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 Last year, X-Expats interviewed on the topic of successful expatriation, Nathalie Leroy, founder of the French relocation company Inexpat. In this second part interview, Nathalie discusses with us the practical steps individuals can take to make the return to the country of origin easier. Located in the Paris metropolitan area, Inexpat provides a complete range of services related to international mobility (housing, schools, administrative tasks, immigration, taxes, employment contracts, language courses and any other services on demand). This year, the company will implement a new online case management tool that will allow companies and expatriates to track the status of their cases and access relevant information and documents.
X-Expats: In your experience, when an expat repatriates to his/her home country, which areas require most attention and planning (i.e. housing, children’s education, healthcare, finance)?
Nathalie Leroy: Most of these repatriation issues should be considered before moving. For example, a French family on assignment in Brazil may have children attend a Brazilian school if there is no French school locally. This may become an issue when children need to re-integrate the French education system as they will need equivalent academic credentials.
A solution may be to attend remote courses offered by CNED at the start of the stay abroad, in parallel to the Brazilian education. This applies to local schools as well as to international schools. For other items, one should start planning ahead approximately 6 months before returning to the country of origin.
X-E: Social Security, retirement, taxes…There are a number of issues to deal with when relocating. Which documents and/or information should someone gather prior to the return home?
NL: Documents to collect before returning home depend on the country of residence. If there is an agreement between you home country and your destination country, documents related to retirement and healthcare are to be collected before leaving. If no agreement between the countries exists, you have probably subscribed to a private insurance. The insurance company should be contacted.
X-E: Which questions should an employee ask his/her employer when repatriation is being considered?
NL: Repatriation should be considered prior to the start of the assignment, that is to say conditions of repatriation should be specified in the expatriation contract. The only point that cannot be defined before leaving is career related (i.e. the job description when returning). The employee and home office should keep in touch regularly in order to evaluate what kind of position may be available upon the return that will meet the employee’s needs and capitalize on the new skills acquired during expatriation.
X-E: An employee may repatriate to his/her home country with a spouse or significant other who will be an expat. What are your recommendations to discuss potential assistance for the “trailing spouse” with an employer?
NL: Coming back is not as easy as it appears, especially for the spouse who may not have a job when returning. Depending on the professional or personal project of the spouse, I would recommend dedicated coaching. Professional coaching can help with career issues: how is the employment market in the home country now? How to update one’s cv/resume? What skills have been acquired during expatriation, how to highlight them? And of course provide some assistance to apply for jobs, prepare for interviews, and so on. Personal coaching may help with the challenges of coping with reverse culture shock: Returning to a culture that may have become somehow foreign after spending years abroad, helping the children adjust to the local education system (which is probably very different from the one abroad), getting new friends for both children & spouse, etc. This service can be supported by the expatriate’s employer. Again, expatriates should inquire about assistance as early as possible and plan ahead, before the start of the assignment abroad.
X-E: If a person repatriates due to economic hardships (i.e. layoff), what steps need to be taken before and after the return home?
NL: Arrangements will be different depending on your expatriation contract. If you have a local contract ruled by the company abroad, try to add a contract between you and your home office to define what happens in such cases. This contract could state that you return to your home country and home office in the event of economic hardships abroad. Of course, contractual agreements should be established before expatriation. This situation may be easier to handle within the European Union.
X-E: Housing: How does employment history and/or financial situation affect the process of renting or buying a place?
NL: If you consider the situation in France, it is much easier to rent or buy a flat or a house if you are employed by a company with no time limit (CDI contracts). Otherwise you have to prove that you have a regular income. For renting a flat or house, the net income of the whole family (excluding social or divorce allowances) should be at least 3 times the value of the rent. The owner will only consider your current employment situation, and will check that you have successfully passed your probation period at the beginning of your contract. S/he will require a statement from your employer. For buying a house, and if you need money from the bank, you have to consider the following points: You should have some money beside the loan you ask the bank. You cannot buy with 100% loan. The amount you have to pay to the bank (loan + fees) should not be higher than one third of your net income (including social or divorce allowances). The loan includes the current one (i.e. house) as well as any other debts (i.e. car). If you experienced financial difficulties in the past, you may be blacklisted by the Banque de France. This will create issues when applying for a loan.
X-E: Thank you Nathalie for providing some examples of issues and scenarios. Returning expats will find this bckground information useful to plan ahead.
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