Leaving and experiencing: why academics expatriate and how they experience expatriation

Abstract

Globalisation has led to increasing international mobility amongst business and education professionals. Whilst expatriate management literature focuses on expatriate assignment of corporate executives, expatriate academics remain an under researched group. Higher education literature has focused on internationalisation of education systems, notably the growth in international strategic alliances between universities, and mobility amongst students. Therefore compared with what is known about the student body, very little is known about the experiences of internationally mobile academics. Drawing on a qualitative study of academics, this paper evaluates the use of metaphor for understanding the “motivation to go” overseas and the “experience” of expatriation. It evaluates four metaphors which have emerged from the study for expatriating and four others for the experience of expatriation. Finally it suggests that the voluntary, self‐selecting expatriate should be much more extensively researched.

The moral challenge of expatriate employment in developing countries

“…Different metaphors have been used to explain the motivating grounds for selfinitiated expatriation (Richardson & McKenna 2002, 2003Selmer & Lauring 2010;Doherty, Dickmann, and Mills 2011). The primary reasons for this type of expatriation are considered to be: 1) explorer instinct, 2) fleeing the familiar, 3) quest for better wages and 4) career development considerations.…”

Using narratives to understand the motivational factors and experience of being a self-initiated academic expatriate in South Africa

“…Within the British context, the need for adventure or travel has been found to be a factor that influences movement of skills (Richardson & Mallon, 2005;Richardson & McKenna, 2002). In another study, the need for financial gain and the quest for career development opportunities have been found to influence the movement of younger academics to leave their home countries (Selmer & Lauring, 2010).…”

“…In addition, through good resources and facilities, participants were able to advance and develop their careers (Andresen et al, 2012). Participants of this research can be viewed as refugees who are architects and mercenaries (Fitzgerald & Howe-Walsh, 2008;Richardson & McKenna, 2002). This research revealed that SiEs are not solely driven by the desirability of the job, but rather the poor economic and political conditions in their home countries.…”

“…Further, the role of environmental and social phenomena on this experience is argued to be important in enhancing the expatriate experience (e.g. Richardson, 2006Richardson, , 2009Richardson & Mallon, 2005;Richardson & McKenna, 2002;Richardson & Zikic, 2007;Selmer & Lauring, 2010).…”

Reverse flow in academic mobility from core to periphery: motivations of international faculty working in Kazakhstan

“…Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses as researchers attempt to control a variable (host or home country) in order to emphasize either brain drain or brain gain. For example, one study examined 30 British academics who work around the world (Richardson and McKenna 2002) while another examined foreign academics who work in South Korea (Kim 2016). This literature review first covers scholarly works that deal with internationally mobile academics followed by studies on mobile professionals in general.…”