8 January 2015

Expat Ennui

Expat life is wonderful – it gives us so many opportunities we might not otherwise get.  We have lived and grown to know other cultures, learned other languages.  Our children have made friends from more countries than we would have thought possible and the opportunities for travel are, quite simply, fantastic and, for the most part, I love it.

Who wouldn't want to live here....

The employed spouse gets to advance their career with high profile, challenging positions.  The children get an international education at excellent schools but what about the trailing spouse?  I have been thinking about this a lot in recent weeks.  We left the UK to pursue my husband’s career.  The opportunity was too good to pass up but it has meant a significant career sacrifice on my part.

This experience is by no means unusual.  Some trailing spouses relish the opportunities to relax, study, read or play sports that the expat lifestyle offers.  Some countries allow spouses to work – and indeed I did work successfully in Kazakhstan albeit that it was in a series of ‘jobs’ rather than in my established career.  The result being my CV, not unlike that of many trailing spouses, is eclectic and unusual. 

Most of the online resources for trailing spouses list a number of solutions.  Work from home (fine if you are a qualified transciptionist, programmer etc not so much if your field is not one that allows or can be adapted to telecommute).  Studying works if there is distance learning available in your chosen field.  Volunteer, again fine to fill in CV gaps and time in the day and it can be fulfilling but you are essentially paying to use your time not being paid for it.  Enjoy time with the kids – I love my time with my children and decided to stop commuting between the UK and Kazakhstan (which I did for over a year) as my absences were too hard on them.  I similarly declined an offer to stay in Kazakhstan for work and commute to Malaysia for holidays although I might have been tempted if the job had been in my professional field as I do want to work. 

Expat life means you get to live in some out of the way places...

This is an acknowledged problem for many large international companies – postings work better when the whole family is happy and some employers have spousal support networks or provide training/retraining.  This is a problem that will only increase as time goes on.  When my parents were expats my mother worked in some postings (she was a special needs and English teacher) but not others depending on whether she wanted to.  It was not common, however, for spouses to work and single income families were still the norm in most ‘home’ countries.  These days’ dual income families are the norm and even if two incomes are not required financially many trailing spouses, like me, invest a lot of their personal worth in their professional achievements. 

I noticed, as 2015 rolled over, that I have been feeling that sense of ennui that comes with the lack of a defined role in life.  This is probably also connected to the 2015 general election in the UK – had we remained there I would likely be fighting that election in a seat with a reasonable chance of success (I stood for a major party in the 2010 election).  Our baby is still very young and I love having time with her.  I don’t want to spend too much time away but I do want to do something with my days. 

And have some fascinating experiences...

Here in Miri I am a stay at home mother, my professional identity is gone.  A large part of my self worth is tied up in my professional and political persona – I studied and worked for years to become that person.  A part of me thinks that I should be running for parliament and instead I am baking brownies! (And having some down right wonderful adventures as well to be fair).

I don’t want to succumb to ennui, the reality is that Miri is not a good location for spousal employment opportunities. Rather than let this get to me too much I shall be looking, slowly but surely, for something to do with my time, hopefully something that ties in to my long term career plans or interests.  Just setting that goal made me feel a lot better I have something to search for and work towards while still enjoying my time with my family (and my very tasty brownies).  My first step has been to get copies of my old diving qualifications so that I can get my skills reviewed and start diving again.

That way I know I can truly enjoy all this wonderful life has to offer.  

This post is part of Seychelles Mama's monthly link up 'My Expat Family'.  It showcases some of the very best expat blogs on the web so do pop along and read some of the other brilliant blogs.....

Click  on the picture for more posts on the challenges of expat life.

Ersatz Expat


Seychelles Mama


Expat Life Linky

16 comments:

  1. As always a wonderful post. How amazing that you were so heavily involved in politics back in the UK, I love that I have learned that about you! It's such a shame that it can be so hard for the 'traveling spouse' to work, I can only imagine how for someone like you whose field is so specific and as you say not at all work from home appropriate it must be really frustrating!!

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    1. Yep I was quite actively involved. Not being able to stand this year was one of the big negatives about taking our family abroad. It is worth it on so many other levels though and I can always start up again when we move back.

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  2. This is so spot on! Funnily enough, I dusted down my diving qualifications when we lived in St Lucia, where there was very little else for me to do. I loved the fact that everytime I went diving (leaving the children with my husband) I felt a bit like the "old, independent me" - the one who thought nothing of travelling the world on my own. I look forward to reading more from you.

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    1. I loved diving - before the kids were born I was going to get my twin-set and trimix qualifications, I really wanted to dive Scapa Flow. I won't do that until the kids are much older now but I want to get my Divemaster qual back so I can help teach our son to dive.

      Looking at your blog it seems as though you have some very similar experiences to me! There are a lot of us serial expats out there it seems! I am also looking forward to reading your thoughts, particularly on your new move. Hope you get to dive there and do some interesting travelling.

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  3. I also come from a family of expats with a mum who sacrificed her career for my dad's, following him around the world and thereby giving me and my siblings an amazing childhood. But what totally flabbergasts me is that back in 1966 when she married my dad she was NOT ALLOWED to work! This was not Saudi, this was the rule of the British Foreign Office who didn't allow working spouses (who back then were basically all wives). By the time they changed the rules her skills were so outdated that she never went back to paid work. Times have thankfully changed in this respect! I've continued the exat lifestyle but so far have always been able to work where I've lived. I take my hat off to you for finding the positive in your unusual situation. Like Chantelle said, it's fascinating to find out you were in politics in UK. Enjoy your diving.

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    1. Thanks Phoebe - I know crazy wasn't it. My Grandmother was with the Irish Civil Service and she suffered from the same problem. We are so lucky we live today!

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  4. That is tough. I am lucky that moving to the UK from the USA meant that I could work and develop my career. It has been good for you to add more unusual jobs to your CV, but hopefully you can find something fulfilling very soon!

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    1. Thanks! In some ways it was my own fault for going into a very limited field. If I had my time again I would probably have chosen a less jurisdiction specific area of the law than litigation! I do love it though...

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  5. I know what you mean about feeling ennui. When I moved from UK to USA 14 years ago I birthed two kids and was too busy to care that much that I wasn't working. But later on I got a bit pissed off that I wasn't allowed to work even though I'm not a career girl by any means. I just think if you can't work you go a bit cuckoo! Although I did publish a book etc etc and in 2012 got the right to work and launched an art career and got a job so it all worked out well before I ended up in the funny farm !

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    1. Congratulations on the book. Are you enjoying your new career?

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  6. The same ennui has been on my mind lately too. For most of the four year we've been in Italy I've been able to continue my career on a freelance basis, so I've been very lucky. However, as we will move again later this year for my husband's job, the reality I have to face up to is that I may have to stop working. It may only be for a while, as I work out a new tax system and find childcare solutions for my son. The idea stills makes me nervous though. I also attach great importance to my professional identity, and I worry any extended break will affect my relationship with my clients, myself, my husband.
    It really is a common and important problem for trailing spouses, and one that isn't at all easy to fix. I do hope you'll find something to lift the ennui!

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    1. Thanks Eline - ditto hope it works out for you if when you move. Tax situations are nightmare to sort out!

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  7. I can relate to this so much. I have struggled, and still do struggle, with the loss of identity that becoming a trailing spouse brings. Blogging has helped, but unless I turn that into 'work' it isn't quite enough. I am happy with the decision to move to the US and in all honesty wouldn't want to go back to what I did before (I was an engineer and project manager), but it is strange to have no career. To be fair to my husband, for the first ten years of our relationship it was my job that was the priority, so it is his turn :) There is no easy solution, is there? I hope you find what you need to lift your mood xx #myexpatfamily

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    1. Thanks Sara - it is strange isn't it to have such a big change. I am not sure I want to go back to working 17 hour days at a London Law firm but I do want to do something! Something will come along- it usually does at the most unexpected times....

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  8. It must be difficult feeling like you gave so much up for your partner to persue his career. It's tough having to change your plans for someone else and when so much of your identity is tied up in what you used to do as well. I hope that you can find that thing that makes you happy. :)

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    1. Thanks Stacey - I wouldn't swap that decision for the world but it does grate at times!

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