The career transitions of expatriate partners and the effects of transitions on career identities

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine expatriate partners’ career identities in the context of long-term expatriate assignments. Drawing on in depth interviews with 27 Finnish accompanying expatriate partners, the study explores how partners make sense of their career identities in the self-narratives, or stories they tell about themselves, in their changed situation. The study findings identify four narrative types which were labelled as ‘Stable career identities’, ‘Threatened career identities’, ‘Lost career identities’, and ‘Emerging new career identities’. The results indicate that international assignments have a considerable impact on expatriate partners´ career identity reconstruction. The results also highlight the importance of partners’ career self-management skills prior to and during the relocation, and partners’ self-directed activity whilst abroad.