Many expats don’t move to a different country by choice. There are several reasons as to why a person would choose to move to a foreign country whose language they can’t even speak.
According to a global annual research that has been conducted by a famous German-based organization, InterNations, there are different kinds of expats. If you are an expat wanting to know which category you fall into, here are the 12 different kinds of expats as listed by InterNations:
1. The Foreign Assignee
The Foreign Assignee is the kind of expat who is sent by their employer to a different country for an assignment. The Foreign Assignees don’t always get a choice in the matter and a lot of the time, they have no choice but to go because of work. So if you are one of those expats who got sent to a country you never wanted to be in, then you are a Foreign Assignee.
2. The Greener Pastures Expat
Have you moved to a country where you felt you found better quality of life? Because if you have, then you are the Greener Pastures Expat. The type of expats who move because of the they consider the quality of life in their home country to be inferior to the quality of life they’ve moved to. They most likely seek financial stability and hope to become stress-free due to the quality of life in the host country.
3. The Romantic
The kind of expat who seeks to become an expat for love. They may not already be in love but may want to move and find someone from the foreign country. If things go right, they may even be willing to settle and spend life in a foreign country. So if you are a hopeless romantic and think you’ll be able to find love in a foreign land, then you are the Romantic expat.
4. The Foreign Recruitee
The ones classified as those who are hired by the employers of the host country because of work. These expats usually know what they are doing as they are the ones who apply for the work. Expats of these kinds are sometimes willing to go back to their countries after the tenure of their work. They may move only for the sake of earning money and to later spend it in their own country.
5. The Adventurer
If there’s anyone on this list who has the most freedom, it is The Adventurer. They are the ones who are always out for adventures and seek challenges and thrills. They may be traveling from one country to another from time to time and may even look to explore dangerous places for the sake of fulfilling their ambitions. If you are out there traveling to different countries as an expat for an adventurous life, then you are The Adventurer.
6. The Family Expat
Heavy-hearted decisions are taken when the couples in a family decide where to live. It is sometimes due to financial reasons and sometimes due to other circumstance involving the family. Not many of them manage to live the life they want to live in the foreign country. If you are an expat with a family, you are more likely to fall under this category.
7. The Student
These are the kind of expats that can be found anywhere. These are young students who choose to enrol into universities or colleges of foreign countries. They tend to stay longer than their tenure as they try to settle to attain a better life in a foreign country and even rush to seek nationality in that particular country. In this quest, many succeed, and many fail.
8. The Dream Destination Expat
The ones who have always dreamt of moving to a country so they can stay there forever are called the Dream Destination Expat. They are also more likely to have an easier time settling compared to the others as they have high affection for the country they want to move to. So if you have always wanted to move to a foreign country and have prepared yourself in advance, then you are the Dream Destination Expat.
9. The Traveling Spouse
In this category of expats, the traveling spouse is supposedly the one who decides to quit one’s job for the sake of moving to their partner’s job in another country. They are the ones who move out of love and responsibility which they believe is the better choice. Normally it is the women who move but in many cases, it can be the man, too.
10. The Career Expat
The ones who are there to seek a good career. Their plan consists of moving to a foreign country to find a stable job and career that will help them settle in the country. Sometimes, they want to start their own business in the host country so they can build a successful career.
11. The Refugee
The ones who are forced to shift to another country. They can find two different ways to survive. Either they can move back after the end of exile or they can find alternative ways to make themselves stay in the host country. Though they are considered to be refugees, many of them end up finding stable jobs that help them get the nationality of the country they’ve forcefully moved to.
12. The Culture Enthusiasts
The kind of expats who are willing to move to a country for the sake of learning the culture of the host country. They may not stay for a long time, as they may also have other cultures to explore. But if they fall in love with the culture, they may end up spending the remainder of their life in the host country.
The Takeaway – Which One Do You Belong to?
Sometimes these types will overlap with each other. You can become half of every type mentioned in the list. So, while you are excited to learn about the category you fall into. You must always remember to be the best of yourself and provide the greater version of yourself to the host country you have moved to. No matter what type you are, as long as you do your best in the country you move to, you’ll watch yourself grow as a person, and that’s all that matters!
