Many first-time expatriates choose to relocate again at the end of their first international assignment rather than return home, even though repatriation (for most) was their initial intention upon the start of the assignment. And many of those who do accept another international transfer repeat this pattern after the second assignment, as well – and perhaps again, and yet again. In fact, despite the economic uncertainty, political instability, and security risks in many regions of the world today, the number of “perpetual” expatriates seems to be on the rise, for a variety of complex reasons:

Sometimes, however, the reason is more prosaic: The company simply does not have a position “back home” that values the expatriate’s new skills, which can be better applied in yet another foreign location. In this case, a wise employer might offer another opportunity abroad. If not, what sometimes happens is that the employee does accept another assignment abroad – but with another company – rather than return home.

With the company’s investment at well over the equivalent of a million U.S. dollars per family per average assignment, an employer has a vested interest in retaining global talent and ensuring that the assignee stay with the company. Re-assignment to another foreign location often mitigates the repatriation problems faced by both the assignee and employer and avoids the chance of losing a repatriate to a risky return process (see sidebar, “The Perpetual Expatriate”).

However, just because an expatriate has been successful on the initial relocation, merely assigning the so- inclined and soon-to-return expatriate to another foreign location does not ensure a second or third successful assignment. There may not be any guarantees, but there are definite probabilities, one of which is the fact that adequate preparation for an initial assignment is usually a necessary ingredient for a successful transfer. Taking that one step further, a different type of preparation and training for the “onward” employee helps to ensure success on the second, third, and, sometimes, fourth assignment overseas.

All too often, both the assignee and employer make the following assumption: Since the expatriate and accompanying family members did well on their first international assignment (with or without formal preparation training), their success obviates the need for any formal training prior to the “onward” move. This type of thinking occurs in circumstances when an expatriate did not receive any pre-assignment training for the first move, yet managed somehow to succeed. Unfortunately, it also prevails in some organizations even when the expatriate did receive training before the initial transfer – after all:

But this assumption could not be more wrong. According to many experienced expatriates and their families, if there was one thing they learned in both formal pre-departure cross-cultural training and on-site life and work experiences in the host country, it is that the cultural (and sometimes, language) issues were significantly more challenging than expected. Consequently, many expatriates who have already completed at least one assignment abroad actively seek to arrange their own cross- cultural training prior to their “onward” move to yet a second or third location – unlike the perception of many first-time expatriates, whose unawareness of the critical adjustment issues associated with crossing cultures is often fairly high.

While the logistics of moving may be the same, so that the type of problems and challenges are repeated with each successive move, two things are remarkably different each time:

Consequently, for a veteran expatriate, it is important to refresh one’s memory of the ups and downs of this unsettling process and reflect on the validity and importance of understanding the issues associated with international assignment (e.g., culture-shock, family adjustment) – particularly in light of one’s real-life overseas experiences. Just as essential, however, is the need to reflect on how you and your family may have changed subsequent to the first international experience and how these changes may help you prepare for the next transfer.

Having the opportunity to systematically review the adjustment (warts and all), in a structured and guided format, can be of considerable help toward ensuring the success of your next assignment. In other words, you can leverage your initial experience to the benefit of the next one, ensuring a smoother and more successful transition onward.

Let’s assume you are being transferred to Rome. You may attain the knowledge about what to do, as they say, “when in Rome,” through formal pre-departure training or the more difficult and risky on-site “school- of- hard-knocks.” However, a cross-cultural program – prior to your subsequent move – that presents the essential questions and provides the critical answers for successfully living and working in the host country (and more specifically, the host city) eliminates the costly and dangerous on-site learning curve and maximizes your employer’s return-on-investment almost immediately. Bear in mind that if you did not receive training before your initial assignment, understand that the orientation prior to your second assignment will be your first opportunity – albeit looking back – to formally explore the issues and experiences you went through.

During your training, you need to thoroughly explore host-culture essentials: values, history, background, people, language, politics, economics, demographics, school systems, daily life, work habits, negotiation, managing, the worlds of men and women, children and adults, socializing, making friends, dealing with conflict and differences, and so forth. The difference in the onward program involves reflecting on these topics, not as they need to be understood by individuals from their first culture, but by individuals who are already bi-cultural (that is, changed, culturally, by their first experience). This point is precisely what makes these culture- topic discussions different in an onward program from similar discussions in a first-time program. 

Every stakeholder in the international relocation process needs to be involved in cross-cultural training, with all relocating family members – the “trailing” partner, children, and the assignee – attending components of the “onward” program that are specific to their issues. Such onward training should not merely repeat, in design and intent, a first-time program, but be unique to the onward experience, leveraging the initial experience to the benefit of the subsequent one.

If your orientation program does not consider this perspective, take an active role and discuss with the trainer how the program can be adapted. For your success, and the global success of the organization, receiving onward-specific support is nothing less than fundamental.