Dual Career Couples
With the increasing numbers of women who now have professional careers, there are growing numbers of dual-career couples, where both partners are in employment. Whether it is the male or female partner who gets a job in a different country, the decision to work overseas can be complicated for those who are being accompanied by families or partners.

In some cases, the expatriate's partner or family may not accompany them abroad. This is especially common when the overseas work is for a short period only, and the move would cause disruption to children's education or to a partner's own career. The expatriate's company should finance regular trips home or regular overseas visits for the family.

The reluctance of an accompanying partner to sustain disruption to their own income and career prospects is today a major constraint on relocation, and a factor which must increasingly be taken into account. The accompanying partner's adjustment problems, whether or not they are also in employment, can have a detrimental effect on the expatriate's adjustment and performance at work, and also their commitment to staying in an overseas assignment.

In general, the adjustment process of an accompanying partner tends to be difficult and prolonged if they do not have employment in the new country. This is mainly due to the lack of the social contact and networks which develop in and outside the workplace. While the working partner's role is ongoing and with adjustment facilitated by organisational support, a partner who does not go out to work in the host country can feel very isolated.

For a partner accustomed to full-time professional career, an enforced career break can be a frustrating experience. If the accompanying partner is a national of an EU member state, they have the same legal right to work as their partner. However, it may still prove difficult for an accompanying partner to find employment in the host country. There may be difficulties with the recognition of their professional qualifications, or they may even be unable to continue working in the host country due to local employment restrictions, particularly if they are not an EU national. They may be forced to break with their previous career and find alternative employment, which usually involves a salary reduction, loss of seniority, and less satisfying work. They may fall behind on professional training and skills specific to their career, suffer a loss of earnings, and also diminished pension benefits.

There are steps that accompanying partners can take to find employment in the host country, and/or to facilitate a return to their career upon repatriation. In some cases, the company of the expatriate partner can assist with these:

An assessment of career or employment possibilities in the host country prior to relocation
Career counselling, to make the period spent abroad a positive step, even if it necessitates a temporary change of career
Involvement in volunteer activities
Compensation from the expatriate's organisation for the accompanying partner's lost income and pension due to a career break
Organisational and financial assistance from the expatriate's organisation with education and retraining, to compensate for the accompanying partner's career break
Employment of accompanying partner within the expatriate's organisation
Accessing corporate data banks for information about job vacancies, or education and re-training opportunities
Approaching recruitment consultants and employment agencies in the host country or via the Internet. The expatriate's company can sometimes reimburse costs associated with this.

The accompanying partner can also refer to the relevant chapter of this handbook for basic advice on how to seek employment in the host country in question.