Share your experience of life in Germany with the Expats & Spouses Monitor

The Expats & Spouses Monitor is a research project created for expats by expats. It aims to shed light on different aspects of expat life in Germany, with the goal of creating awareness about the challenges expats face.

The project has collected the experiences of 861 expats from 89 different countries living in 28 German cities, with the aim of generating reliable knowledge that can support companies when attracting, integrating and retaining international talent. 

If you are interested in the findings of their research, you can visit their website to find out more.

The challenges of moving abroad

Moving to another country is both an exciting and challenging adventure. You step out of your comfort zone to adapt to a new environment and create new connections. 

Every person handles the adaptation process differently. Even partners within couples experience different challenges. Depending on whether you move for work, or do it as an accompanying partner, your journey is different. 

Individuals that move for work tend to experience fewer identity issues. Even though integrating into a new work environment can be challenging, staying at home can be even harder. You have to deal with many unforeseen situations. Daily things like shopping for groceries or booking an appointment with the doctor can become headaches, especially if you don’t speak the local language. On top of that, professional integration can be difficult without a support network. 

The Expats & Spouses Monitor: Creating insights about expat life in Germany

The Expats & Spouses Monitor is a research project that collects information about this and other issues faced by expats in Germany. Is it easy to integrate in Germany? Are men and women equally satisfied with their careers? What challenges do expat partners experience with integrating professionally? How easy is it to become an expat entrepreneur? Is Germany a family-friendly country?

To answer these and other questions, the project’s founders have created a comprehensive questionnaire that collects information about key areas of expat life:

The questionnaire ran for two months, allowing them to collect the experiences of 861 expats from 89 countries living in 28 German cities. They will present the results in several reports that address the needs of different stakeholders. 

To learn more, visit the Expats & Spouses Monitor website. 

Created by expats for expats

The co-founders of this project are two experienced expats: 

Amaia Izar de la Fuente is originally from Spain. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Commercial and Marketing Management. She has worked as a business consultant, project manager, marketing professional and business developer during her career.  

She arrived in Germany with her family in 2016, and soon after she co-founded the International Women in Business Düsseldorf, a non-profit-organisation that creates networking opportunities for expat women in the Düsseldorf area. She then co-created the Expats & Spouses Monitor. 

Carlos Morales was born in Perú and has worked over the last 20 years as a department leader, entrepreneur, consultant, professor and researcher in Europe and Latin America. He holds a Bachelor's degree in social psychology and an MBA. 

He got his PhD in Sociology at the Humboldt University of Berlin researching entrepreneurs. He regularly publishes research about entrepreneurship, career development and diversity management. Currently, besides his consulting activity, he is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at Sussex Business School. 

They have both teamed up to create the Expats & Spouses Monitor - and they want to hear your experiences of life in Germany as an international. Discover their insights and help other expats make the most of their time abroad.