Deciding which type of expat you are before you choose a location

Before you take the plunge into expat life, it’s a good idea to decide which type on expat you are!
Expats come in many shapes, sizes and ages, and their motivations for leaving their home country are equally varied.

A recent survey attempted to categorise the various types of expats by using their most important reasons for getting up and going. The Romantic Expat is the easiest to understand, as he or she is all about following the loved one to the ends of the earth, even if the earth ends in the loved one’s somewhat less than enchanting home country. ‘Love makes the world go round’ is the romantic expat’s mantra, and leaving a successful career, friends and family doesn’t compute compared with following the heart.

Usually found sunning themselves in popular retirement destinations, Dream Destination expats are often found in the retiree category. Years of hard work in a job that isn’t exactly fun keep the dream alive, and Dream Destination expats simply can’t wait to get out. The Greener Pastures expat has similar reasons for leaving, except that money and more money is the driving force. Bureaucracy and a high cost of living are part of the package, but who cares!

Adventurous Expats are drawn to exotic climes with unfriendly wildlife and almost unheard-of diseases including bubonic plague, but they still have a great time when they get there, although they’re often despised by classic Foreign Assignee expats sent there by their international employers. The Career Expat decides on a country, gets interviewed and is hired without even considering the destination itself. Academics, teachers and researchers fit this category, and don’t mix well with less conventional expats.

Family Expats either take theirs with them or go to join a partner already working overseas. They stick to the ruts of international schools, healthcare insurances and, if entrepreneurship is the reason for emigration, use local accountants to make sure they pay their taxes on time. The Travelling Spouse or Partner is determined to happily relocate to wherever is necessary, but tries very hard to recreate the home country in every location across the planet.