Employing organizations and expatriate spouses: Balancing self-knowledge and knowledge about options

The context in which careers are being played out has changed and is constantly changing, both in domestic employment settings and more particularly in global business environments. Such international business environments highlight career choices often hidden in domestic situations. It is here that the balance between family and career become tangible. The career costs and benefits of taking an overseas assignment for both partners become open to question. This article considers the situation of the accompanying partner and considers their relationship to the expatriate employing organisation. It considers organisations offering career development resources to partners to support their job search abroad. Such provision has often been adopted in response to practical mobility problems on an ad hoc basis. This article looks at how underlying theory may offer guidance to companies offering such provision. © 2001, MCB UP Limited