Canadians Working Abroad

Canadians Working Abroad

Throughout the world there are various ways for business to be conducted. Companies have many options at their discretion; one such way is to send an employee to another country as an expatriate (expat). When an expat is sent from Canada to another country, the company and the expat have various steps to consider before the assignment. The employee will be experiencing another country, learning valuable information about their customs, and practicing foreign business. This information can be brought back to the home country and shared with the rest of the firm in an effort to increase international knowledge. Nevertheless, the expat may experience culture shock, change in living conditions, and varied business practices. In this report we have researched Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, and Brazil in relation to Canada.

We have discovered many noteworthy facts regarding the five countries we have researched. Australia is favourable to business and expats because of the large economic growth and similarities with the American and Canadian customs. However, the cost of living is somewhat more expensive than in North America. From our research of Singapore we have coined it the "Jewel of Asia"; Singapore is globally connected and very innovative in their business practices. We have found information that convinces us that a potential expat in Singapore will experience a great degree of culture shock. The United Kingdom strength lies in the similarity of access to large companies and local customs to North America. However, for potential female expats there is an evident glass ceiling that will limit the potential growth within a company. Brazil is known for their hospitality and carefree attitude that encourages cultural differences. However, entering the job market is very difficult and requires extensive research and local networking. Expats in Canada my experience varying struggles to adapt depending on where they are from.