Seeking international assignments can be extremely rewarding in many ways such as expanding your cultural horizons and opening doors for your career, but it also has various costs that need to be thoroughly considered. Personally, accepting an international position would have a severe impact on my personal life and overall wellbeing because of the drastic change and the distance from my family, despite my love for traveling. Because of the severe adjustments I would have to make, I would need to ensure the benefits outweigh those costs and that I would be properly compensated for my troubles when making such a decision.
The top three benefits discussed in the lecture that would impact my decision to accept an expatriate position are housing and utilities allowances, relocation assistance, and hardship allowances.
Housing and utilities allowances are an important consideration for me because I would need to ensure that I could afford the change in cost of living in order to maintain my current standard of living. Due to the mere volume of housing expenses and the difficulties of navigating this expense in a foreign country, this compensation factor would greatly improve my satisfaction and the ease of the transition; the size of this allowance would be a strong convincing factor for me.
Relocation assistance is the next most important factor for me to consider. Moving your whole life across the world can be difficult logistically and emotionally, so having extra support in both of these realms is a game changer. This service can also include language and culture assimilation assistance which could be very beneficial. Having assurance that I would feel comfortable and settled in the new culture quickly is another key convincing factor.
Lastly, hardship allowances are an important consideration for me due to the emotional toll the move would cause and the sacrifices I may make in decreased living and work conditions (Lecture: Expatriate Compensation). Having a proper hardship allowance would make me feel more valued as an employee and would be one convincing factor in making the big move.
All in all, at this point in my life, I would definitely consider taking on an assignment abroad (short-term more likely than long-term) while I am young since I have less ties here – such as a husband and kids. Factors such as the ones mentioned above as well as a competitive base pay and a good benefits package would convince me to make the move. It would also be important to my job satisfaction and motivation for my pay and benefits to be competitive both in the U.S and my host country.