ASC articles

What motivates expatriates to relocate? Results from the ASC Study 5. May 2015Naturally,  there are different factors that motivate employees and spouses to embark on an expatriation, where career advancement represents the single biggest factor. However, when asked to distribute 100 points on various motivating factors, only 40 points were given to career related  aspects; the remaining 60 points were given to personal and family development and what was described as “adventure”. Responses varied, and a small number, for whom motivation was purely work related, actually increased the average.

The desire for adventure was also a major motivation for spouses, who gave it 20 points, well below the 30 points given to “Opportunity for partner”. The third major factor was “Children’s education”.

When seen as a whole, the results show that while the job in question is the greatest single factor when deciding whether to accept an expatriation posting, it is family and personal concerns which are the major aspect when deciding whether to accept or reject the offer.

The results are based on data collected in the ASC study, where respondents are expatriates who have attended the ASC “Preparation for expatriate life” and have lived abroad for one year. All told, 150 individuals have responded to the questionnaire.

In the same questionnaire, respondents were asked to what extent they would recommend the ASC course to budding expatriates. The results show that on a scale from 1 to 7, the course is given a 6 on average, a strong recommendation from  people with relevant and fresh experience of having relocated.