Tens of thousands of people now move overseas for work or pleasure. If this is you, read on... Going to live in a new country can be the catalyst for a sea-change in your career. Opportunities that existed in one country may dry up in another. Sometimes it makes sense not to pursue one single career path but to adopt a shifting, growing, portfolio of portable careers. Section 1 arms you with practical advice on how to choose a business idea that works for you and how to develop the right mindset. Section 2 shares the remarkable stories of more than 23 international entrepreneurs as they share how they've maintained and built rewarding, portable careers in all four corners of the world. Section 3 provides extensive links, resources and tips for expatriate entrepreneurs living in 35 countries If you are considering working for yourself in a foreign land then this inspirational guide belongs in your suitcase, wherever you may be, wherever you may go and whatever you may hope to become. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Since 1987, professional writer, publisher and journalist, Jo Parfitt has taught word processing to housewives in Dubai, made and sold date chutney in Oman and taught creative writing in Norway. A former editor of Woman Abroad magazine, she has also been involved in network marketing, sold books for Dorling Kindersley, run a CV writing service and made Christmas decorations from the flowers in her Middle Eastern garden. Jo's articles on portable careers have been featured all over the world in publications such as Living Abroad, Emirates Woman, Gulf Air Golden Falcon, Expatrium, Eurograduate, Transitions Abroad, Nexus, Hobson's Career Guides, Women's Business, Woman's Journal, Bonjour, Resident Abroad, Independent on Sunday, The European and The Weekly Telegraph. From her current home in The Netherlands she specialises in helping others to write their books and get published.
My first book was accepted by the first publisher I approached, back in 1984. The book was 'French Tarts' and the publisher was Octopus. I went on to have 13 word processing and desktop publishing handbooks published by Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Pitman and Paradigm, over the next few years. By then I had become an 'expat wife' and was living in Dubai. In 1993 we were posted to Oman, Word had become the only WP program and so my other work dried up. Inspired by the landscape and produce of Oman I decided to co-author another cookbook and create Summertime Publishing in order to do it myself. 'Dates' sold thousands of copies but in 1996 we were posted to Norway. Here, I realised my decade abroad had taught me much about expat life and portable careers. Summertime published 'Forced to Fly' and 'Career in Your Suitcase'. I had become an expat expert and my career as a journalist specialising in expat issues and speaker at international conferences took off.
In 1997 we returned to England for a while and I published 'Find Your Passion' and 'Grow Your Own Networks'. In 2005 we moved to the Netherlands and I returned to traditional publishing and new editions of 'Find Your Passion' and 'Career in Your Suitcase' were published by Lean Marketing Press and 'Dates' by Zodiac. In addition LMP published my books 'Release the Book Within' and 'Expat Entrepreneur'.
Today, I'm still in Holland and Summertime Publishing is back on full throttle, not only as a publisher but also as a complete mentoring and publishing service. In March I published my poetry memoir, 'A Moving Landscape' and have now begun publishing other people's books too.
