Customer Reviews

The Expert Expat: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroad

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book offers some great advice for moving when you have a company or government moving you and a network to tap into who has done your similar move previously. If you are going it alone, the advice is very rudimentary. For example, it offers little advice on how to pack things and ship them except to contact those who have done it previously for advice. Well duh!? It also focuses on language barriers, etc. but I am moving to an Engligh-speaking country, so that did not apply. Advice such as - have your organization set you up with another American who can get your apartment, buy your first groceries, etc. - is a nice idea IF that type of person is available. We're the first Americans in our organization doing this, so we can't ask previous Americans in our situation to help us out. Some of the psyhological issues it addresses, however, are very helpful! There is a BIG focus on moving a FAMILY (big chapter on PETS too!). This book was not as helpful to a single girl moving!!!

I am a new expat on my first assignment with my spouse and 2 children. I wish I had this book before I left the United States. It is full of extremely good information.

The authors stress the importance of handling family issues. They really hit the nail on the head in describing the feelings and emotions that can arise on the part of family members involved in an international relocation. There are numerous sections of the book that address the special issues of spouses and children, and provide excellent advice on how to deal with them.

Read in conjunction with The New American Expat: Thriving and Surviving Overseas in the Post/9-11 World, and a couple of the top expat websites, like www.expatexchange.com and www.transitionsabroad.com, these sources provide all the necessary information to make your overseas experience enjoyable and successful.

Melissa Brayer Hess and Patricia Linderman's indispensable book covers all the practical aspects of adjusting to life in a foreign country. They pay particular attention to factors that can help or hinder an expatriot's adjustment. Every chapter includes short, personal sidebars recounting the experiences of those who've lived and worked abroad, an addition which brings the book to life with insightful, useful and often hilarious detail. We from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone who is considering relocation to another country. To be at home anywhere on the globe, supplement it with a couple of books about the specific country where you are going. Pay attention to the advice about planning ahead, then get your shots, tuck your passport in your pocket and head for the airport. (Don't forget to pack this book; you may need it for re-entry.)

So you got that dream job.... London, Tokyo, New Delhi, Pretoria? When you get there, you discover that you're "Not in Kansas any more." Trust me, I have done it five times, a move abroad is not like moving across the state or across the country. Suddenly you are far fom home, far from the people and things you know and love, and everything seems to work just a little bit differently. And if you think it is bad for you, just ask your spouse and kids....

Nevermind, Linderman and Hess do a great job of helping you with all the concerns that you might have in your move. This book sets forth the good, the bad, the ugly, and the funny in an international move. Even if you are lucky enough to have a corporate move-planner to assist you, this book is a gem to help you get ready psychologically for the move and what comes afterwards.

I got the book because I am contemplating moving overseas, permanently. This book is wonderful for all those out there that are moving to a different country because of work, and will eventually be returning home. Though this book helped me a lot, It didn't cover a lot of things I needed to know, such as:

How to really pack and ship things overseas. They gave a general overview, but no real concrete steps or information that would help me on shipping.
It also didn't cover things that people would need if they are indeed staying overseas permanently, like immigration laws, steps on how to become a citizen of whatever country you are going to, or work/study permits. They assume that most of their readers will have the aid of an organization behind them. I attribute this to the writers not being able to be country-specific on such details.
They also added things which I didn't need such as language barriers, ( I am moving to an english-speaking country), or things to do with Pets & Children ( I have neither one or the other). I, as a single person moving overseas permanently without any organizational help whatsoever, will need more supplemental reading to go along with this book. But let me say again that this book is packed with information about the experience of moving abroad and anyone contemplating working/moving overseas should at least give this a read-through.

When you're moving overseas for the first time, what you want is advice, support, and perhaps more than anything else, the reassuring voice of reason. That's just what this comprehensive guidebook provides, which is what makes it such a boon to first-time and even experienced expatriates. The authors, both experienced expatriates themselves, offer refreshing reading on almost every imaginable topic pertaining to moving and living abroad: preparation, arrival, learning a foreign language, culture shock, moving children, moving pets, health care, and a special section for accompanying spouses. Full of down-to-earth advice spiced up with personal anecdotes, this book belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who's moving, living, or even considering a move abroad.
*** I wrote the review above for the first edition, but I have to say that the 2007 edition is even better. For one thing, there are more anecdotal passages, which always makes for more interesting reading, and I do think that expats learn best from others who've gone before them. Secondly, since security has become more of a concern since 9/11, it's good that this new edition addresses security concerns much more comprehensively. This is a must-buy for anyone living, working or about to move overseas, especially since support from employers, particularly in the private sector, varies so much from company to company. It's good to have a book that thinks of everything.

Save yourself the trouble of placing a second order and get 2 copies to begin with. You'll want one for yourself and inevitably you'll meet up with someone who you want to give a copy. This book is very readable and full of tips and practical advice for preparing for a relocation...and for coping once you arrive. Especially for first time expats, the authors will help you anticipate (and deal with) many of the challenges that could otherwise throw most of us for a loop. Alot is common sense advice but when you are faced with the many decisions involved in an international move, clearly writtten common sense advice helps. Living overseas can be fabulous if you don't get overwhelmed. The Hess-Linderman book will help you get settled and also help the new friends that you will be meeting - take an extra copy with you to give away.

Melissa Brayer Hess and Patricia Linderman truly deliver in The Expert Expatriate. If you are even considering a move overseas, read this to get a good look at the reality of such a life change and the preparation you should undertake. Be sure to read each of the inserts recounting personal experiences of expats all over the world! This book will help prepare you for succesful adaptation to any new environment and takes special consideration of the needs of the family and children. You will be impressed by, and surely grateful for, the relentlessly thorough content. Their advice is clearly based on the authors' extensive personal experience and my cherished copy wears a fringe of neon Post-It arrow markers.

If you are planning an overseas move and could only get one book, get this one! No, I'm not on their payroll! I just found the book very useful and accurate! I bought this book a year ago preparing for an international move. In plain language that's easy to read, the two authors provide a more or less step by step guide to the process of a transnational move: common issues such as dealing with movers and innoculations and childrens adjustment etc etc, what to take and what to leave, what to expect emotionally, and concrete suggestions for settling in and easing the transition process. About half the book helps you deal with the issues associated with preparing for the move, and the second half the book helps with issues related to the transition after you have arrived. The authors have lots of experience and the book is full of personal stories which I found helpful in illustrating their points. Everyone in my family found this book extremely useful, including my teenage kids who read it while they were trying to understand their feelings and cope with the major adjustments that were required in their lives.

This book is full of essential advice for any American who is going to be spending several months or several years in another country. It even has a chapter on the challenges of adjusting to life back in the U.S.A. after you've been away a long time, something most people don't think about in advance. It seems very well organized to me, and I love the little boxes with personal examples of the authors' experiences - reading them, you know the authors write from first-hand knowlege of the challenges of life overseas. I highly recommend it to anyone contemplating such a move.