For Employers & Municipalities
Due to the ever-increasing internationalisation of the labour market, more organisations are sending their employees abroad and/or attracting their talent internationally. As the number of expats deciding to relocate together with their families is growing, it is important for international employers and municipalities to consider and act upon family factors influencing expatriation.
Zein Educational Consultancy supports municipality officials and regulators in understanding how international education and high-quality childcare contributes to a beneficial environment that attracts and retains international organisations, as well as expatriate talents and their families – creating fruitful soil for international organisations to thrive, and prosperous local economies.
For international employers and their employees
In the decision to relocate, family is found to be the number one reason to refuse international assignments – and it is plausible that expats will depart early because of a work-family conflict (Tharenou, 2008; Yaping & Juan, 2011). As international assignments have an impact on the whole family, the right support from the organisation to the family is incredibly important (Howe-Walsh & Torka, 2017). After all, early departure can have big consequences for the organization in terms of financial cost, decreased performance or loss of reputation (Andersen & Margenfeld, 2015).
Understanding the factors influencing family adjustment during and following an international relocation, Robbie is able to harmonise family needs and business surroundings – jointly leading to the success of the international assignments – through a series of lectures and training sessions providing the assistance desired by expatriate employees and their families.
Lectures for international employees
Robbie’s lectures offer guidelines to help make expatriate families and communities feel at home as well as to ease children’s anxiety through education and transitions. They offer parents a deeper understanding of how to maximize the potential of cross-cultural life and successfully deal with its many challenges. In addition to the frequently requested topics , tailor-made options are available based on the organisation’s request.
Internationalisation of the employment market
As a result of the increasing internationalisation of the employment market, since the year 2000, the international schools market has experienced explosive growth. The number of international schools around the world has more than trebled, with student numbers increasing by 518% over this period (ISC Research, 2020).
Guidance for Municipalities
Research shows that high-quality international education and childcare are the most important soft factors upon which expats with families base their decision to relocate. Therefore, it is essential for municipalities looking to foster an attractive business climate for international organisations and their employees not to overlook the importance of these two decisive factors.
Founder of the award-winning Zein International Childcare in the Netherlands, Western Europe, Robbie Zein is able to combine her own international background and experience working with international families and schools in advising local municipalities on the soft factors promoting relocation. Bringing the involved parties (municipality officials, regulators, representatives of educational institutions and childcares) together to reinforce mutual understanding and partnership is an important focus area for Zein Educational Consultancy.
Furthermore, lectures and training sessions are available for local expatriate communities and municipal officials working with arriving and departing expatriate families.
By attracting expatriate families and their children to your region and supporting them accordingly, you attract the model citizens and leaders of your future community.
An international childhood and career: How Robbie gained her expertise
With her Middle Eastern heritage and having grown up in an internationally mobile family, Robbie’s personal experiences are invaluable. She has a degree in Early Childhood and has been working with (local) governments, schools, early years centres, families and children of all ages and from diverse cultures for decades.
Robbie Zein is also the co-founder of Zein International Childcare, an award-winning and leading international childcare in the Netherlands whose mission & philosophy is based on providing an internationally oriented, nurturing learning environment.
Working both independently and in partnership with key international schools, Zein delivers a specially designed approach that focuses on international children and their needs. The environment at Zein International Childcare is one which seeks to understand cross-cultural experiences and their impact on children and their families.