While most expat partners had their own careers before expatriation, there are significant barriers to finding a job in a new country. These can include:

• Language
• Recognition of your skills or education
• Lack of familiarity with local market and job-hunting in a foreign country
• No network or contacts to help with job leads
• Legality of working under a dependent visa
• Duration of your stay (many expats are on a 2-3 year assignment; convincing companies to hire you despite this)
• The longer you’re out of the workforce, the harder it is to re-enter
• Overseas job market not seeing your value

This can be daunting. My first experience as an expat partner finding an overseas job entailed four months of intense job hunting and interviewing. Unable to work in my previous field of law, I looked for jobs in industries in which I had no previous experience. My husband was offered a relocation less than two years later, and I started the process all over again in a new country.

From my own research interviewing expat partners, common themes emerged. Many want to work and contribute but require a degree of flexibility due to the possibility of relocation and demands of expat life. Those who have taken a career break are afraid of their skills atrophying and are aware that the longer they are out of the workforce, the harder it is to get back in. On the other hand, many are discouraged by the idea of putting in all the work involved in looking for a job when they know it will only be temporary.

For me, the answer to these challenges lies in creating a portable career. The frustration I felt with the uncertainty of expat life and challenge of job-hunting in a new country every few years led me to create my own portable career.  If this resonates with you, I suggest channelling your job-hunting energy into figuring out how to establish a flexible and rewarding career or business that can move with you.  This is where working with a coach can help to build confidence around your transferable skills (bet you have more than you think!), get clear on what a portable career or business might look like for you, and come up with a plan to set the wheels in motion.