Relocate Global Spring 2014

FOR HR , GLOBAL MANAGERS & RELOCATION PROFESSIONALS

Re:locate G

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EUROPE FOCUS

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Extended digital edition out March 2014 relocateglobal.com | 1

THIS IS

Re:locate We are committed to quality journalism, the exchange of ideas, tracking growth and enterprise, and the provision of data and market intelligence to support the management of global teams and promote the highest-quality relocation experience.

PRINT & DIGITAL

WEBSITES

Re:locate is published quarterly and available in digital format via the website. Special industry focus and country supplements are being introduced in print and digital format. Re:locate GLOBAL regional editions will be available via the website, starting with Europe and Asia Pacific.

Our new website for HR, global managers and relocation professionals, relocatemagazine.com, is visited by international decision-makers and professionals from across the spectrum of HR, global and domestic mobility, global management and relocation. Don’t miss our specialist jobs board for relocation professionals.

WEBINARS

Introducing our exciting social media website, Connect & Grow.

New series for 2014, including women leaders, Millennials, talent and mobility, and country analysis.

E-NEWSLETTERS

Our online newsletter, Re:locate Extra, keeps you in touch with top stories, news and events. New this year: subjectspecific e-newsletters covering property, education, and regions.

AWARDS

The most prestigious awards in the sector.

To be launched later in 2014, our new global website for relocating employees and their families, Smart Move (smartmoverelocate.com), will offer reassurance and practical advice on topics from property and schools to lifestyle and partners’ career options.

APPS

Look out for our new range of apps and mobile websites, launching in 2014.

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and grow with “ Connect Re:locate in 2014! ”

s another year gets underway, and with it another conference season, we thought this was a good opportunity to share with our global audience some of our new developments.

With its worldwide audience of HR, global managers and relocation professionals, Re:locate is uniquely placed to bring together all sides of the relocation equation. That’s why we’re embarking on a powerful new initiative to connect the different strands of global mobility across our communities and across geographical regions, with the aim of working together to grow globally, solve problems, and enjoy being part of this fast-growing sector.

Participation in Connect & Grow is open to everyone involved in managing global teams, managing international assignments or domestic relocation, or supporting employees and their families who are making a move. See p14 for details of how you can get involved and join in at candgglobal.com.

And, with our Re:locate Awards 2013/14 entry deadline of Friday 28 February fast approaching, it’s time to reflect on your successes and challenges, submit your entry, and get the recognition you deserve! Enter yourself, your team, or your company for one of our 12 categories, which include four brand new ones. Both HR and service providers from across the profession, from organisations of all sizes, are warmly invited to take part. Entering is easy, and free.

Further information on p10.

Please keep in touch and share with us what is happening in your region of the world. Let us know what industry sectors you would like us to cover, what challenges you face, and your burning issues.

Fiona Murchie Managing Editor editorial@relocatemagazine.com

ENTER NOW!

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The Team

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Managing Editor: Fiona Murchie editorial@relocatemagazine.com

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Editor: Louise Whitson

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© 2014. Re:locate is published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. ISSN 1743-9566.

2014

THE YEAR AHEAD IN EUROPE

The next 12 months will see Europe hoping to strengthen its modest economic recovery, but may also see the rise of Euro-sceptic political parties as high unemployment feeds disenchantment with the status quo from Amsterdam to Athens.

Ray Furlong reports.

4 | Re:locate GLOBAL

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he good news is that much of Europe is growing again, and there’s good reason to expect this to continue. But it will not be dramatic.

According to the European Commission, Germany, the powerhouse of the continent, will manage 1.7 per cent GDP growth in 2014. France, the second-largest Eurozone economy, will be something of a ball and chain – predicting just 0.9 per cent after narrowly avoiding a double-dip recession.

Spain and Italy will be back in positive numbers, and to see two of the Eurozone’s problem countries in growth is a small but significant turnaround that will boost morale.

But it’s way too small to create a jobs boom, meaning unemployment will remain a huge problem in the Eurozone.

Sickly banks and weak domestic demand will continue to put a drag on growth.

Alongside this, a number of countries are seeing a rise in support for populist and anti-establishment parties which may do well in elections to the European Parliament in May. In the UK, it’s just UKIP. In France, it’s more sinister: Marine Le Pen’s Front National is expected to be one of the big political winners of 2014. Opinion polls last year showed it winning as much as 25 per cent of the vote, making it the strongest single party in France for the first time.

Of course, polls are polls – elections can be different.

But the party is still making strong ground as France struggles economically.

Ms Le Pen has made common cause with Gert Wilders in the Netherlands, forming an alliance aimed at weakening the European Union.

This does not represent a fundamental shift in political power on the old continent, but it creates an unsightly backdrop for mainstream politicians as they seek to reboot the European economy and the EU’s institutions.

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is providing another headache – threatening a future referendum on leaving the bloc if key EU rules are not changed.

He does have some influential sympathisers, foremost among them Germany’s Angela Merkel. But nobody sees his agenda as a priority.

While all this goes on, to the East there are still those who look favourably towards the EU. Latvia became the 18th member of the Eurozone on New Year’s Day. There are still protesters braving the freezing winter weather on the streets of Kiev, waving EU flags and calling for their country to reverse a decision to delay a trade deal with Brussels.

Turkey too, remains committed to joining the EU, although it faces a highly uncertain year ahead amid a scandal that has seen several cabinet ministers resign after their children were accused of corruption.

For the first time, Turkey’s mercurial prime minister, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, looks rattled. His first key test

will come with municipal elections in March, followed by a presidential poll in August. The economy, at least, is still doing well, and this is set to continue.

Elections won’t be the only keenly-observed votes of 2014. Referenda in Scotland and possibly Catalonia on independence will have Europeans of many stripes biting their nails. Separatists in Flanders, Corsica, and the Basque Country could be encouraged or discouraged by the results.

And finally, watch out for change at the very top in 2014 – as the EU appoints a new commission, head of council and foreign policy chief. The process will be, like so many things in Europe, long, tortuous and fudged. But whoever dines well in Brussels, the real shots will continue to be called in Berlin.

In the Spring 2014 issue of Re:locate magazine (out mid March), Ray Furlong examines the impact of EU corruption on organisations doing business across the continent.

RAY FURLONG

Ray is a freelance news presenter, writer and reporter. He spent 16 years at the BBC, covering a range of UK and international stories for radio, television and online. He presents The Newsroom on the BBC World Service, and has reported extensively from Russia and Eastern Europe.

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a

UK HOUSE PRICES

‘UP ACROSS ALL REGIONS IN 2013’ Last year was an eventful one for the struggling UK property market, as new government initiatives were implemented, confidence started to return, and prices rose across the board.

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ll parts of the UK saw annual increases in house prices during 2013, according to the latest edition of the Nationwide building society’s quarterly regional house-price index.

London continued to lead the way, with growth that neared 15 per cent in the fourth quarter of the year. The North remained the worst-performing region.

According to the index, the average house price is now £174,444, an annual percentage change of 7.1 per cent and a quarterly change of 2.7 per cent.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said, “The price of a typical UK house rose by 2.7 per cent in Q4 2013, after allowing for seasonal effects. Prices were up 7.1 per cent over the year as a whole.

“House-price growth continued to accelerate in London, reaching 14.9 per cent, the highest growth rate since Q1 2010. Prices in London are now 14 per cent above their 2007 peak, with the price of a typical London home at £345,186.

“Prices in Northern Ireland were up 7.0 per cent year

6 | Re:locate GLOBAL

on year, although from a low base, with Q4 2012 marking the trough in the prolonged downturn in the province’s house prices. Indeed, prices in Northern Ireland are still around half the level prevailing in late 2007.

“Scotland saw a 3.7 per cent annual increase in prices.

Wales saw a pick-up in annual price growth to 6.1 per cent, from 3.6 per cent in Q3.

“Amongst the English regions, the South of England and the Midlands continued to outperform the North.

“Outside London, the Outer Metropolitan was the strongest performing region, with annual price growth of 8.6 per cent, whilst the North continued to be the weakest English and also UK region, with prices up 1.9 per cent over the year.”

In the Spring 2014 issue of Re:locate magazine (out mid March), we’ll report on how this year is shaping for the UK property market.

Our welcoming committee for your international assignees and their families It’s nice to know they’ve got a friend As an international family moving to the UK, it’s nice to know that they will be supported in not just their banking requirements, but also in settling their family into the UK. Our personal service to help them through the account opening process and new NatWest Global Employee Banking website means they’ve always got a friend ready to lend a helping hand! Helpful guides on everything from banking in the UK and education for their children to family days out plus our superb online and mobile banking. We’re here to make sure their move is as smooth as possible.

natwestglobal.com

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relocateglobal.com | 7

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THINK TANK SAYS BRITAIN NEEDS TO FOSTER EU ALLIANCES

DAVID SAPSTED

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The UK will need to find more allies across Europe if it is to secure changes in EU policies, particularly on freedom of movement rules, a think tank has said.

ritish Influence, a pro-EU think tank, said that while Britain’s influence in Brussels was much more effective than the public believed, Prime Minister David Cameron did not have sufficient support in other European capitals to achieve meaningful change to freedom of movement rules.

The report, drawn up by a panel whose members included former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind and exLiberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, said that countries such as Germany and the Netherlands shared concerns about so-called benefit tourism, but added, “The UK will need support from a wider group of member states, including some in central and eastern Europe, if it is to alter the rules in significant ways.”

An analysis for British Influence showed that, while the UK was on track to meet 90 per cent of its policy goals within the EU, a poll for the group showed that almost two-thirds of Britons believed the nation had little or no influence in Brussels.

The YouGov poll also found that 65 per cent of Britons believed France and Germany called the shots within the EU, with a similar proportion believing British aims were “mostly or always rejected”.

Peter Wilding, director of British Influence, said, “This

perception gap is due to some sort of ‘victim syndrome’ with our EU membership. In focus groups, voters told us that Britain was ‘insignificant’ and ‘losing against the Germans and French’.

“In fact, the scorecard shows that Britain has more impact on key EU decisions than the public perceives and is on track to achieve 90 per cent of its policy goals. Voters are crying out for stronger leadership from Britain in Europe.”

Commenting on the report, Laetitia van den Assum, the Dutch ambassador in London, joined the call for Britain to adopt a less hostile approach to the EU. She said Britain had “always been a critical force for change within the EU”, but added, “It should lead probably much more as one of 28, who wants to use arguments and facts in order to bring others around to its points of view.

“It should not try to dictate that unless it gets what it thinks it needs, it will leave.”

In the Spring 2014 issue of Re:locate magazine (out mid March), David Sapsted will look at prospects for the upcoming European Parliament elections.

David Sapsted is a former correspondent for The Times and The Daily Telegraph and writes daily for Re:locate online.

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ENTER TODAY! The closing date for entries is fast approaching, so it’s time to submit your entry for relocation’s premier awards.

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s global growth continues, your talent will be in demand to meet evolving business needs and increasingly complex relocation challenges.

Celebrate your successes, raise your organisation’s profile, impress potential customers and investors, improve business planning, and enhance your employer brand by entering this year’s Re:locate Awards.

These prestigious awards, which have grown from year to year, celebrate the contribution made to global business by relocation, reward those who make a difference in this field, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. As well as recognising those in HR roles, they pay tribute to the expertise of the wealth of service providers, from relocation management companies to financial and property professionals, who, together, make up this diverse industry Organisations of all types and sizes, from the UK and beyond, will benefit from entering. With a choice of awards for HR and service providers, including four exciting new categories for 2013/14, there’s sure to be one that’s right for you.

10 | Re:locate | Winter 2013/14

NEW CATEGORIES We’ve introduced four exciting new categories for this year’s awards.

1. B est Managing or Growing Talent Initiative – For HR and mobility professionals managing domestic or international assignments, and talent management, recruitment and resourcing teams.

2. Financial Support & Innovation – For providers of specialist financial support to corporate clients and/or their relocating employees.

3. I mmigration Team of the Year – For providers of specialist immigration support to companies relocating employees. Both suppliers and corporate immigration departments are eligible.

4. Global Health & Wellness – For the wide range of providers of health and wellness solutions.

Employers may enter their in-house wellness schemes.

For full details, see relocatemagazine.com/awards

AWARD CATEGORIES TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN RELOCATION INSPIRATIONAL HR TEAM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Cartus

HOW TO ENTER 3 EASY STEPS

1. Visit relocatemagazine.com and sign up for our awards newsletter and webinars.

2. Download an entry form.

BEST MANAGING OR GROWING TALENT INITIATIVE

NEW

BEST HR & SUPPLIER STRATEGY OR TEAM RELOCATION SERVICE PROVIDER OR TEAM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Skyline Worldwide

3. Submit your completed entry form by email.

BEST PROPERTY PROVIDER OR SOLUTION FINANCIAL SUPPORT & INNOVATION

NEW

NEW IMMIGRATION TEAM OF THE YEAR GLOBAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

NEW

EXCELLENCE IN EMPLOYEE & FAMILY SUPPORT Sponsored by Weichert Workforce Mobility

WHY ENTER? Share expertise and good practice, and receive the recognition you deserve! You can highlight work in progress, not just completed projects.

These awards really are the ones to win.

For HR people, they’re the ideal opportunity to demonstrate how you and your team have been rising innovatively to the latest mobility challenges, whether you are managing long-term, short-term or any other type of assignment. Show us how you are managing new markets, supporting talent and diversity, or dealing creatively with assignees’ property requirements.

There’s plenty of scope for suppliers, too.

Previous supplier winners have found that, as well as providing recognition for a job well done, their award has been a valuable marketing tool and PR opportunity

BEST INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION SERVICES PROVIDER RELOCATION PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

KEY DATES ENTRY DEADLINE Friday 28 Februar y 2014* GALA AWARDS DINNER Wednesday 14 May 2014

*Overseas entrants new to the awards: please contact us if you need a deadline extension

relocatemagazine.com | 11

SECTION HEADING

THE POWER OF

GLOBAL In the Winter 2013/14 issue of Re:locate magazine, we considered whether a partnership between talent and mobility was the solution for companies seeking global growth.

David Schofield, of Murray Court Consulting, continues the discussion.

12 | Re:locate GLOBAL

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hose working in global mobility (GM) are in a privileged position – because global mobility truly has the power to contribute to both the business success of organisations and the career and personal development desires of their people.

Having worked in GM for many years, I believe the key to unlocking this power lies in a partnership between it and talent management (TM). Organisations which make this work can give themselves clear market advantage, and will be better able to attract the best people.

Of course, we need to be clear from the outset what is meant by ‘talent management’. John Hopkins University’s Office of Talent Management and Organisation Development defines it as “a set of integrated organisational HR processes designed to attract, develop, motivate and retain productive, engaged employees. The goal of talent management is to create a high-performance, sustainable organisation that meets its strategic and operational goals and objectives”.

This definition shows that TM is targeted not just at a few high-flyers, but at the wider workforce. It also firmly connects talent management to the achievement of the organisation’s strategic business objectives and to what employees want.

The true value of the GM/TM partnership was shown at October’s Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Symposium in Dallas. Re:locate magazine Winter 2013/14 highlighted an excellent session in which Angela Lane, vice president

EY’s global director of human capital, Dina Pyron, said, “Mobility professionals can play a more effective role in strategic business planning, rather than focusing on immediate needs, to drive competitive advantage for their organisation. Mobility needs to be seen as a tool to enhance the talent pool, not simply an easy way to fill a vacancy without strategic insight. The function must be connected or integrated with the talent management team.”

However, some organisations are taking a more proactive approach. I moderated a session at the WERC Dallas symposium where the global mobility and talent management partnership came vividly to life. The two speakers were Coeni van Beek, PwC’s global managing director for key talent, and Gary Baker, its global managing director for global mobility.

While PwC is a very big organisation, their insights should be applicable across a wide range of businesses.

Coeni van Beek and Gary Baker identified a number of factors which support the successful integration of talent management and global mobility, including: • Both GM and TM strategy must be driven by the organisation’s strategy and business objectives • As well as reacting to the business drivers behind global mobility, you need to respond to what is motivating individuals • GM and TM leaders should meet regularly, by phone or virtually if not in person, to share current priorities

MOBILITY

in partnership with talent management of talent management at AbbVie, positioned GM as a “vital lever within a fully fledged talent strategy”. And WERC has responded to the increasing awareness that mobility needs to be a critical component of a well-managed talent programme by introducing a new Strategic Talent Mobility module to its Global Mobility Specialist training programme.

Unfortunately, many organisations do not at present seem to recognise the need for global mobility and talent management functions to cooperate closely. A recent Ernst & Young (EY) global mobility study, Your talent in motion, found that more than half of mobility executives working in multinational companies played no role in talent management and wider business objectives.

• The full range of global mobility options should be used • Mobility should be positioned as one of a suite of ways of developing your talent • Metrics must be established and monitored It is clear that organisations as diverse as AbbVie and PwC feel that the integration of GM and TM is adding value.

Read the full version of this article, including the top ten essential features of successful global mobility programmes, in the Spring 2014 issue of Re:locate magazine (out mid March).

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candgglobal.com With its worldwide audience of HR, global managers and relocation professionals, Re:locate is uniquely placed to bring together all sides of the relocation equation.

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uring 2014 and beyond, we will be generating online dialogues and events for our audience.

These will be supported by webinars and articles across our media, including the Re:locate website and our new social media website.

The aim is to leverage collective intelligence on global mobility and relocation, widen the profession, and reach out to colleagues around the world.

It’s all about generating more value, innovation, creativity and enterprise, and working together to solve some of the challenges of fast-paced global growth.

Participation is open to everyone involved in managing global teams, managing international assignments or domestic relocation, or supporting employees and their families who are making a move.

14 | Re:locate GLOBAL

Meeting the challenges of global business To support global growth, we need to understand where people have knowledge gaps, what their challenges are, and what they would find most useful. We can do this by engaging, working together, sharing knowledge and creating solutions.

Re:locate will then report on that and feed it back into the chain, so we are helping to map out what global growth is all about in 2014 from the mobility perspective, and how it has impacted the different regions in which it is happening.

We can help you make the connections to grow your business, support your people and come up with innovative solutions. We’ll provide the tools you need to contribute and start conversations – all in one place. The rest is up to you!

CONNECT & GROW: THE CONVERSATION Each group will use the following as a springboard for discussion:

‘What are the challenges of global growth for your sector?’

1

Discuss, in the widest sense, ‘Why does global growth matter?’ and ‘What are the biggest impediments to global growth?’.

2

Brainstorm ‘How do we provide practical and innovative/creative solutions?’.

3

Develop the most promising ideas and produce templates for others to follow.

4

Share the knowledge.

5

Feed back what the implications are for sustainable global growth.

6

Drill down to the next level, start the next conversation.

7

Widen the discussion.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED 1

Look at the Re:locate website for articles on and around Connect & Grow.

2

Log on to our new social media website, candgglobal.com.

3

Engage with interest groups (see below) across the key themes of people, innovation and creativity, and enterprise – and start interacting!

KEY INTEREST GROUPS PEOPLE

UK

HR

ASIA PACIFIC

INNOVATION / CREATIVITY

ENTERPRISE

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

EMPLOYEE & FAMILY SUPPORT

EUROPE

EDUCATION

TALENT

PROPERTY

AMERICAS

relocateglobal.com | 15

HOT TOPIC

CLOSING

BETWEEN TALENT MANAGEMENT & MOBILITY

THE GAP The Winter 2013/14 issue of Re:locate magazine set the stage for the next act in global mobility, where the organisation of talent will play an even more vital role in how businesses respond to global megatrends. Ruth Holmes spoke to Re:locate’s resident mobility experts about key issues to consider.

W

hen it comes to relocation and global mobility, we can add ‘more moves and more change’ to the familiar certainties in life of death and taxes – as well as, no doubt, even more complex tax conundrums.

“I keep thinking that mobility should get easier the more it happens, but in fact the reverse is true,” observes Laraine Nee, an independent relocation consultant with around 30 years’ experience moving families and individuals, mostly as head of the global mobility function at one of the largest global oil companies.

Even with established outsourced providers offering effective turnkey solutions for the gamut of processes each individual move entails, the sheer volume and diversity of assignments now taking place means that HR teams and businesses potentially risk losing the insight and policy overview that truly reinforce and bring to life the link between mobility, talent management and assignment objectives.

Closing the circle “Global mobility (GM), talent management (TM) and HR need to be thought of as a continuous interlinked circle, but all too often they are seen to be separate,” says Laraine Nee. “Businesses quite rightly have to focus on what it delivers, and if HR and GM aren’t part if this, then the

business will suffer. All too often, this is the result of poor leadership and lack of management buy-in.

Consultant Clare Harrison, who has also experienced at first hand the seismic changes in mobility practices and helped award-winning companies adapt to them, adds, “Where GM and HR can help is by working together to become a centre of excellence that links into the most senior levels, helping to seamlessly pre-empt and support strategic needs around the whole talent management and assignment life cycle, including repatriation.”

Now a well-established freelance consultant, Clare Harrison spent a large part of her career in the mobility team of a major global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, and has managed a wide range of programmes and initiatives – from culture change programmes to new policies that address demographic change, domestic group moves and responding to new assignment types in policies.

“On the surface, amending mobility practices and policies seems to be relatively straightforward. But changes often have unintended consequences, both in regard to how relocatees’ experience them and in terms of compliance, tax and management practicalities,” she says.

“It is very easy for leaders to underestimate the complexity of what is needed from a mobility and HR perspective. This makes changing or implementing mobility policies a far more costly process than it needs to be.” continues overleaf

16 | Re:locate GLOBAL

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Re:locate policy and practice advisory It is with this in mind that Re:locate is launching a brandnew service that offers independent project resourcing on HR mobility issues, from full programme design, implementation and operation, to policy review and advice.

Its aim is to guide firms of all sizes, some of which are perhaps new to mobility, to deliver a strategic, cost-effective and workable solution that enables the company and its employees to deliver on their objectives and in a compliant way across borders.

Experienced consultants can provide support in all areas of global and domestic mobility, including relocation strategy and policy, processes and policy, vendor review, and project management, communications and training.

Workshops and seminars are also available.

Says Clare Harrison, “As a group of consultants, we have covered most of the scenarios facing HR and mobility teams

Clare Harrison and Laraine Nee

today, including delivering change management, mobility practices after merger and addressing demographic change.

“Being independent, we are able to really look at the overarching strategic thinking, question the rationale behind policies and really drill down to the key issues.”

For details, call Vanessa McConnell on +44 (0)1892 891334, or email vanessa@relocatemagazine.com

PARTNER CAREER CONCERNS TOP THE RELOCATION AGENDA

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s a host of surveys show, dual-career concerns are a key reason for employees to refuse a relocation – and for assignments to fail. That’s why clever companies include careers coaching as part of their partner-assistance programmes.

Re:locate’s new, affordable career-development and job-search resource for relocating partners can help you to retain key talent, reduce failed assignments, and enhance your employer brand.

Developed by careers-advice professionals, and combined with relocation expertise built up over 20 years, Re:locate Careers is a new web-based resource that’s designed to support career change and transition for partners accompanying an employee on a relocation or international assignment.

With communication provided through Skype, telephone and email, this flexible, comprehensive and tailored service makes careers coaching affordable. It offers the flexibility to upgrade to face-to-face coaching as budget, individual need, and geographical location allow.

Who can benefit?

Re:locate Careers is suitable for relocating partners at all levels of the career ladder, from returners to work

18 | Re:locate GLOBAL

to senior executives, and addresses international career issues. It’s also ideal for outplacement, and to support employees working with their employers to ensure their international assignment provides career development.

Areas of support can include: • Personal coach offering an objective, professional perspective • CV development and review • Interview technique coaching • Job-search assistance • Networking guidance

How is the service provided?

Re:locate Careers combines support from experienced careers professionals with a content-rich careerdevelopment and job-search web-based resource which can be accessed by all relocating partners, wherever they are located, in the UK or overseas, at any time.

It is available instantly, to get them started ahead of the move, at the beginning of the relocation process, or on arrival at their new destination.

Website access can be supplemented by group workshops on specific topics, plus individual face-toface support or additional hours of remote coaching.

We offer a range of flexible, affordable options. For more information, call Vanessa McConnell on +44 (0)1892 891334, or email vanessa@relocatemagazine.com relocatemagazine.com/careers

Watch the ACS film

More than just a school Families just know when a relocation works. Whether you are a mom or dad, toddler or teenager, HR or relocation professional, from Texas or Tokyo, when all the pieces come together, it can deliver one of life’s most rewarding experiences. ACS understands the complex needs of globally mobile families. We have partnered the relocation industry since 1967 to meet the individual needs of international families.

Our campus-specific Admissions, Housing and Transport experts work closely with parent-assisted Welcome Teams, International Groups, Parent/Teacher Organisations and Buddy programmes to create a smooth, seamless and happy transition. That is why each year literally hundreds of families from more than 70 countries make ACS ‘the’ bespoke solution to their educational and lifestyle needs.

To find out more about us, and our world renowned programmes, please visit www.acs-schools.com. Alternatively call either ACS Cobham +44 (0)1932 869744, ACS Egham +44 (0)1784 430611, ACS Hillingdon +44 (0)1895 818402. ACS schools are non-sectarian and co-educational (day and boarding) for students 2 to 18 years of age.

relocateglobal.com | 19

ENABLING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL LEADERS?

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION As they embark on their careers, today’s school-leavers and new graduates will be navigating a world of global opportunities. Rebecca Marriage looks at how international schools around the world are preparing the next generation of global citizens for the challenges that lie ahead.

T

here is no denying that today’s graduates and school-leavers are entering a truly global marketplace. Expectations of graduates are higher than ever before, and the skills that are demanded of new recruits are evolving fast to compete in this ‘boundaryless’ business world. While children of parents making an international move might find the upheaval and change of school unsettling, experts suggest that the internationalmindedness and cultural agility that naturally follow a successful international relocation could help to equip them with the skills required to succeed in a global business world.

“I think we’re starting to see a particular generation where they think of themselves as, quite literally, world citizens,” a spokesperson from Prudential said in the report Global Graduates into Global Leaders by the Council for Industry and Higher Education. “I don’t mean conceptually.

I mean they see the world as boundary-less: that they are able to move, shift, work anywhere, and do anything.”

By virtue of the pace of technological change and their evolving world view, today’s generation of schoolchildren seems to be well poised to take advantage of an expanding global marketplace. But, argues Rachael Westgarth, director of development at Round Square, an association of globally

20 | Re:locate | Autumn 2013

networked international schools, students at international schools are at a distinct advantage.

“Arguably, the ‘iGeneration’, regardless of schooling, is entirely unencumbered by geographic boundaries,” says Ms Westgarth. “Via Facebook, any young person is as likely to be effortlessly communicating with someone on the other side of the world as with someone in the next street.

“However, Round Square would argue very strongly that there is no substitute for learning by doing. In our experience, in general, students in international schools have a broader knowledge and understanding of the world than their non-international-school counterparts. At its most basic level, the process of daily school life – living and studying alongside students from other countries and cultures – brings with it freedom to develop a degree of intercultural understanding and acceptance that cannot be replicated through any other means.”

Equipping children to become global citizens One of the most popular options for families relocating with children is an international school teaching either the curriculum of their home country or an international

curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), owing to the ease of transition and the international transferability of the learning programmes offered.

Speaking at this year’s Council of British International Schools (COBIS) annual conference, Mick Waters, professor of education at the University of Wolverhampton, spoke about his belief that international schools had the right skills and philosophy to help develop true global citizens. “Across the globe, international schools deliver that ‘rounded’ school experience,” he said. “They are really good at the things that are often left out of state schools across the world – how you use contacts, network, develop the etiquette to take you across new thresholds and help you cope with new experiences.”

Rachael Westgarth also believes that student’s exposure to different cultures is a powerful force in advocating and promoting international understanding. “Students from all nationalities are welcomed into each school,” she says.

“They are taught to appreciate, value and respect all cultures, religions and languages. Students learn to see themselves as global citizens and are asked to look beyond gender, class, race, nationality and culture to understand human nature.”

What employers want from today’s school-leavers Speaking at the Worldwide ERC Global Workforce Summit in Shanghia this year, Kimberly-Clark’s HR director for China, Naomi Monteiro, outlined what she believed were the qualities required of today’s graduates and schoolleavers. “We are looking for top talent who want to be global leaders. We certainly don’t want them to be worried about what country they live in. Quite often, these young people don’t have a conception of where they come from, because they were born somewhere different from their parents, and now live somewhere else.” In the future, she predicted, people will be even more ‘agnostic’ about where they come from, and that, she felt, is great for building global leaders.

Claire Snowdon, UK co-chair of Families in Global Transition, has observed the close alignment between the key competencies needed in the world of work and the International Baccalaureate Programme, which is taught in

many international schools across the world. These include, says Ms Snowdon, “the ability to work collaboratively with teams from a range of backgrounds and countries, excellent communication skills, both speaking and listening, an ability to embrace multiple perspectives and challenge thinking, and an ability to influence clients across the globe from different cultures. Time and again, we find that some of the key skills and competencies are the focus of the IB programme.”

An international curriculum Clive Pierrepont, director of communications for school group Taaleem in the United Arab Emirates, believes that, in an IB school, these competencies are fundamental and are lived and taught as part of everyday life. In fact, says Tim Waley, principal of Taaleem’s Uptown School, Dubai, “The whole cultural basis for our existence exemplifies these ideals. Staff, students and parents relate very closely to them, and as such they remain shared and expected outcomes from an education here. We see these, and others, that provide an ethical, civil and internationally educational package for young people as being integral to success in the world in which our graduates will live.”

Henk van Hout, head of education services for Shell, oversees the company’s education policy and maintains nine Shell Schools around the world, which provide education for the children of Shell staff. He believes that parents of children in Shell Schools already have an international attitude; they’ve chosen an international career and so tend to have an international mindset to learning.

“Most of Shell’s international workforce are doing multiple international assignments, and this is why the curriculum the children study needs to be compatible wherever they are based, and also needs to be designed to help children to adapt to different education systems. When the International Primary Curriculum was designed, one of the underlying objectives was the adaptability of learning so that it would be relevant for all children of all nationalities.”

British education: global expansion Meanwhile, branches of highly regarded independent schools are quickly establishing foreign campuses, and many British-run schools have been offering a British education to globally mobile families for years. In 2012, there were 1.4 million pupils studying at British Schools Overseas; this includes around 19,000 who were studying at overseas campuses of UK independent schools. The number of students at English-medium schools worldwide is forecast to increase to over 4.4 million in 2017 and to nearly 6.2 million in 2022.

Whether they offer a British education adapted for the international market or a learning programme designed around the successful transferability of learning for globally mobile families, what schools teaching international students seem to have in common is a level of adaptability and flexibility to meet ever-evolving needs.

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Our experts and contributors Meet the team...

RAY FURLONG

Ray is a freelance news presenter, writer and reporter. He spent 16 years at the BBC, covering a range of UK and international stories for radio, television and online. He presents The Newsroom on the BBC World Service, and has reported extensively from Russia and Eastern Europe.

RUTH HOLMES

Ruth has written for Re:locate for seven years, having joined from The Work Foundation’s editorial and publishing team.

She focuses primarily on the HR aspect of global mobility, writing articles on talent management, pay and benefits, and the intergenerational workforce. Her interest in international HR also regularly sees her following emerging economy developments in Asia and Africa.

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Fiona is Re:locate’s publisher and managing editor. She has more than 25 years’ experience working in management and HR publishing and global mobility. From this unique perspective, she contributes features to both the magazine and website, and commissions content across the media.

DAVID SAPSTED

David is a former chief reporter on The Times, and news editor and New York correspondent on The Daily Telegraph.

He was UK correspondent of The National, an Englishlanguage daily in the UAE.

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MARK E JOHNSON

Mark is a writer and journalist who has been covering the rapidly growing videogames industry for the last six years. He also writes about technology and business. He contributes to a range of blogs, including The Guardian and Athletics Weekly.

REBECCA MARRIAGE

Rebecca is Re:locate’s education editor, and has worked in education publishing and communications for more than 15 years, including at the Department for Education. She writes regularly on international education considerations and school choices for globally mobile families.

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Louise is a writer, editor and journalist with a background in book and magazine publishing, marketing and PR. As well as editing Re:locate magazine, she contributes news and articles on a range of subjects to the magazine and its website, specialising in property and related fields.

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