The driving force of self-initiated expatriation: A case of teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• Main Authors: Rini Suryati Sulong, Oscar Dousin, Mike Ward
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universal Publishers 2022
• Subjects: HF5001-6182 Business
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/37652/1/ABSTRACT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/37652/2/FULLTEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/37652/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

In the study of expatriation, there has been less emphasis on the study of self-initiated expatriation as compared to organizational expatriation. Since people in the academia profession are amongst the most mobile and have greater opportunity to choose their employment destination, this paper explores the motivations and experiences of a group of British and American self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) that chose to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Guided by a case study approach, purposive sampling was used to gather information from the participants through semi-structured, exploratory questions in order to understand SIEs decisions to expatriate to the Kingdom. Findings suggest that financial rewards and personal beliefs played significant roles in the participating SIEs decisions to expatriate to the Kingdom. Particularly, this location provides them with job opportunities that offer attractive monetary rewards which fulfills their financial needs, as well as avenues to enrich their personal needs. This study focused on SIEs in a specific location, prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic. The appeal of self-initiated expatriation in the postpandemic era should be explored further. Data regarding the motivations and experiences of SIEs is beneficial for organizations’ managing talent on an international scale because many organizations rely on SIEs as a source of labor. Understanding what motivates individuals to choose expatriation can assist organizations in formulating strategic human resource management decisions. This study focused on the driving factors of academic SIEs in choosing a specific location and found that their decision to expatriate to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was based on the distinctive value of the location itself.