How many of you are ex-pats?

Old Jan 6th, 2003, 01:02 PM
  #21  
pierre
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should mention i was in london for 5 years.
 
Old Jan 14th, 2003, 07:02 PM
  #22  
karin
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ttt
 
Old Jan 14th, 2003, 07:21 PM
  #23  
Quinty
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What exactly is an expat?
Also, what line of work are you in to have such flexibility?
My husband is interested in transferring within his US company to work in Europe (he's in sales and is fluent in German and Spanish), but to be honest we don't even know where to begin. I also have family in Hungary, but no immediate relation.


P.S. Sorry to interrupt, but all of you seem like such good resources to help us out.
 
Old Jan 14th, 2003, 07:58 PM
  #24  
Andrea
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I'll take a stab at your question. An expatriate (expat, or "ex-pat" in British English) is anyone who is living in a country other than their country of citizenship. While this does include those on military assignment, full-time students, or diplomats, the majority are full time professionals in a wide range of industries (and their spouses).

It's generally easier (and more financially lucrative) to find a position in a developing country than in developed countries, and it's trickiest in the EU due to their laws - but as you can see from the above posts, it's certainly possible! I'm on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and we have members from almost every industry you can think of - medical care (my industry), manufacturing, real estate, HR, banking, IT, marketing, education, legal, hospitality, retail . . . with major multinationals, small to medium size businesses, and companies people have set up here themselves.

You're in a very lucky situation since your husband has a chance to be posted through his company - finding a job is usually the hardest part! Be sure to check expat boards for advice on negotiating packages before your husband signs his contract - there are some things to keep in mind that you should be aware of. (For example, many companies offer "home leave" allowance that's intended to allow you to travel home a couple of times per year - we negotiated ours as "travel allowance", which means that we can go anywhere in the world several times per year and the company pays travel expenses.)

As to where to start, your best bet is expat sites - you'll find a lot of them on a simple google search. Expatexchange is a pretty good site, and the Germany page looks fairly active. Just like here on Fodors, you'll get better responses if you read through the articles on the site and previous posts before posting a general question.

My favorite board is:

http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppexpatriates51.html

There are several people on the board living in Germany. (Again, do some basic reading first before you post - but they are a very friendly, supportive bunch).

Best of luck - it's a wonderful opportunity!
 
Old Jan 14th, 2003, 09:46 PM
  #25  
Quinty
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Andrea,
My sincerest thanks for your thoughtful response!
 
Old Jan 15th, 2003, 01:42 AM
  #26  
Pat
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Still a pat.
 
Old Jan 15th, 2003, 03:50 AM
  #27  
mark
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Ex pat londoner now into a five year stretch in Paris .

Do not miss London or the UK at all.
 
Old Jan 15th, 2003, 04:08 AM
  #28  
Statia
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My husband and I are expats living in the Dutch West Indies for the past ten years. We throughly enjoy living abroad and have no plans to return to the US at this time. And...we LOVE to travel.

 
Old Jan 15th, 2003, 04:23 AM
  #29  
Wendy
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I've been 'living' back and forth between Florida and Paris for 12 years, just made the permanent move to Paris last fall... (America is my country but Paris is my hometown-G.S.)

Have also lived in London, Venice, Assisi, and Pretoria South Africa.

I can't imagine NOT being an ex-pat...
Wendy
 
Old Jan 18th, 2003, 10:17 AM
  #30  
rhonda
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Ex pat - US

Living in Basel, Switzerland. Home is where the heart is. And I don't know when it will decide.
 
Old Jan 20th, 2003, 03:15 AM
  #31  
JEN
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American Couple in our 20's living in Warwickshire England for almost 3 years. Really hated it at first, but now love it and the tavel opportunities and vacation time can't be beat.
 
Old Jan 20th, 2003, 04:18 AM
  #32  
BTilke
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We're an American/Canadian couple who lived for 3 years in Brussels and are now spending several weeks in Germany before relocating to the Netherlands or the UK with an outside possibility of Switzerland (depending on where my husband's job sends him).
My husband grew up in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia (Perth), Canada, Germany, the UK and the U.S. (no, he's not from a military family). I've lived in France and Africa, as well as the U.S. of course.
Will we go back to the U.S.? Maybe in 2004, but possibly not til 2008 ;-)
 
Old Mar 9th, 2003, 04:53 PM
  #33  
 
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Found this post while searching for another & thought I'd top to see if we can find others. Melnq8?
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Old Mar 10th, 2003, 10:06 AM
  #34  
 
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I'm a former expat, and about to be again. Will be moving to Northern Ireland in a few months. My husband's originally from there, and we lived there in 97-98.
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Old Mar 10th, 2003, 11:04 AM
  #35  
Peep
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Howdy! My husband and I are Americans living in Munich for the past 4 1/2 years, working for a German company. The best thing about living and working here is that we get 6 weeks vacation per year! Woo hoo! But we do miss our families, speaking English, good frozen margaritas and some other stuff. So far this has been an incredible experience, thanks in part to all the cool trips we've taken!
 
Old Mar 10th, 2003, 12:23 PM
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We're Americans, living in the Netherlands. Before this, lived in England. Enjoying our time here and our travels.
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Old Mar 10th, 2003, 12:27 PM
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Melissa, we're traveling to Italy during the next three weeks; Venice, Rome, Naples (Pompeii) and Tuscany. Would you recommend Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast during this time of the year. We'll be driving so we're flexible. Thanks in advance.
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Old Mar 10th, 2003, 07:39 PM
  #38  
 
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Rhall1 - I took the liberty of reposting your question in a separate thread so that people can answer you there. It's called something like "Trip in 3 weeks - Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast?"
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Old Mar 11th, 2003, 02:07 AM
  #39  
 
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Expat living in Milan (does the screen name give it away???). I have only been here for 6 months but I have committed for a minimum of 2 years - so far it has been amazing... Milan is centrally located so we can get many places by car in a matter of hours - I am from Chicago and did not have this type of opportunity and am loving it!!!
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Old Mar 11th, 2003, 04:00 AM
  #40  
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Been in Brussels for almost 2 years.
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