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ITV1 is currently working on the Second Series of "No Place Like Home", a documentary
looking at British Expats who are thinking about returning home. It's a
straightforward, feel-good programme, simply investigating the dilemma that many
expats face, and will hopefully be of help to anyone who is considering going
back to the UK.
They are looking to start filming in June and the show will be on air
in November 2008 on ITV.
Fever Media, the company in charge of the programme, has sent us this announcement:
ARE YOU A BRIT LIVING ABROAD
ARE YOU MISSING THE UK?
IN A DILEMMA ABOUT WHETHER TO COME HOME TO THE UK?
If the answer is YES to any of these questions then we want you!
We are making a documentary series about expats called ‘No Place Like Home?’ We are keen to hear from British families who are living abroad, but are now thinking about returning permanently to Britain.
Perhaps you miss your family and friends, or could you be longing for the simple things? The sense of humour, the warm beer & the proper cuppa!
BUT...You're also concerned that you might regret leaving all the good things about living abroad if you do go back to the UK.
We are offering you the opportunity to explore the reality of coming home by flying you back to the UK to ‘test-drive’ life in Britain.
This fact-finding visit will give you the opportunity to see loved ones but also equip you with the knowledge to make an informed decision about whether to remain an expat or return to the UK for good.
You’ll be flown back to the UK and given the opportunity to ‘test-drive’ the reality of living in the UK.
Relocation expert Catherine Gee will give you the information you need to make an informed decision about whether to remain an expat or come home for good.
If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact Kaaj Mehta as soon as possible by email: kaajal.mehta @fevermedia.co.uk
Or call +44 (0) 207 428 5755
You’ve moved into your
new house, gone shopping, explored the town center, visited the library,
marveled at the architecture and then that nagging question looms up again,
“What do I do now?” You’re friendless, jobless, clueless. But not to worry,
things aren’t that hopeless. Here’s what you can do to keep your sanity and
maybe even your career on the right track!
Start with the
language: You’ll feel extremely proud of yourself in your first week
in your new home country. This might have something to do with the fact that
you can utter your own version of ‘good morning’ and ‘thank you’ in the local
language. Unfortunately there’s more to it than those two precious words. If
you plan to stay in your new country for more than a year, join a language course.
The sooner you learn the language, the faster you get on with life. Most
companies sponsor private courses for expatriate spouses. This however depends
on the contract, company and the country you’re living in. If it’s not part of
the deal, check your options on the internet. Most language schools tend to be
in centrally located areas. Take a stroll in the city centre and you’re bound
to stumble upon one of them.
The benefits of the language course are twofold. Not only do
you actually start communicating in the local language and feeling more at home,
you also meet other spouses/partners in the same situation as you. This
normally forms the basis of a friendship circle that lasts much longer than
your stay in the country.
Volunteer work:
Though it doesn’t pay any bills, it certainly keeps you out of the straight
jacket! Most countries should have volunteer opportunities available and this
is a great way to soft launch yourself into the ‘working’ world. When picking
your volunteering job, see if you can angle for something related to what you
used to do at home. E.g. if you have a marketing background and you’re
volunteering at an orphanage, see if you can help create flyers for them or
help them update their website or add an English section to it. This way,
you’ll still be able to keep in touch with what you used to do.
Volunteering is also a fantastic opportunity to brush up
your language skills. Think of it this way, you help them with a good cause and
they return the favour by letting you practice their language. Plus, there’s
always the big benefit of actually meeting humans other than your partner. And
last but definitely not the least, it does feel good when you’re doing
something good. Below is a link to an International Volunteer Organisation but
you can be sure to find more in your new country. http://www.unitedplanet.org/quest.html
Freelance:
The internet is incredible and it’s a fantastic solution for expatriate
spouses. For those who can string sentences together, freelance writing is an
obvious option. Tons of websites these days also offer a number of
opportunities for designers, consultants, technical writers etc. Set time aside
to sort through the jobs and pick the ones you think you’re best suited for.
This could be a great way to keep your portfolio and experience growing. A word
of advice… these things could take time. Trick is to be patient and learn from
your experience. Depending on your area of expertise, you may or may not
require a license to be a freelancer. For more information, you can contact
your local Chamber of Commerce. One site to check out for freelance
opportunities is www.guru.com
Study: Always wanted to
study but didn’t have the time? This break could be the perfect time to
tuck away a degree or pursue that MBA. You could opt to do a distance
course, full time course or short-term courses. Also make sure you check
scholarship opportunities. You never know if you might be eligible for
one. And if that’s not enough, here’s another good reason to use this
break to study – tax benefits. An interesting way to save while you learn.
Develop a new skill: For an
expatriate spouse, survival is not only of the fittest but also of the
most flexible. Explore new options, dig out old hobbies and see if you can
convert them into careers, take a short course in whatever interests you
and start something small. Watch the local market for opportunities and fill
them with your skills.
English: If all else fails,
there’s always something you can do with English. From translation jobs to
freelance writing (like this article) to teaching English, pick what
you’re comfortable with, join a quick course to brush up on your skills
(if you need it) and go for it!
It’s never easy starting out in a new country. But, if
you’re open to new ideas, flexible, enthusiastic and willing to go the extra
mile, there’s always something. Even for the expat spouse!
India is booming. With a rapidly developing economy, the country is attracting both foreign capital and talent with equal ease. With a GDP of approximately 8.5% growth this year, India offers an optimism only few others can match. This has led to a profusion of jobs at all levels in a variety of sectors. It is estimated that this year alone, India will create about 1025000 new jobs, an impressive figure that’s only marginally lower than the previous year. And here’s the best news… the growth is not concentrated in just one area but has had a spill-over effect into a range of different sectors. Let’s take a deeper look at the hottest sectors in one of the hottest economies today.
Real estate: Property prices are soaring in India. In some cases, prices have doubled in less than 2 years! This has led to a spur of real estate development projects and a corresponding rise in careers in this sector. Infrastructure development has also caused a spurt in hiring activity as many real estate companies vie for infrastructure development projects that fall under public-private partnerships.
Hospitality: The increasing affluence of the local population combined with the growing numbers of foreign tourist has propelled the growth of the hospitality industry. There is an estimated 430,000 new jobs that will be created in this sector alone.
Retail: The retail sector in India is poised to see a surge in action this year. Major international players like Wal-Mart and Carrefour are set to enter the market. Transforming the retail market in India will be a challenging job and one that will offer many opportunities for locals and foreigners alike.
Health care: As the population grows, the demand for high quality healthcare increases. This sector is now booming thanks to corporations opening branded hospitals and spreading their networks beyond the metropolitan cities. This has resulted in a vast number of openings for highly qualified people in the healthcare sector.
BPO: Despite the sub prime crisis in the US, there is an optimistic mood in the outsourcing industry. Smaller cities like Vishakapatnam, Nagpur, Chandigarh are expected to be the emerging hotspots.
IT: Funnily enough, if there is a slowdown in any sector, it will be in IT. Salary at the junior levels in this sector has stabilized and there is a 3% dip in average salary for engineering positions compared with the same time next year. But there is still a huge demand for talent especially in roles as technical architects or product managers.
Finance, Banking, Insurance: If all the above sectors are growing, they will need some help from the banking industry to provide them with finances and ensure that their assets are properly insured. Hence, needless to say, the banking and financial industry is a thriving, action-packed place to be in right now.
Number of opportunities for locals and expatriates in India
As is obvious, there are a number of opportunities for locals and expatriates in India. Some of the key talents, advantages and experience that expatriates can bring with them are:
Foreign languages and understanding of foreign cultures: As more Indian companies increase their reach and conduct business internationally, more opportunities arise for the ‘bridge’ between countries. A good knowledge of foreign languages like German, French, Spanish etc and an understanding of their cultures can come in handy.
Specialist skills: From design to supply chain logistics, there are a number of specialist skills that people from the developed economies can bring and share with the Indian market.
Management Skills: Top level management and best-practices from other countries and sectors to improve and leapfrog development in the Indian sectors.
Key roles and opportunities: While most of the Western countries are in a ‘slow’ mode, Indian companies are in high drive and offer opportunities and challenges that are difficult to find elsewhere. These jobs also let you play a key role with daily access to decision makers.
Challenges to watch out for
Working in India is not a complete bed of roses though. There are a number of challenges that expatriates to India need to be aware of. Key among them include:
Work permits: Though expatriates might be able to land jobs and work permits in India, their spouse doesn’t automatically get working permits as well.
Comparatively low salaries: Even a good pay package in India will be a poor package compared to US or the West. Typically, a competitive Indian package will be about 25%-30% of an average US salary. Having said that, the value of the income will be much more than the value of salary earned in the US.
Competition: There is tough competition from a well educated middle class who will work at Indian pay. So you really need to be able to bring something different to the table.
Connections: Personal connections and networking are still the best ways to land a job in India. Without this, it might be a bit tougher to break into the market.
Despite the challenges, the benefits make for a rewarding experience. If India sounds like an interesting stop for your next job, log onto http://www.expat-list.siteblast.com/
Germany has long
been a shrine for beer lovers from around the world. Two of the biggest
and
most popular beer festivals in the world take place in Germany. The
most popular is Munich’s world renowned Oktoberfest which strangely
enough takes place
in September. The second most famous beer festival is the Stuttgart
Beer
Festival. There are officially two Stuttgart festivals, one in spring
and one
in autumn. And here’s the good news – the Stuttgart Spring Festival is
just
around the corner. Let’s take a look at these three big and happening
places to
be if you enjoy guzzling gallons of your favourite brew.
Stuttgart Spring Beer Festival
This is an annual fair that will be taking place in Stuttgart from April 12th to May 5th
this year. It will be happening
in the traditional fair grounds of Stuttgart’s Bad Cansstatt district.
This is
a slightly smaller version of the autumn festival but none-the-less,
it’s big
enough to attract the attention of beer lovers from across Germany and
Europe.
Some of its key attractions are its live bands, huge Ferris
wheel, roller
coasters and of course the unending flow of freshly brewed beer. All in
all, a
fantastic way to get ready for the beer season.
This is the second biggest beer festival in the world, second only to the Oktoberfest. This year,
it will be taking place between September 26th and October 12th
in Bad Canstatt, Stuttgart. This festival, also known as the Bad Canstatter Volksfest
started in 1818 when King Wilhelm 1 sponsored the festival after years of
hunger. Today, it attracts millions of visitors and houses seven huge beer
tents.
Key attractions include the world’s largest mobile Ferris wheel, tons of
roller coasters and rides, the French village where visitors enjoy a touch of
French food and music, a grand parade which traditionally takes place on the
first Sunday of the festival, fireworks on the 3rd October (which is
the German Reunification Day) and of course, an unending supply of beer.
When one thinks of Oktoberfest, images of crowded beer
tents, huge beer mugs handled by big bosomed women in drendils and men
in lederhozen come to mind. All of which is true. But no words can truly
describe the experience of thousands of people crammed in a huge carnival
atmosphere enjoying the lively Bavarian music and its equally popular brew.
Each year over six million visitors throng to the Oktoberfest to be part
of this heady experience.
This year the Oktoberfest starts on September
22nd and offers its visitors a rollicking time till the end on 7th
October. Key attractions include live music, costume parades, fun fair rides
and roller coasters and an open-air music concert. If you’re looking for an
experience you’re not likely to forget, head for the Oktoberfest this
year.
HSBC Bank International today unveils an ambitious project to conduct the largest ever survey of expats.
The project aims to give more than 2000 expats across four continents the opportunity to have their say on what life is really like for people living and working away from home. The survey will look at opportunities that come with starting a new life in a foreign country away from home, and the challenges and difficulties that they may face at home and at work.
The survey will also reveal how new technology helps expats start their new lives and manage their professional and social affairs. It will also find out how expatriate children’s lives differ from the lives of the friends they leave behind.
Paul Say, Head of Marketing and Communications at HSBC Bank International, said: “Living in foreign countries means expats often don't have the normal outlets to express their point of view about their unique lifestyle. This project aims to gather these viewpoints and capture them on an unprecedented scale. As well as giving voice to the expat population, the study will provide new insight on their needs which will help HSBC Bank International to improve its services and products for its customers.”
Feel free to complete the survey. In the future, you will see, on EasyExpat's blog, exclusive interviews and access to results for the expat community.
Europe was founded on principles of tolerance and freedom of
movement for the population and the business. Brussels was lobbying the
European Community to become the host of most of the European
institutions and is now broadly seen as the capital of Europe.
Therefore, it is awkward to see that it is actually in the country
symbol of Europe (one of the sixth founders), and mainly in the
neighbourhood of the main city, that we observe now all the signs of
communitarian and racism.
One country, 2 languages, no unity
There are 3 linguistic communities in
Belgium: Flanders (with 6 millions inhabitants - but not all speaking Dutch), Wallonia (3.4
millions), Brussels-Capital (1 million) and some Eastern cantons speaking German (70,000). Contrary
to what you might think, the country is not bilingual, but apply two
strict monolingualism: in Flanders, the official language is Dutch,
in Wallonia the official language is French. only Brussels-Capital
(city of Brussels + additional neighbourhood) is officially bilingual.
In order to make things more complex, Brussels is inhabited by more
than 80% of non-Dutch speakers, but is located in Flemish territory.
The
"lingual" border follow a line that can start from about Tourcoing (in
France) to Maastricht (in the Netherlands). Initially, at the birth of
Belgium, in 1830, the country was meant to speak French, as it was the
most important language at the time, and symbol of modernity. However
from that early date it ignored that actually 60% of the country was
not made by French speakers. This is the law of 8th November 1962 that
fixes the boundaries and the 19 counties in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Amongst those limits, the law defined 6 counties in the area of
Brussels, 10 along the lingual border and in the German areas, where
inhabitants can address the local authorities in their language,
disregarding whereas they are located in Flanders or in Wallonia.
Nowadays, in addition to the language complexity, there is an economic
reasons that push the Flemish part of Belgium to demand for more
autonomy: unemployment is 17.7% in Wallonia (20.9% in Brussels) but
only 6.43% in Flanders. And because of fund transfer within the
country, the Northern territories (with a local Flemish government) are actually subsidising the French
speaking areas in the South (with a French-speaking government).
Linguistic discrimination
Since the last election, with the government of Yves Leterme (or the
body he tried to form following the victory of his party at the
national election in 2007), the Flemish appetite has proven to be
hungrier than ever.
The Flanders government has voted, since last
May, a new text aiming to remove the French names from Flanders:
amongst the 39 cities that were hisorically named in both languages,
the road signs will appear now in Dutch only, i.e Bruges will be only
Brugge (easy), Courtrai will only be Kortrijk (more difficult) and Montaigu only Scherpenheuvel-Zichem.
In
the area of Brussels-Capital, the cities of Brussel-Halle-Vilvoorde
(Dutch), Bruxelles-Halle Vilvorde-(French) or BHV represent a
district formed by Brussels (bilingual) and Halle-Vilvoorde (Flemish).
Historically, there was always facilities to speak French in the latest
2 areas (one knows that Flemish speak better French than Wallons
speak Dutch). However recently, due to vows of Flemish
authorities, it seems that nobody will understand you if you speak
French in any official building (as the city hall) - or at least it
looks like they understand perfectly but cannot speak it. However there
is no problem to discuss the same matter in English.
Since
December 2006, the Wooncode (Flemish accommodation law) states that it
is necessary to speak Dutch - or at least willing to do so -
in Flanders, to be able to apply for a social accommodation (council
flat). In addition, in some areas in Flanders such as Zaventem,
Volvoorde, Zemst or Hoeilaart, the sale of land to promotion price is
now reserved to Dutch-speakers (which means also, for the Flemish
community, people born in Flanders) or people following language
courses in a registered school.
In March, the local authorities
of Liedekerke (22km from Brussels) have decided the non Dutch-speaking
children from 6-12 will be excluded from the playground areas. Other
decisions have been taken such as to forbid any mention of French on
the outside boards in cities of the bilingual zone of Halle-Vilvoorde
(you cannot display A VENDRE on you property anymore and must write in
Dutch TE KOOP, but apparently you can show SALE or any other language but French) or to punish children
who speak French even in playground at schools located in Flanders.
Other example, in Overijse, the local council have decided to suppress
the French writing part of the monument engraved in memory of 2 French-speaking
Belgian who escaped during World War II.
Condemnation from the UN and European institutions
Of course the Flemish authority decisions have raised more and more suspicion outside but also inside. De Morgen,
leftist Flemish newspaper, express concerns and talk about linguistic
apartheid alike situation. In the last week of March, Marino Keulen,
Minister in charge of interior affairs in the Flemish government, has
cancelled the rules set in Liedekerke. He is already under pressure as
the Council of Europe is currently investigating as some
French-speaking mayors in the Flemish areas have not been officially
recognised by Flemish authorities as they failed to address letters in
Dutch only to their French fellow citizen. The Council of Europe has
already condemned tree times (1998, 2002 and 2005) Flanders for its
treatment and discrimination towards the French-speaking community. The
United Nations has published recently a report stating that the fact of
reserving council accommodation to certain category of the population
based on place of birth and language was ethnic and regional
discrimination.
The European Court of Justice has also published a report
stating that the 30th March 1999 law of the Flemish parliament, setting
a healthcare system reserved to inhabitants of Flanders or
Brussels-Capital only is actually against the European freedom of
movement. In 2004 the rules were changed in order to include those
living in other countries... but always excluding inhabitants of
Wallonia. Since then, no change.
Belgians have humour... but until when?
Most
of the jokes of April's fool were addressing the political and
community divide in Belgium. Thus, a Wallon Minister explained in the
newspaper La Dernière Heure, that he intended to realize
"French corridor" in Flanders, by buying back the parts of the E411
motorway located on Flanders territory to allow French speakers to
drive from Brussels to Wallonia. On the French TV RTL-TVI, the news
displayed a report showing the in the Flemish city of Meise they
decided to test a way of cutting all phone conversation in French. A
test that will be extended in all Flanders territory if successful.
Again a joke, but that shows what is the main concern of Belgians
nowadays...
Last time I was in Dubai, my return plane to UK was cancelled. Bad luck, but the company was not willing to offer any help better than "come back in 2 days" [1]. There are protective rules for passengers who suffer such uncomfortable situation. Unfortunately it depends whether you are flying in Europe, US or the rest of the world.
In Europe, the European Union Air Passenger Rights rules for delayed and cancel flights apply to all passengers with a confirmed reservation for any flight taking off from any EU airport or flying to a European airport on a EU member's plane company.
Passengers who are delayed for more than 5 hours may request a refund of their ticket and free accommodation, but only if they decide not to travel. In case of cancellation, you are entitled to compensation of € 125 for short flights to € 600 for long flights, and have the choice of rerouting or refund, plus meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls.
Financial compensation is due unless you were informed 14 days before the flight, or you were
rerouted close to your original times, or the airline an prove that the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances (unfortunately this is unclear and has been used by many airplanes to deny compensation, using the wording "extraordinary circumstances" for strikes, fog, snow in Scandinavia...etc).
If your flight depart from a EU country, call the freephone number during working hours (09:00–18:30 CET weekdays): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
From outside the EU call (normal charges apply): (32-2) 299 96 96
Amsterdam
is probably as well known for its canals, tulips and bikes, as for its
red light district and coffeeshop (as the name does not explain
clearly, places where you can legally smoke cannabis/marijuana as well
has having a drink).
But now the area known for its sex-shops,
sex-shows and brothels, is slowly changing, with the voews of the city
council which has decided recently to clean up the expanding sleaze,
crime and violence in the historic district (mostly blaming Eastern
European pimps and international organized crime attracted by the
Netherlands' lenient policies). The city bought 5 brothels and let for
free for 1 year the 18 windows (out of 500 according to the IHT) to
young artists, photographers and fashion designers.
Now, when you
walk along the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal, you might give for excuse
looking at designer ateliers while staring at the nearly-naked mannequins
cavorting in the red windows... or vice and versa.
Dating from the age of the empire, the non-domicile status was designed during the Napoleonic wars in the hope to get cash from workers in America. The law lets foreigners (and their British born children) claim a non-domiciled status and therefore put aside some of their wealth and income from Britain. Thus, 10% of the population living in Britain (bankers, but also east European workers) are entitled to use it , whereas the rest of the population are liable for tax on their income and gain worldwide.
We published an article back in October, explaining that the government, under the pressure of the opposition, was planning to tax a lump amount of £30,000 for anybody wishing to keep the protective non-domiciled status. Now, as explained in The Economist, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is back-tracking on the issue to tax foreigners. The fact is, according to the aticle, that 115,000 people who claimed non-dom status in 2006 still paid £4 billion in income tax on their earning in Britain (in 2006-7 tax year, HMRC collected £125 billion in income tax), and contributed £12 billion in GDP. Additionnaly they could pay up to £ 3 billion in VAT and £300m in property transaction.
In comparison the new rules would have raised £650m a year, with maybe only 3,000 people leaving Britain. However the Labour government added new rules that would have force non-doms not only to disclose their interest in offshore trusts, but also, potentially, to pay tax on earnings made and kept abroad, even retrospectively. It prompted immediately fears and concerned, and an army of consultant manage successfully to lobby the government... until the next attempt, maybe?
UPDATE 12/03/2008:
The UK pre-budget was released in Parliament yesterday by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling. Here is part of the speech (I put in bold the 2 important assertions):
Mr Deputy Speaker, we welcome the contribution made by people born outside the UK who choose to come and work here. They are an important and central contributor to our economy’s growth and prosperity.
They pay taxes on their earnings here and also pay tax on money they bring into the country from abroad.
But for those non-domiciled individuals or families who have chosen to make Britain their home, I believe that it is right and fair that they should, after 7 years, pay a reasonable charge to maintain the right to be taxed differently from other UK residents.
Beyond that, as I have said before, we will not seek to charge UK tax on offshore income or capital gains that is not brought into the UK.
This new charge will be implemented from April. There will be no further changes to this regime for the rest of this Parliament or the next.
Last October I said that I would consider a scheme to which claimed to raise an additional £2.8 billion. On closer examination it was clear that the sums that did not add up. Not for the first time given the source. And I have rejected it.
We will continue to be vigilant against tax avoidance and we are publishing today further measures to ensure fairness for all taxpayers.
Therefore a £30,000 levy will be put on those who seek to keep on their non-dom status after 7 years of residence in the UK.
2006 was definitely a big year for Petite Anglaise: "dumped, dooced and outed, but also snagged a book deal" according to her own words.
Petite
Anglaise was blogging under anonymous coverage about her life in Paris,
that she made home 10 years ago, the familiar expat gripes, and
sometime evolving to talk about her relationship and single motherhood,
writing always with talent that was awarded several times by satin pyjamas.
Catherine Sanderson (the English Bridget Jones as she was described by the Daily Telegraph) became even more famous the day when the stupid-old fashion company where she was working in, the now condemned British accountancy firm Dixon Wilson, decided to fire her for gross misconduct [1] (that is the name they gave for having a blog).
As the famous French blogger Loic Le Meur said: "again a firm that completely miss out the point"
and actually in France as in UK, the reactions where very sharp against
the Dixon Wilson (which tempted to back tracked their act) and
attracted more than 8000 articles on on Google: influential Frenchblogs where talking about it and supporting Petite Anglaise, here and there, but also the French and UK mainstreammedia and even International press were giving a lot of exposure to the news. All is well summarized on the blog here.
No surprise (except maybe for the firm) but Dixon Wilson lost and was condamned
for unfair dismissal with a large amount of money to be paid (not even
talking about its reputation as an employer being completely shattered -
look at the 3rd and 4th link here).
But
the year was not going to finish there as in the meantime, recognising
the high value of her writing, the UK publishing company Penguin signed her for
a 2 book deal as it was reveal later on by the Telegraph. The first (link above) is capturing a year
in the life and loves of a young single mother abroad. The second book is likely to be a novel.
[Two minute segment on the French national news, 29 April 2007]
[Catherine Sanderson on BBC Breakfast]
Petite Anglaise has clipped a collection of links talking about the book here.
I definitely recommend!
Petite Anglaise - US Edition available from June 2008
[1] accused of bringing the company into disrepute due to references to her work, tho never mentioning the name of the firm, she described her boss as "very
old school... He wears braces and sock suspenders (although I don't
have any firsthand experience of those), stays in gentlemen's clubs
when in London, and calls secretaries 'typists.'" Shocking indeed
As I was saying on Tuesday the 5th, in the primary held in London by the Democrats Abroad (DA), my personal feeling was well confirmed worldwide: 66% of voters chose Barack Obama against Hillary Clinton in the DA global primary result, representing thousands of ballots submitted by 164 countries and territories between Feb. 5 and Feb. 12.
As explained by the IHT, Americans living abroad had the possibility to vote online, by mail, fax or in person (in some 30 countries). The overseas Democrats allocated a small number of delegates on Thursday: 4.5 (Obama wiining 2.5 and Clinton winning 2). A further 2.5 delegates will be allocated at a DA convention in April 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The group also holds 4 superdelegate votes, for a total of 11 votes in the national convention scheduled for late August in Denver.
Born in Hawaii, Obama did particularly well in the Asia-Pacific region, winning 79% of the vote in Japan and 76% in Indonesia. He also did well in Europe, carrying more than 70% of the votes in Switzerland and France. Clinton won in Israel, the Dominican Republic and the Phillipines. her best regional showing was in the Americas, with 44% of the vote.
Republicans do not hold a global primary but they cast votes directly in their home districts (also on option for DA).
Biba has been specializing in networking for years. Her company, Biba4Network, helps business owners to connect to who they need and maximize their networking results.
Focus on Career aims to help Francophones to start their own businesses in the US and facilitate their expatriation.
Company:
Biba4Network, LLC / Focus on Career
City - Country : New York/Miami - USA
On which economic sector are you acting and what is its advantage?
Biba4Network international network for proactive entrepreneurs and small business owners, helps people to maximize their networking results, connecting them to who they need to meet & training them to network more effectively so that they can grow their businesses faster.
Focus on Career, French division of Biba4Network, is a One-Stop-Shop specialized to help Francophones to start their own businesses in the US. From incorporation to immigration, accounting, banking, communication, public relation, launch of products, business development, real estate investment and a lot more.
As a One-Stop-Shop, we save time and money to our clients. As a Francophone network, we speak their language, know their culture and can advise them on the American business culture to avoid the biggest mistake that most foreigners made when they try to start a business on their own.
Can you talk a bit about your company?
Started in 2003 in New York, Biba4Network open a second office in Miami in 2007. Based on networking, our company works with business partners and experts, all specialized on their own field, to serve the clients and facilitate their expatriation . Thanks to our extended network of professionals we can serve 99% of any demand of our clients.
Can you talk about your activity?
The easier way to learn more about of activities, is to read our series articles on how to work, live, and start a business in the US at www.focusoncareer.com/articles.html
Do you offer additional services?
Biba4Network organizes monthly teleclasses on various topics like networking and marketing, and a mastermind group to help entrepreneurs to grow their business.
Learn more at www.biba4Network.com
Focus on Career also helps Francophones and Europeans to invest in real estate in the US, and take advantage of the all the wonderful deals thanks to the down US real estate market and a very strong Euro. Today we can offer condos or houses for –50% to –70% less than there value.
What is the profile of your clients?
Our Biba4Network’s clients are Americans small business owners and solo-entrepreneurs, starting their business or wanted to refocus their business.
Our Focus on Career’ s clients are Europeans and mainly Francophones small business owners, from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa. People who already have a business in their own country or want to immigrate with a new project.
What is your first advice to somebody who want to start a business in the US ?
Want to live the American Dream is Great, but you need to be prepare. Too many people think that itw ill be easier than in France, and that they will pay less taxes. If it is your first motivation, forget about it.
Starting a business in the US, will be take longer than you think, will cast you a lot more than you think, and will get a lot more obstacles than you think.
When people come to me at first, I help them to structure their idea. I very often hear “Oh I have a great product and no competition” but when I ask about their strategies to launch the product or their investment available for this project, I have no answer.
The first think I ask my clients, is to have a very clear idea of their business and how they will promote and develop it. Then I ask them to calculate how much it will cost them for the first year, both on the business side and personal side. One third stop there, because they quickly realize that a good idea is not enough, and without a solid business plan and substantial financial investment, there is no viable business.
What are the conditions of success for a business in the US ?
As a foreigner, whatever your nationality is, you need to understand the US market, and the “American way of business”. Even if you have a very successful business in your own country, it is not a guarantee of success in the US. You need to forget almost everything you learned and start again from scratch “thinking US”. Ask help of professional, don’t try to do everything on your own, it may seams to be cheaper at first, but you will pay it ten time later, as far as time and money. If you start on the right track, then motivation and focus are the two ingredients for success.
What services/information/help do you provide to individuals?
Specializing in networking, connecting people together, we always find the right resource for our clients, using our network and creating strategic alliances and partnership on various field related to business and starting a business.
Can you speak about your service/project and the difference regarding competitors?
There is no one offering the same services as a one-stop-shop as we do. When a client come to us, he doesn’t need to look for other contacts, we provide him with everything he needs and all the contacts he needs, in a more effective and efficient way, than other, because they have only one interlocutor to take care of their file instead of wasting time to look for XYZ contacts or solutions.
What is your activity on the Internet?
All our communication is provided via our websites on internet, and most our services provided by phone.
We us a client doesn’t even have to come to the US to start his business or invest in real estate. Thanks to our network everything can be done online, or over the phone.
We also offer products, like books or CD of seminar we recorded live in New York, on the topic of starting a business in the US.
What advantages/discounts could you offer to our readers?
We offer a 30 minutes free consultation to any one who want to start a business, to discuss their project and answer their questions.
On which economic sector are you acting and what is its advantage?
My activity is devoted to Financial Coaching (advice) for individuals. The advantage is that my services are tailor-made.
Can you talk about your activity?
I’m sure that Financial Coaching can be useful for expats since French legislation for real estate (de-fiscalisation), and the French "financial" system itself may be complicated for a person who arrives in France to spend only a few years.
In my opinion, my services enjoy two clear competitive advantages:
I can propose them in English.
I am completely committed to my client: to his/her concerns and ambitions. Together we define a financial strategy in order to meet his/her objectives. Our action plan is based on his/her personal context.
Can you talk a bit about your company?
You can find the description of my services at www.coach-financier.com.
I am a Spanish expat working in the financial sector in Paris, for more than 3 years now. This web was born one year and a half ago, when I decided to buy an apartment in Paris and once I realized that there was no real tailor-made and human financial advice offer in the market. So I joined my professional experience with my personal experience and this activity was born.
Can you tell us something about yourself, about your background?
As I had the opportunity to mention before, I’m Spanish native…
From a professional point of view, I’m Deputy Head of a department of approximately 15 people at an International Bank devoted to lending to big corporates, such as EDF, Bouygues. Once I ended my International MBA in Madrid (part also in Mexico city) 8 years ago, I started to work for companies like PwC and KPMG before joining the banking sector.
I moved to France because I wanted to have a personal experience abroad. Before, I have also been living in Mexico City for some months.
Do you offer additional services?
I’m currently working on developing this activity for enterprises as well. “Financial Coaching to Enterprises” will be available soon. The aim of this new activity is to advice and to support entrepreneurs just building their projects, and to runners of their own business in difficulty.
What is the profile of your clients?
It can vary, but principally, individuals looking for a real estate investment. For example, I was contacted by a French man who wanted to buy an apartment in the center of Paris, but he wanted to be sure that he could afford it. Indeed he needed a second opinion. He needed to get some back-up regarding the decision he was going to take. He was also looking for some other information such as, what the paid-in should represent, how much would represent the related costs (notary, etc). So I analyzed his situation (actually, he could comfortably buy), I explained him the buying process from the beginning to the end, what he should pay special attention to, what he should not forget when negotiating with banks. We also did some calculations about what his monthly repayments would represent under different assumptions.
Other individuals come because they have to take a decision and they need someone to discuss with about. For example, “I am very emotionally attached to an apartment, but something tells me that I should sell now given the current price peak in real estate. What should I do?”.
Some people contact me because they need a strategy to reach a financial objective. For example, “I’m 55. I have made some extra-cash during the last years. I would like to get retired in 3 years. How should I better use this extra-cash in a simple and safe way in order to reach this objective?”
What is the difference between a “financial coach” and a personal “financial consultant”?
A “coach” is not a “financial consultant”. In special for the impossibility of having an expertise in all the financial areas (tax, pension, investing).
In contrast, a financial coach is a professional with a long-track record and successful experience in the financial sector. If needed, the coach will inquire and deepen on the different specificities of the financial system (tax, pension, investment).
The person who comes to a financial coach does not necessarily for the technical knowledge of the coach. He/she does because he/she wants to be accompanied and guided, or simply because he/she needs help to reach a financial objective or wants to get a second opinion about a decision that he/she needs to take. In my opinion everyone has at least one financial objective (to stop working for example??). The individual and the coach define together the strategy to reach this objective according to the context of the individual.
What services/information/help do you provide to other companies/individuals?
As I had the opportunity to mention before coaching to enterprises will be available soon.
Can you speak about your service/project and the difference regarding competitors?
Compared to Anglo-Saxon countries, this is a pretty recent activity. Obviously, there are other experienced financial coaches in the market. My competitive advantage is that I can propose my service in English in France and that I’m an expat myself.
Are all the product offers specific to you company?
I guess that the fact that I also propose the service in English as well as my background makes the service specific. In contrast, it is true that there are other financial coaches in the market.
What is your activity on the Internet?
This is my only activity. A new version of the web will be available soon (hopefully!!)
What advantages/discounts could you offer to our readers?
The first consultation would be 100%-off (with no limit of time).
Threat of reality? According to the UK Daily Telegraph, Inland Revenue is carrying out a crackdown on people evading UK income tax by using offshore bank accounts, i.e. using their credit card to pay for living expenses in the UK.
The American Internal Revenue Service (IRS) carried out its own review on tax evasion through offshore accounts in 2002. Under the IRS rules, American
taxpayers are liable for US tax wherever their income is generated. The rules is slightly different in the UK where the ordinary resident is only taxable on its income generated or spent in the UK (that is likely to change next April).
20-25 inspectors based in Liverpool, with a budget of £66 millions, have been assigned by Gordon Brown to target task fraud from British savers in the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar,
Switzerland and elsewhere. A number of banks have already complied with the Revenue's request for co-operation and have forwarded account details to the body.
advertisement. Accountants, financial advisers and credit card companies are likely to follow suit in the near future.
The OECD (Organisation of
Economic Cooperation and Development) and the European Commission, have
put pressure on offshore centres to combat money laundering and tax
evasion and urged banks located in offshore jurisdiction to put in place such anti-laundering processes.
The article of the Daily Telegraph is threatening enough that it could have been written by an Inland Revenue member: "Tax evasion is a crime. Banks who pass depositors' details on to the Revenue would be unable to let the person know they were doing it. It is therefore possible to be under investigation without knowing it." Funny enough, the Telegraph advert on the page is for HSBC's offshore saving account .
The way of choosing the candidate for each party is rather complicated in America, even for insiders.
In
the year of the presidential election (hold in November), political
parties conduct national conventions to choose their candidate. During
those conventions (summer preceding the election), delegates at the
party convention choose the candidate.
Those delegates are
selected at the state level according to rules determined by each
political party (for example, this time, the Democrats - under the
reform of Howard Dean - have decided to run a proportional vote
everywhere, where each candidate is awarded a number
of delegates in proportion to their support in the state caucuses or
the number of primary votes they won). There are two types of
primaries, closed and open. In a closed primary, voters may vote only
in the primary of the political party in which they registered (i.e. a
voter who registered as a Republican can only vote in the Republican
primary). Most states hold closed primaries.
The caucuses
are political meeting where the voters of the party (selected by the
primary election) select the delegates who will be voting for the
presidential candidate of the party at the convention.
So as a summary: American voters SELECT registered supporters for the Party at the state level who SELECT delegates who will go to the national convention to SELECT the presidential candidate of the party.
Super Tuesday
refers to the Tuesday (usually early February or March) where most of
the states will hold caucuses (24 states will be voting today - the
largest super Tuesday to date).
In order to follow closely the election and the selection process in the US, we recommend reading the blog: http://www.pollster.com
And for a more relaxed way to approach the (s)election day, here is the Seesmic video about Caucuses:
ITV1 is currently working on the Second Series of "No Place Like Home", a documentary
looking at British Expats who are thinking about returning home. It's a
straightforward, feel-good programme, simply investigating the dilemma that many
expats face, and will hopefully be of help to anyone who is considering going
back to the UK.
You’ll be flown back to the UK and given the opportunity to ‘test-drive’ the reality of living in the UK.
Germany has long
been a shrine for beer lovers from around the world. Two of the biggest
and
most popular beer festivals in the world take place in Germany. The
most popular is Munich’s world renowned Oktoberfest which strangely
enough takes place
in September. The second most famous beer festival is the Stuttgart
Beer
Festival. There are officially two Stuttgart festivals, one in spring
and one
in autumn. And here’s the good news – the Stuttgart Spring Festival is
just
around the corner. Let’s take a look at these three big and happening
places to
be if you enjoy guzzling gallons of your favourite brew.
HSBC Bank International today unveils an ambitious project to conduct the largest ever survey of expats.
There are 3 linguistic communities in
Belgium: Flanders (with 6 millions inhabitants - but not all speaking Dutch), Wallonia (3.4
millions), Brussels-Capital (1 million) and some Eastern cantons speaking German (70,000). Contrary
to what you might think, the country is not bilingual, but apply two
strict monolingualism: in Flanders, the official language is Dutch,
in Wallonia the official language is French. only Brussels-Capital
(city of Brussels + additional neighbourhood) is officially bilingual.
In order to make things more complex, Brussels is inhabited by more
than 80% of non-Dutch speakers, but is located in Flemish territory.
Last time I was in Dubai, my return plane to UK was cancelled. Bad luck, but the company was not willing to offer any help better than "come back in 2 days" 
Amsterdam
Biba has been specializing in networking for years. Her company, Biba4Network, helps business owners to connect to who they need and maximize their networking results.
Focus on Career aims to help Francophones to start their own businesses in the US and facilitate their expatriation.
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