Expatriation, while a great professional opportunity, is a temporary upheaval in a person’s life.
Negotiating the terms and conditions of your expatriation will help you limit the potential obstacles that can arise when you leave to work abroad.
Negotiating your status while abroad
Your status will depend on the length of your stay abroad and the company you will be working for. In other words, if you are on secondment or considered an expatriate.
The status of expatriate must be distinguished from that of seconded worker. Seconded workers retain their employment contract with their home company. With expatriation, the worker signs a local employment contract. He therefore only contributes to the local scheme.
Negotiate your salary and social benefits
If expatriation means promotion, you can negotiate your salary in addition to expatriation benefits.
– Check with your employer how much you would have earned if you had stayed in your home country. In other words, the gross salary you received before being sent abroad.
– Find out what the reference salary is in your host country (equivalent to what a local national would earn in a similar position). You should also find out about benchmark salaries in other countries and internationally, after which you’ll be able to more easily assess the salary you’re entitled to.
– Negotiate a salary net of local social charges. Find out about the stability of the currency in which your remuneration is paid, and consider introducing safeguards to limit changes in the exchange rate.
Expatriation bonus. There are different types of bonuses:
– The hardship allowance for destinations that are difficult to reach because of their dangerous or politically unstable situation. Also due to climatic conditions and a lack of satisfactory school and health infrastructures.
– Mobility bonus paid at the beginning and end of the assignment.
– The cost-of-living premium for expensive destinations.
– The installation bonus to finance initial expenses on site.
Social security coverage (health for the whole family, unemployment and pension contributions) must also be addressed. The loss of social protection rights in the country of origin, if partially or not at all compensated by the host country’s system, results in a virtual loss of income for the employee. The latter will have to take out private insurance. As a result, the future expatriate can negotiate, for example, the coverage of supplementary health insurance for himself and his family on site.
Negotiating benefits during expatriation
Help with moving and settling in abroad
– Housing assistance
– Moving assistance
– Transport assistance
Help for the family
– Taking care of children’s schooling
– For spousal employment
– Maintaining personal ties
Social protection during expatriation
The status of expatriate employee necessarily implies a change in social security coverage. This social protection abroad takes into account all the mechanisms of providence which concern the disease, the invalidity, the unemployment, the pension…
As for health insurance, healthcare costs vary from one country to another and can be very expensive; taking out additional expatriate health insurance is highly recommended. Mondassur, an international health insurance broker for 20 years, offers a range of insurance solutions, including GoldExpat for expatriates. By taking out GoldExpat insurance, expatriates can be sure of excellent worldwide coverage for their travels.
Negotiating the conditions of return to the country of origin
Negotiating the conditions of return from the outset allows you to leave with peace of mind. Indeed, the best way to successfully reintegrate after a medium- or long-term expatriate assignment is to settle the conditions before you leave.
Once you’ve settled abroad, you need to maintain a relationship with the company. Regular exchanges with superiors and colleagues will facilitate a return on good terms.
In addition, check with your HR department to make sure you’ll be able to find another job within the company when you return. You can also negotiate training courses for yourself and assistance for your spouse’s return to work.
Employer’s obligations
The expatriation of employees implies several duties on the part of the employer. Duties such as the duty to inform and the duty of safety.
The employer’s first obligation is to provide the employee with a suitable employment contract. Depending on the duration and conditions of the assignment. In addition, the obligation to provide information. Employers are required to inform employees that they wish to send them abroad to work before they leave. He is also responsible for communicating the health and safety conditions in the host country.
Finally, the employer also has a safety obligation, which goes beyond the professional sphere. Specialized insurance therefore seems necessary. Where the employee has been seconded to a subsidiary based abroad, the employer also has a duty to repatriate and reintegrate the employee.
