1.

0 INTRODUCTION

Moving abroad and becoming an expat is an exciting prospect. However, it is not

without difficulties. With all of the excitement that comes with starting a new life abroad,
there are a few difficulties that every expatriate will encounter and need to overcome it. This
is because, a life in a new place can bring all kinds of new things to you in term of language,
homesickness, and cultural. Living and having expat as your career comes with a package of
difficulties baggage. No matter how mentally strong you are, you will face difficulties as an
expat at some point and acknowledge how the difficulties of living abroad can make your life
there challenging. Rocke (2017) stated that expatriate usually face difficulties and problems
during the repatriation stage.

According to research made by Tenzer & Schuster (2017) the communication

between English and multiple local languages is particularly difficult for expatriates who
work primarily outside their native language area. Communication is the key to managing an
efficient workforce. As an expat, you need to often clarify, elaborate or rephrase to ensure
comprehension. Therefore, it is widely shown that barrier in language among expatriates will
be top difficulties for most expatriates to face. Not only that, Hamze (2020) suggests that
expatriates encounter numerous difficulties during the international business process because
living in a foreign country creates ongoing and unexpected difficulties for expatriate
managers and their work styles. As a result, cultural barriers may occur, and expats may find
themselves in difficult times that make them feel uncomfortable and confused

The difficulties that expatriates face do not end with a few barriers. They also evolve
when homesickness sets in. Olay & Mahmoud (2020) stated in their research that the issue
of homesickness has long been a neglected subject of study in international human resource
management. This is despite the history's acceptance that expatriates face difficult adjustment
issues (Haslberger et al., 2014), which triggers feelings of separation and feeling homesick
and has been a difficult way to achieve situation (Ward et al., 2005). However, getting
homesick is a very normal process when it comes to living abroad. Though it is a normal
process, homesickness is still a very difficult thing to get pass through especially by the
expatriates who needs to stay at their new places and get used with the new environment no
matter what.

We will underline the evidence on difficulties faced by expatriates in term of

language barrier, cultural adjustment and homesickness. Details will be provided regarding
expatriates difficulties through the literature review, methodology and the theoretical
framework within which studies explored the expatriates difficulties. Major conclusion,
implication and recommendation for future references will be provided and discussed.
Adjusting to life as an expat is very difficult and tough. Therefore, we are preparing this
paper for future expatriates out there to read and prepare themselves with the expatriates
resources by learning the possible difficulties that might occur to you before you decide to
move on becoming an expatriates.
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Ročkė, D. (2017). Expatriation:
Challenges and Success Factors
of an International
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ENVIRONMENT. https://llufb.llu.lv/conference/
Expatriation: Challenges REEP/2017/Latvia-Univ-
EDUCATION.
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Hamze, M. (2020). The

Challenges Facing Expatriate
Managers Working in Foreign
Countries. Management and
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_Foreign_Countries

Santos, L. (2020). Stress,

Burnout, and Turnover Issues of
Black Expatriate Education
Professionals in South Korea: https://go.gale.com/ps/retriev
Social Biases, Discrimination, e.do?tabID=T002&resultList
and Workplace Bullying. Gale Type=RESULT_LIST&searc
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Tenzer, H., & Schuster, T.

(2017). Language Barriers in
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al_Assignments/links/5adf32
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3ca6fdcc29358e0b25/Langua
gnments/links/5adf323ca6fdcc2
ge-Barriers-in-Different-
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in-Different-Forms-of- Assignments.pdf
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Being a foreigner in your own country can be frightening. One might anticipate a
number of issues and difficulties when moving as an expat. Those who live abroad must pick
up on cultural quirks, traditions, mannerisms, and expectations. These things can be
challenging to comprehend as an outsider in a strange nation. It may require some time for an
expat to adjust to their new employment, depending on their personality and circumstances.
The expatriation experience was one framed to be a challenging process. The lived
experiences can be grouped into life and career experiences (Harry, 2019). They won't be
struggling alone, but it is normal to feel overwhelmed by so many changes at once.
Expatriation is accompanied by a number of difficulties that have an impact on both work
and non-work spheres.

The experiences of expatriate academics (EAs) in developing and emerging markets

are mostly ignored by existing studies on EAs. (Richardson, 2018). In light of this, the goal
of this article is to examine the driving forces for EAs accepting employment in Malaysia as
well as their experiences with adjustment and retention while working there. The main issue
raised by this study is how language barriers, a lack of access to health care, and cultural
adjustment of expatriates are viewed as challenges to their performance. For expatriation to
be effective, knowing the answer to the question is crucial. These topics will be covered in
the paper. According to a study, expats' perceptions of the constraints on their work-life
boundaries in foreign environments and their readiness to adapt to the local work-life
boundary culture differ significantly (Bader, A.K., 2018).

During their responsibilities, expatriates deal with a variety of difficulties related to

living and working overseas. The difficulties in transitioning to these environments led to a
spirited discussion about ways to increase effectiveness in the host country and reduce the
failure rate of an expatriate assignment. According to studies, if an expatriate experiences
comfort, psychological satisfaction, and a lack of discomfort in relation to three areas of their
adjustment, they are regarded to have assimilated into the host culture.

Expatriates choose to work and live abroad in a different cultural environment (Goby,
V. P.) which causes them to experience cultural shock, different working standards, diverse
healthcare systems, a diverse culture and language, as well as other living expenses.
Expatriates experience challenges related to their jobs and social transitions. If these
problems are not resolved, the expatriates may get sad and their professional lives will be
impacted, which will have a variety of effects on their performance abroad (X. Zhou & Qin,
J.).

No. Title Citation Reference Index

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C. and Wong, H.- W. (2018), "Expatriate
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du.my/insight/conte
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nt
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Clash of Cultures? Bader, A.K., Froese, F. J. and Kraeh, A. wiley.com/doi/abs/1
German Expatriates' (2018 ), “Clash of cultures? German 0 .1111/emre.12102
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Adjustment in South wiley.com/doi/abs/1
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Richardson,
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academics in du.my/insight/conte
adjustment, and retention", Journal of
Malaysia: nt
5 Management Development, Vol. 37 No. 3,
motivation, /doi/10.1108/JMD-
pp. 299- 308. https://doi.org/10. 1108/JMD-
adjustment, and 12-2017-
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retention 0421/full/html#abst
ra ct

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and expatriate Internation al Journal of Productivity and /doi/10.1108/IJPPM
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