Trailing Spouse Network: Resource for Expat Professionals and Expat Entrepreneurs

It's been an incredibly busy week. I"ve been on travel a lot for work and I am catching up on many fronts, gearing up for my two week holiday to the north of Italy - Lombardy and the Northern Lakes Region. I can't wait! Family is in town and it's been so good to see them. It's a wonderful reminder that although skype video chats are a great way to stay connected, it's important to be proactive about creating opportunities to spend time in person with those we care about most when you are an expatriate.

So on the subject of families and catching up....I recently caught up with Jeff Porter, the Ausmerican and founder of the Trailing Spouse Network (TSN).

Jeff and I first met via a podcast he ran on issues related to trailing spouses back in 2007.  Shortly following that podcast we connected via skype and had discussed the shifting of tides in the career arena for expat spouses and things that could be done to support them.  Jeff was the first male trailing spouse I had the pleasure of meeting, so it was great to hear about some of the trailing spouse issues from a male perspective.  Being an expat career and personal branding coach (and an accompanying spouse myself), I often work with trailing spouses so we had a lot of things to talk about.

It's been a little while since that chat - but the professional support needs of trailing spouses is still a primary concern for both of us.

I'd like to share a little about the work that Jeff has been doing with the TSN for those readers that consider themselves a trailing spouse (or accompanying spouse) - or have a spouse who is struggling to build a professional life abroad.

Rather than just writing a paragraph or two on TSN, I thought I'd let Jeff tell you about it himself:

So Jeff, what is the Trailing Spouse Network and what do you hope it will provide for it's members?

The Trailing Spouse Network is an informal community of expat professionals providing communication and networking about issues they face. The focus is on career and employment, working virtually, building and maintaining a portable business and similar matters.

For those who don't know, could you share what you mean by a "trailing spouse"?

In 2001 I found myself in the position of following my wife on her overseas diplomatic assignments and realised that I would need to either find work in each new location every few years or find a job that I could conduct from anywhere. As I started to research opportunities and to network with others I found that firstly, we have a name for people in this position: the "trailing spouse".  And secondly, although there are many expat resources available, very few specifically address the subject of career, employment and portable business.

Many people cringe at the term 'trailing spouse' I guess because of the negative connatations it conjours up, but it's descriptive. The term can probably be attributed to Mary Bralove in her July 15, 1981 article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Problems of Two-Career Families Start Forcing Businesses to Adapt”.

What inspired you to create this network?

The inspiration is probably founded in my selfish desire to stay productively employed. I'm a natural networker meaning that I have always found it easy to communicate with others, offering information or assistance with the unwritten understanding that the person you are helping may someday help you. The Trailing Spouse Network was formed on this basis- a group of people with a common set of issues available to assist each other where possible.

What kind of person would most benefit from becoming a memeber of the network - what could they gain?

Any expat professional can benefit from the network, as well as people and businesses that have products, services or information of interest. We moderate most information to make sure it stays on-topic and relevant to the community.

Trailing spouses and expat professionals in general are a diverse group, but some common threads have emerged over time. Most face the employment challenge as they prepare to relocate. More often than not, they don't have any networks or relationships in the place they are moving to. Many decide to delay the search for work until they arrive, but establishing relationships with potential employers or business associates takes time, and is further exacerbated by the stresses of moving home, settling the children or the spouse into their roles and finding work becomes a real problem.

Much is written about the stresses of the trailing spouse in these situations. But even if the spouses employer offers family assistance, you are fundamentally left to your own resources to find work. The Trailing Spouse Network has a community of members that can assist. Hooking into the network early and identifying contacts before you move is important.

What kind of things could a person give back or do to support their fellow TSN members?

The goal of the network is to facilitate communication. That can simply be participating in our online news and discussion threads. We also have a podcast program where fellow male trailing spouse  Sean McKee and I talk about expat issues and try to spotlight small businesses run by expat trailing spouses. The best thing is to participate, to network with others and assist where you can, my experience has been that this approach tends to come back to you positively at some point...karma if you will.

You have talked with me a little about the collective body of knowledge, skills and abilities of trailing spouses worldwide that you believe has been left untapped.  Could you share a little bit about these untapped resources and how they could be leveraged by trailing spouses to build more satisfying professional lives?

The demographic of the "typical" trailing spouse has changed dramatically from the stereotypical diplomats wife attending tea parties to the more realistic dual career professional that has given up his or her career to follow their partner to a new location, often overseas and often with no defined time frame for repatriation. These "trailing dpouse professionals" are educated, experienced in a diverse range of industries and skill sets and increasingly male. They often settle with very basic jobs or choose not to work because they can't find anything or language issues, lack of opportunities, short time in the location and other issues prevent them.

There is a latent resource of talented people wanting to apply their skills but unable to do so. Bringing creative people together with problems, ideas and opportunities is a great way to stimulate activity. Collectively however, this network forms a potentially valuable asset of diverse talent that can assist small and medium sized businesses. Many talented trailing spouses work for organizations in their home countries via telework arrangements. I continue to build network relationships with organizations like The ASBC to  provide opportunities through the business and government sector.

I know you have built a number of ways for trailing spouses to connect with one another.  Could you tell us where trailing spouses who want to connect with others should go to access the network?

Our primary presence on the web is: www.TrailingSpouse.NET  but we also utilize other networking platforms: Trailing Spouse Network on LinkedIN  and Trailing Spouse Network on Facebook. 

My Twitter handle is: twitter.com/Ausmerica
My LinkedIn profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/ausmerica

Is there anything else that trailing spouses out there should be aware about regarding TSN?

I'm always looking for people to interview for our podcasts. Trailing spouse professionals or anyone that has products, services or information applicable to expat professionals is always welcome.

Many thanks Jeff for sharing about the Trailing Spouse Network!  I look forward to keeping in touch and hearing more about the network in the coming months!

YOUR EXPAT SUCCESS TIP: If you are a trailing or accompanying spouse, visit the Trailing Spouse Network and see what resources might support your journey towards finding a job abroad or working overseas!