Being an Expat asks for flexibility and guts, not recklessness

Often, a would-be expat seems especially eager to go to a country, and forget to think about the function.

Even if living in a certain country is your dream, and it all seems one big adventure, you still have to fulfill a job, and a dull job in a beautiful place can still result in a disappointing experience. And if it is a nice job: what would a logical next step after your expatriation? Is there one at all, or do you risk languishing in a corporate corner -yes, a sunny corner, but still a corner- forgotten by the decision makers at headquarters?

Arguments like "it's time for a new experience and jobs at that level are very scarce,''or “we feel it is really a beautiful country with a rich culture", in any case are not enough.

Even though any investment that an employee does for his employer offer a gamble and performances in the past are no guarantees of future results, some considerations are slightly more relevant than others. The presence or absence of (school going) children, for example.

Eventually you step on the plane with at best a well-defined job title, a good contract, a idea or promise for a next step, and great resilience, into the unknown. How well have you done your homework: except for your furniture and your most direct partner / family, you leave behind nearly everything you know. And you might still get something in return which does not meet your expectations, desires, estimates, hopes and dreams.
If you aim is to get to know Spain (or India, or Argentina, or wherever you want to go), then a sabbatical or a second home is maybe a better idea than an expat job.

Source: Dieuwke van Turenhout