Russian-speaking expats in the Middle East countries

Abstract

The present scale of labor migration of highly qualified specialists determines the necessity to study the essence and consequences of this social phenomenon. The author offers the sociological interpretation of the concept ‘expat’ and explains its meaning in the empirical study of the adaptation of Russian-speaking expats in the Middle East countries. The relevance of the research in this region is determined, on the one hand, by the attractiveness of the Persian Gulf countries for professional and labor migration, and, on the other hand, by the lack of applied research aimed at considering the peculiarities of adaptation of Russian-speaking specialists and their families to the life in the Arab country. The data were gathered in the survey/interview of specialists and their family members ( n = 50/14) living in the countries of the Middle East. The results indicate that the expats migrate by their own will or by the invitation of the host party through the selection process in English. Expatriates and their families do not experience special difficulties in the adaptation to new living conditions, strive to maintain the traditions of their culture, and actively interact with representatives of the diaspora. In general, expats are satisfied with professional activities, self-realization, and living conditions. However, their family members practically do not work in their specialty though most of them got higher education. The expat family members are mainly employed in the service sector, and their children study in American and English schools and communicate regardless of nationality. Social-cultural adaptation of children is quite successful due to the available conditions - social (parks, playgrounds, beaches) and social-cultural (respectful and friendly attitude).