GenXpat: The Young Professional's Guide to Making a Successful Life Abroad

by Margaret Malewski

Are you a young, mobile professional looking to start a life abroad? Then GenXpat, The Young Professional's Guide to Making a Successful Life Abroad is the guide for you!Wrapped up in fast-paced careers that increasingly involve travel and frequent international relocation, many young people find themselves bouncing from one exotic assignment to another at the cost of meaningful relationships and a true sense of connection and rootedness. This book is designed to help GenXpats embrace the opportunities and challenges of an overseas assignment while still holding on to the personal fulfillment they need to succeed in their international careers. GenXpat answers questions such as how to optimize contracts, deal with culture shock, build social networks, find romance and prepare to return home smoothly.Margaret Malewski's GenXPat addresses the needs and experiences of the young mobile 'Generation X' individuals and couples (those born between 1964 and 1981), wherever they may come from.-Dr. George Simons, www.dialogin.comMuch of the content of GenXPat runs parallel to common expatriation tools and concepts, with a few notable and important distinctions. The book includes typical relocation information including cost of living calculators, an introduction to culture shock, and things to consider when moving abroad. Drawing on the work of Hall, Hoftstede and Trompenaars, Malewski does a superb job of making cultural differences accessible to those who have yet to experience them by presenting concepts in a clear, concise and jargon-free fashion.-Kate Berardo, www.dialogin.comGenXPat is a guide for young, mobile professionals. It covers many aspects of pursuing a successful overseas career, such as moving, work contracts, relationships, culture shock, social life, and re-entry.-Transitions Abroad MagazineI read The Expert Expat and GenXPat and highly recommend both books. The first was very detailed into how to prepare, plan, move; adjusting, working, culture, language, you name it, it was in there....It's a great book for anyone moving, or thinking of moving abroad. GenXPat was great as well, it focused on people like me, Generation Xers, mostly single, and their own unique experiences, needs and desires. Both books referenced each other a lot, and between the two covered everything. I think these two books are all one needs for a move abroad.-Jennifer Kirk, An American in Hong Kong blog, January 29, 2008ContentsIntroduction1 Making the Decision to Move2 Negotiating Your Contract3 Juggling Work and Logistics on Arrival4 Culture and Culture Shock5 Identifying and Working with Cultural Differences6 Keeping in Touch7 Building Social Networks Abroad8 Dating Across Cultures9 Long-Distance Relationships10 Moving with Your Partner11 Reverse Culture ShockConclusionAppendix The Look-See TripAppendix Cost-of-Living CalculatorWeb ResourcesReferencesIndex

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

insightful guide to the experience of moving countries. it covers cultural differences, transitioning well, work contracts & compensation, re-evaluating values, maintaining (or letting go of) friendships, dating across cultures, long distance relationships, and reverse culture shock.

only limitation of this book is it was written in 2005, for Gen X (1964-1981), so it’s a bit outdated. 20 years have passed and the experience IRL has evolved now.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is really no other book available that outlines the experience of moving abroad from the perspective of a GenXer who is on a relative budget and moving alone or with a non-married partner. Every other book I've found is for high-up executives or wives tasked with relocating their families. The author touches on details like keeping in touch with friends back home, making new friends, abroad, and setting priorities to maintain a life balance--all of which are significant factors for ensure a positive experience. She also outlines various dimensions of culture, what conflicts might occur when the home and host cultures in your work environment are significantly different, and how to remedy miscommunications. I read this book in anticipation of my upcoming move abroad and will definitely bring it with me as a guide while I am in the throws of culture shock. My one complaint is that the book primarily targets corporate managers relocating to Europe. There are some other vignettes about people who move elsewhere, but it read pretty Eurocentric. Nonetheless, there is alot of useful informaiton in here and I highly recommend it for anyone moving abroad or who is working closely with people of different cultural backgrounds.

[Sandra Soetanto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it particularly useful to the young expatriates who are about to be assigned overseas. The author itself has some expatriates experiences in some European country. She described what is the challenges of young professional sent to overseas, start from language, culture, home sickness, to the personal relationship (like, long distance relationship or dating with the person you met in the country you visit). The book also contains some useful tips to prepare ourselves before, during, and after the assignment. The tips it shared about planning some few weeks of our time in the beginning of the assignment are also interesting to be read and applied. I will recommend this book to whoever of the readers who want (or plan) to go overseas for work (as I do).

[David Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this a good book for those who are thinking of or currently working abroad, it also has many good perspectives for those who are making a move across cultural boundaries within the United States; from the Midwest to the South, or North East. With a bit of imagination, this book can also be a very effective tool for members of the DoD who are planning transitioning back into civilian culture. The last chapter, Reverse Culture Shock, is particularly pertinent.

I highly recommend this book.

[Darcey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful book for the "Generation X Expat" (hence GenXpat) - but also for younger relocating people, regardless of their generation. Useful information and an overview of material, particularly for singles or those in relationships but unmarried.

[Amanda Henninger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I encountered some culture shock when I moved to London. This book helped me to better understand what I was feeling and reassured me that what I was experiencing was quite common.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

though i'm technically not a genX-er, this book was pretty informative.

[Adam Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea for a book, but it does not really say much about how to be successful. Most tips are common sense and are not detailed enough to be useful for anyone in this situation.