Adjustment of Spouses of Self-Initiated Expatriates: Feeling Different vs. Feeling Welcome

Heeding the call from the promised land: identity work of self-initiated expatriates before leaving home

“…Notably, prior studies have looked into SIEs' growth aspirations and intention to break free from domestic career constraints (Selmer and Lauring, 2011;Andresen et al, 2020), along with various factors influencing their future location choices, such as family-related concerns (Richardson and Mallon, 2005;Thorn, 2009;Cerdin and Le Pargneux, 2010;Lauring and Selmer, 2015). It has also been 1 The employment status of SIEs prior to moving abroad may vary.…”

Managing Expatriates

“…Adjustment is an iterative process during which the expatriate's behavioral patterns become increasingly compatible with the norms of the host country . As expatriates adjust, they become more integrated into the daily life in their host location, and the difficulty associated with everyday tasks diminishes (Lauring/Selmer 2015).…”

Essays on attracting and retaining highly educated migrants

“…If migrants and their families feel supported by employers (e.g., with relocation, language learning, etc. ), this can have a positive influence on adjustment and integration outcomes, which can arguably facilitate retention (Leifels & Schwartz, 2017;Kühlmann et al, 2016;van der Laken et al, 2016;van Riemsdijk et al, 2016;Cliff et al, 2015;Lauring & Selmer, 2015;Plöger & Becker, 2015;Cerdin et al, 2014;Mahmud et al, 2014;Friesen, 2011;Shaffer et al, 1999). Employers are better equipped to support migrants during the migration process and upon arrival in the host country, when they have more experience employing migrants (i.e., higher levels of 'integration capacity' (Laursen et al, 2020)).…”

“…Logistical support for migrant workers and their families (e.g., finding an accommodation, health insurance, schools, etc.) is associated with better adjustment in the host country and could also be a decisive factor in attracting this group in the first place (Lauring & Selmer, 2015;Shaffer et al, 1999). If logistical support cannot be provided in-house, one option could be working with a relocation company (van Riemsdijk & Basford, 2021) or public service providers (Imani et al, 2015).…”

“…In addition, De Lange (2018) analysed to what extent Dutch, German and French policies for third country immigrant entrepreneurs can be labelled as welcoming. To our knowledge, the only study focusing on migrants themselves, analyses the effect of feeling welcome on the adjustment of self-initiated expat spouses in Denmark (Lauring & Selmer, 2015). Little is known, however, about the factors contributing to highly educated migrants' feelings of being welcome in the host country.…”