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Benjamin Franklin said  "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes ."   Attributed to Einstein, " The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax " If understanding taxes is difficult, understanding taxes simultaneously in two different countries is even worse. T here is no supranational authority that  effectively coordinates the definition of tax policies internationally and that is somethig we find out when we become an Expat. Let's start with an example, the tax year is different in many countries:   • Spain: January to December • Australia: July to June • UK: April to April   The beginning and the end of assignments can occur at any time of the year and depending on the day you start or end your expatriation, you will have a different tax tr...

The need for a  visa ( short for the Latin " carta visa")  is a formal barrier that hinders the international mobility of job seekers. It is not the only hurdle we find when we move abroad in search of a professional opportunity, as we also have language, academic validations, social security coverage and cultural barriers. For EU member citizens, our job market has expanded extraordinarily in recent years; currently our labor market is the European Union . Free movement of workers is a fundamental principle of the European Union Treaty that entitles EU citizens  to: look for a job in another EU country     work there without needing a work permit reside there for that purpose stay there even after employment has finished enjoy equal treatment with nationals in access to employment, working conditions and all other social and tax advantages EU nationals may also have certain types of health ...

The Expat Letter represents the formal acceptance of the international assignment. It is important to understand the key aspects of your contract before proceeding with the signature. First, we must be clear on what kind of assignment we are being offered. The most common figure remains the Expatriate : a temporary transfer with return engagement maintaining the economic conditions of the home country providing certain compensation and temporary benefits to the employees and their families during the assignment. However, more and more employees are taking the initiative of working abroad in search of career opportunities or an international experience. In this context, International permanent transfers are gaining momentum: a permanent transfer, which usually means resigning in the home country with economic and labor conditions similar to a local  employee in the country of  destination (this is why i...

Se publicó en noviembre del año pasado un libro dedicado al mundo de la Expatriación "¿Trabajar fuera?" Claves para la expatriación dentro de la Biblioteca FUNDIPE de la Editorial LID (@ lideditorial) .  Se trata de un manual práctico que aborda la Expatriación desde diferentes ángulos: la compensación, los beneficios, aspectos migratorios, laborales, seguridad social, fiscalidad, etc. Me ha gustado el enfoque práctico, y en especial, cómo se deja notar que está escrito por profundos conocedores de la materia. En el libro se describe la evolución de las prácticas de Expatriación en los últimos años y nos da algunas recomendaciones que me parecen muy relevantes en el momento actual. Sin querer desvelar el contenido a los futuros lectores, recojo aquí un par de afirmaciones con las que coincido plenamente:   "A menor improvisación, mayor optimización", destacando la necesidad de planificar las asignaciones para poder optimizar los proceso...

One of the main decisions an Expat has to face is if the family will move to the new country or not. Some  important factors to consider are: Does your husband/wife work? Age of children Conditions in the country of destination Dependents (usually parents of the Expat) The ideal conditions for a family to move would include an attractive city (schools , healthcare, etc. ) , a partner that does not work and children that easily adapt to the new country and can learn the language quickly (experience with small children is often specially good for their immediate adaptation) In the opposite conditions, the decision may be that the family stays in the home country and the expat regularly returns. For example, projects in remote work locations (forest, desert  etc.) or where there are difficult conditions for families to adapt for reasons of safety, health or others. Both approaches can be successful but usually one of the two fits best in each case, as they have...

When making the decision of accepting an Expatriation, personal and family matters are taken into account, and they are just as important as the professional arguments. So when we speak of expatriate compensation, we can not think only of monetary remuneration, we need a broader concept. Total Compensation : This concept emerged in recent years to draw attention to the fact that  remuneration is not only about money (salary, bonus and other benefits,) as training, career development opportunities , recognition, etc. are very important topics that the Company should care about. If we adapt this concept to the world of Expats, we can distinguish three perspectives when analysing Compensation: Professional: learning and improving skills and competencies, formal and informal training, increasing employability , improving career opportunities , etc.  F amily or Personal derived from the experience of the family, including the ability to lea...

It is important to consider how your Expatriation fits in your career plans and what your situation will be at the end of the assignment.  My experience is that one of the most frequent problems for an Expat is the frustration experienced when returning home.  In many cases, it is the result of a combination of factors, including non fulfilled expectations that are known as the  " Expat Syndrome": "The company promised me a promotion at the time of return and now they do not have the promised job for me " "They always said it would provide a boost in my career and I'm back to the same position I was before leaving " "I do not understand how my company does not take advantage of everything I have learned during my stay ," etc. . The Psychological Contract  : The theory of  the " Psychological Contract " would say that the company and the expatriate reach a psychological contract at the b...