employers put in place to tackle those issues?
This book is both practical and interactive. It gathers a collection of real-life accounts, interviews of international mobility experts, as well as practical advice and calls to action. It’s targeted to all those who are confronted with the issues of managing dual career expats, and who wish to find ways to tackle new challenges.
Who is the Author?
Armelle Perben was an expatriate in 6 different countries and a French teacher.
She has a Master in International Business and Intercultural Management.
She started her carrier as Chef de Rang, in Michelin-starred restaurants for 6 years, then she start teaching French abroad.
Now she manages her own school : Absolutely French, which promotes an alternative way to teach French and welcome expats.
She created an innovative, qualitative and enjoyable method to learn French, through cultural activities such as games, cooking, and visits of Paris.
Her objective is to welcome expatriates and give them all the keys to make their stay in Paris a great experience and feel at home here.
The integration of expatriates’ spouses is the key to a successful expatriation.
Absolutely French is an innovative and qualitative method of learning French, entirely focused on their integration : learning the language, the culture, getting to know their environment, developing their network through the Absolutely Club.
Hosting them in the homes of real French people, cooking classes, scavenger hunts and orientation games in Paris to help them discover the most important administrative sites and the different means of transportation, the Absolutely Club will help them build a network.
Meyriem Lefèvre Kici
Air Liquide
International Employee Experience Manager, Former-International Mobility Specialist
Delphine Gadé
Total Energies
Former-International Mobility Manager – Global Talent Director Gas, Renewables & Power for Total Energies
Latifa Taleb-Serre
Renault Group
General Manager HR Compensation & Benefits Europe, Former-International mobility policy manager
Jean Pautrot
Cercle Magellan
Chairman of the Magellan International Council, Author of book “Expatriate – Dream and reality“
Kerstin Martel
Copenhagen Business School
PhD fellow at Copenhagen Business School and researcher on the GLOMO project
Tools Available in the Books
The book contains plenty of worksheets to help you prepare spouses for expatriation and allow you to gain feedback on how you’re supporting expat couples. It also introduces you to the decisions expats face and the new vocabulary they encounter when deciding whether to take on an expatriation.
Did you know…?
- On average, an expatriation costs 300,000 per year.
- In 36% of cases, failed expatriations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa are the result of family problems.
- 91% of employees offered expatriation opportunities will make their decision based on the employment opportunities offered to their expat partner.
Helpsheets include:
Example email for getting in touch with the spouse
Interviewing with the partner prior to departure: outlining their goals for expatriation
What to include in an employee satisfaction survey
Pros and Cons of Cash and Services Bonuses
Press
