A new report has been published by the Hydrogen Group, a global specialist recruitment firm, looking at many different facets of expat life.
One of the main findings of the report is that professional women seem to advance in their careers quicker if they work abroad. The Global Professionals on the Move report discovered that 100 percent of all women respondents said that that they would recommend working abroad to others, and 90 percent said that working abroad had undoubtedly speeded up their professional development. A further 74 percent said that moving abroad had granted them a better salary, and 68 percent said their living conditions had improved.
Despite this overwhelmingly positivity towards the female expat experience, the report also reveals that perhaps not enough women are actually taking the plunge and opting to work abroad. Of all the respondents to the survey, only 20 percent were women. However this figure was not indicative of women’s actual desires, as almost the same amount of women as men wanted to work abroad- 41 percent compared to 46 percent.
Current expat Lyndsey McAuley said: Professionally I have a lot more responsibility. I have developed far more in the last six months as a lawyer than the previous two years in London and I’m undertaking a much broader role, both in terms of geography and practice area.”
She added: I think there are misconceptions of the Middle East and Asia. People perceive that there’s an enormous cultural clash, but the globalisation of business means that professionally speaking, the environment is very similar wherever you work. Yes, it is an upheaval, but it’s also enlightening, providing you with a greater understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, allowing for development as a person and as a professional.”