Russian Culture: Best Expat Destinations for a Fulfilling Career

Almost 20% more expats in Russia attempt to learn and use the Russian language on a regular basis which may give an indication of the effort and dedication required to properly assimilate into Russian culture.

Of all the reasons cited by expats for moving abroad one of the most persistent is their career.

It seems that for the right opportunity (and commensurate salary) many of us are willing to relocate to foreign climes.

However there are many factors that need to be considered before accepting such a role.

Certainly the expat package on offer is one factor.

However it’s not just salaries that can vary by country, employer and position. As discussed before each country has their own expectations regarding working hours, for example.

While some expats land on their feet with lower working hours than their home country, others still end up working considerably more.

Then of course if you’re planning to take your family with you there are questions about how family-friendly a destination is, the quality of the education on offer and how easily we, as foreigners, will integrate into a foreign culture.

However one aspect of the expat working life that perhaps hasn’t received as much attention as it deserves is just how fulfilling expats find their new role.

After all, no matter how much you might like a country, or enjoy the salary package on offer, if the job role itself isn’t right for you then you’re unlikely to be totally fulfilled in your new position.

Thanks to the experts at HSBC, and their extensive annual Expat Explorer survey, we can gain an insider’s view of which countries seem to offer expats the most rewarding career opportunities.

So who wins?

In first place, as the most rewarding place to work as an expat, comes Russia. Here almost two thirds of expats claim to find their Russian position more fulfilling than their previous role. Russia also ranks highest amongst those countries surveyed for learning new skills. 62% of those expats surveyed claims they have plenty of chances to acquire new skills.

In addition to these glowing results expats in Russia praise how easy they found it to integrate into the local culture and feel at home. In addition the work culture in Russia ranks highly among respondents.

That said, Russia is not without its negative points.

Almost 20% more expats in Russia attempt to learn and use the Russian language on a regular basis which may give an indication of the effort and dedication required to properly assimilate into Russian culture.

Furthermore it could be argued that if more expats in other countries took the effort to learn the local language then they too might find it easier to integrate into the local culture.

What is perhaps just as interesting as Russia’s towering domination of the job fulfilment category are the runner’s up; the other top five destinations for fulfilling work are all based in South East Asia.

They are, in order, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. So while those expats looking for the most rewarding career move may want to consider Russia as their primary target, it seems that moves to South East Asia are also statistically likely to lead to greater pleasure in one’s work life.