Expats in SA: are you an ‘optimiser’ or ‘travelling spouse’? Or something else?
Expat Insider 2018 research shows that optimisers are in search of a better life abroad, and that they value a good work-life balance and find it easy to settle in
There are seven main "types" of people who leave their home countries for foreign destinations, and South African expats tend to fall into two of these groups. People from Mzansi are generally either "optimisers" or "travelling spouses"‚ according to the latest Expat Insider 2018 research by InterNations‚ which is based on the insights of more than 18‚000 expats living in 187 countries and territories. Internationally‚ the seven most common types of expats are the go-getter (21%)‚ the optimiser (16%)‚ the romantic (12%)‚ the explorer (12%)‚ the foreign assignee (10%)‚ the tavelling spouse (8%) and the student (7%). South Africans rank fourth in the top 10 nations most likely to be optimisers (at 24%) and fifth in the travelling spouse category (13%). "Optimisers simply search for a better life abroad. They value a good work-life balance and find it easy to settle in‚" explained InterNations. More than half (55%) are likely to stay abroad forever. It’s a gloomy fate for travelling sp...
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