On January 30, Alix Carnot was in the Spanish capital to meet with expatriates in Madrid and lead a conference on the theme: “Mobility, couples and careers: building a winning team”. An event organized in partnership with Banque Transatlantique and EF Education First.

“Expatriation is an adventure not to be missed. Especially in Madrid!”

Alix Carnot has shown that this phrase can be understood in two ways.

Based on data from the expatriation barometer, with specific focus on Spain, the associate director of Expat Communication presented the keys to a successful expatriation, both on a personal and professional level.

Surveys and testimonials from expatriates show that mobility in Spain is a positive and enriching experience (especially personally and culturally). To come back to the initial problem, you must not “miss” the advantages of expatriation!

However, it is not always easy to strike a balance between the interest of mobility, the career of the person who initiated the mobility, the well-being of the family and the career of the second spouse. Here appears the second meaning of the problem: an expatriation will be “missed” if it is accompanied by too many sacrifices.

The final part of the conference consisted in analyzing the best ways to avoid the pitfalls that can lead to a missed expatriation, both on a personal and professional level?

Thus, using both humor and research, Alix Carnot emphasized the importance of preparation in expatriation. Who would go to sea without a minimum of training? The same is true for expatriation. Careers, spouse follow-up, local employability, impact on pensions, but also communication within the couple… so many subjects to dig into to make the expat couple a winning team. For each of these elements, the speaker suggests avenues to explore.

As the evening progresses, the attention increases, the faces light up when the expatriates particularly identify with what has just been said. Laughter and emotion follow one another. Alix’s talent: putting into words the questions that structure the lives of expatriate couples.

At the end of the conference, one of the participants, director of a local branch, thanked the organization thus:
“I was a bit reluctant to come because I was afraid that the subject would be a bit clichéd. In reality, the talk goes very deep, and always in a positive way. I became aware of what my wife is going through, but also of what has changed for me. It opens up a lot of topics for great discussions for both of us.”

Elements of reflection to be found in the articles of the sites femmexpat.com and expatvalue.com.

Thanks to our partners Banque Transatlantique and EF Education First.