A autoexpatriação é o processo onde o indivíduo, por iniciativa própria, decide sair de seu país para trabalhar e viver em outro país por um período, a priori, previamente estabelecido (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013; DICKMANN, 2014). Este estudo exploratório teve por objetivo analisar como ocorre a autoexpatriação de brasileiros e como ela se relaciona com a construção de carreira destes indivíduos. No contexto desta pesquisa, compreendemos carreira em consonância com Hall (2002), que a considera um processo que envolve todas as experiências de vida, dentro e fora do trabalho. Por se tratar de uma mobilidade internacional, utilizamos, também, a teoria das carreiras globais (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011). A coleta de dados se deu através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas presencialmente ou a distância através do Skype e Messenger, com brasileiros que já passaram ou que estavam passando pela autoexpatriação por um período mínimo de seis meses. Foram entrevistados 5 homens e 10 mulheres, com idade entre 26 e 53 anos, variado grau de escolaridade, provenientes de diferentes regiões do Brasil e com história de autoexpatriação em países da América do Norte, Europa, Oceania e Ásia. A maior parte dos entrevistados se autoexpatriou na faixa dos 20 e 30 anos de idade, e partiu para o exterior sozinho ou acompanhado por familiares (cônjuges e/ou filhos). A apresentação e análise dos resultados foi realizada através da análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2004). Como resultados o estudo mostra que as principais razões para a autoexpatriação destes brasileiros referem-se à falta de perspectiva profissional e desemprego no Brasil, a busca por desenvolvimento e aprimoramento profissional, à fuga da violência urbana e ao desejo de conhecer e vivenciar novos países e culturas. A intenção de sair do país foi motivada especialmente para trabalhar no exterior e ter experiências pessoais e de vida que vão além das experiências relacionadas exclusivamente ao trabalho. A pesquisa, ainda, apresenta os diferentes caminhos que levaram estes brasileiros à autoexpatriação, elemento importante para compreender com mais profundidade este complexo processo, desde a escolha do país, o planejamento da viagem, o papel das redes de contato, a barreira do idioma e as estratégias encontradas para entrar e permanecer no país estrangeiro. Em algumas situações a autoexpatriação se converteu em um projeto permanente, na medida em que muitos destes brasileiros não têm mais a intenção de voltar a viver no Brasil. Nesse sentido, o contexto social e econômico do Brasil, marcado por desigualdades, falta de oportunidades e altos índices de violência urbana, contribuiu para a decisão de alguns autoexpatriados de permanecer por mais tempo, ou até permanentemente, no exterior, transformando o projeto inicial de autoexpatriação em imigração. Muito além de ganhos relacionados à conquista de bens materiais e de trabalhos considerados de maior status social, os entrevistados relataram que aspectos relacionados à qualidade de vida e lazer, segurança, sensação de inclusão social e de pertencimento ao país estrangeiro marcaram sua experiência de mobilidade internacional. / Self-initiated expatriation is a process where the individual, on his own initiative, decides to leave his country to work and live in another country for a period, a priori, previously established (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013, DICKMANN, 2014). This exploratory study aims to analyze how self-initiated expatriation of Brazilians occurs and how it relates to their careers. In the context of this research, we will understand career in line with Arthur and Rousseau (1996), who consider it as a process that involves all aspects of our life, both inside and outside of work. Because it is an international experience, we will also use the theory of global careers (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011) to understand this phenomenon. The data collection was done through semi-structured interviews, carried out in person or at a distance through Skype and Messenger, with Brazilians who have already passed or were undergoing self-initiated expatriation for a minimum period of six months. Five men and 10 women, ranging in age from 26 to 53 years of age, were interviewed, with varying degrees of education, from different regions of Brazil, with a history of self-initiated expatriation in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. Most of the interviewees went abroad in their 20s and 30s, alone or accompanied by relatives (spouses and / or children). The presentation and analysis of the results was performed through content analysis (BARDIN, 2004). As results the study shows that the main reasons for the self-initiated expatriation of these Brazilians refer to the lack of professional perspective and unemployment in Brazil, the search for professional development and improvement, the escape of urban violence and the desire to know and experience new countries and cultures. The intention to leave the country was motivated especially to work abroad and have personal and life experiences that go beyond experiences related exclusively to work. The research also presents the different paths that led these Brazilians to self-initiated expatriation, an important element to understand in more depth this complex process, from the choice of the country, the planning of the trip, the role of the networks, the language barrier and the strategies found to enter and stay in the foreign country. In some situations self-initiated expatriation has become a permanent project, since many of these Brazilians no longer intend to return to live in Brazil. In this sense, the social and economic context of Brazil, marked by inequalities, lack of opportunities and high rates of urban violence, contributed to the decision of some self-initiated expatriates to stay longer or permanently abroad, transforming the initial project of self-initiated expatriation in immigration. In addition to gains related to the acquisition of material goods and work considered to be of a higher social status, respondents reported that aspects related to quality of life and leisure, security, social inclusion and foreign ownership have marked their experience of international mobility.

Research on international work experiences has to a great extent focused on an international assignment as a single event, and on how to optimize it from the organization’s perspective. This thesis addresses individuals’ subjective experiences of international work experiences and focuses on individuals with global careers, who see working abroad as a major element of their careers, involving several international assignments or international work experiences. With the recognition that individuals will work abroad on their own initiative a differentiation is made between repeat expatriates; expatriates with at least two international assignments for the same company, and international itinerants; working abroad for at least two different companies. The main purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of global careers through applying an identity construction perspective on narratives of global careerists’ working lives. To address this purpose the global careerists’ identity construction processes are explored, and their career orientation, their identification with the organization and career, and country and culture are considered more directly. An important sub-purpose of this thesis is to make a comparison of repeat expatriates and international itinerants, in terms of their identity construction and identifications. An individual’s identity, or sense of self, is seen as constructed in social interaction, encompassing dualities such as both differentiation from and identification with others. This thesis addresses social identities as part of an individual’s identity construction in the transition in social, cultural and organizational context that an international work experience involves. The approach taken is that the increased understanding aimed for can be reached through narratives. Interviews were made with twenty Swedish global careerists. Each interview was constructed as a narrative and structured according to elements of narratives to construct aggregate narratives of repeat expatriates and international itinerants. The narratives were analyzed and comparison of repeat expatriates and international itinerants was made. The findings in this thesis show that all the global careerists in this study have experienced shifts in their identities and identity reconstruction in the course of their careers. External circumstances such as the type of location, the time abroad, and if the work abroad is perceived as temporary, is important to the global careerists’ identity construction.The findings illustrate that there are differences in repeat expatriates’ and international itinerants’ career orientations, in their identifications with the organizations they work for, with their careers and with what they do. The two types of global careerists differ in how they identify with their home country and culture and the countries and cultures they live in. The repeat expatriates and international itinerants also show different patterns in their identity construction.

A autoexpatriação é o processo onde o indivíduo, por iniciativa própria, decide sair de seu país para trabalhar e viver em outro país por um período, a priori, previamente estabelecido (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013; DICKMANN, 2014). Este estudo exploratório teve por objetivo analisar como ocorre a autoexpatriação de brasileiros e como ela se relaciona com a construção de carreira destes indivíduos. No contexto desta pesquisa, compreendemos carreira em consonância com Hall (2002), que a considera um processo que envolve todas as experiências de vida, dentro e fora do trabalho. Por se tratar de uma mobilidade internacional, utilizamos, também, a teoria das carreiras globais (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011). A coleta de dados se deu através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas presencialmente ou a distância através do Skype e Messenger, com brasileiros que já passaram ou que estavam passando pela autoexpatriação por um período mínimo de seis meses. Foram entrevistados 5 homens e 10 mulheres, com idade entre 26 e 53 anos, variado grau de escolaridade, provenientes de diferentes regiões do Brasil e com história de autoexpatriação em países da América do Norte, Europa, Oceania e Ásia. A maior parte dos entrevistados se autoexpatriou na faixa dos 20 e 30 anos de idade, e partiu para o exterior sozinho ou acompanhado por familiares (cônjuges e/ou filhos). A apresentação e análise dos resultados foi realizada através da análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2004). Como resultados o estudo mostra que as principais razões para a autoexpatriação destes brasileiros referem-se à falta de perspectiva profissional e desemprego no Brasil, a busca por desenvolvimento e aprimoramento profissional, à fuga da violência urbana e ao desejo de conhecer e vivenciar novos países e culturas. A intenção de sair do país foi motivada especialmente para trabalhar no exterior e ter experiências pessoais e de vida que vão além das experiências relacionadas exclusivamente ao trabalho. A pesquisa, ainda, apresenta os diferentes caminhos que levaram estes brasileiros à autoexpatriação, elemento importante para compreender com mais profundidade este complexo processo, desde a escolha do país, o planejamento da viagem, o papel das redes de contato, a barreira do idioma e as estratégias encontradas para entrar e permanecer no país estrangeiro. Em algumas situações a autoexpatriação se converteu em um projeto permanente, na medida em que muitos destes brasileiros não têm mais a intenção de voltar a viver no Brasil. Nesse sentido, o contexto social e econômico do Brasil, marcado por desigualdades, falta de oportunidades e altos índices de violência urbana, contribuiu para a decisão de alguns autoexpatriados de permanecer por mais tempo, ou até permanentemente, no exterior, transformando o projeto inicial de autoexpatriação em imigração. Muito além de ganhos relacionados à conquista de bens materiais e de trabalhos considerados de maior status social, os entrevistados relataram que aspectos relacionados à qualidade de vida e lazer, segurança, sensação de inclusão social e de pertencimento ao país estrangeiro marcaram sua experiência de mobilidade internacional. / Self-initiated expatriation is a process where the individual, on his own initiative, decides to leave his country to work and live in another country for a period, a priori, previously established (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013, DICKMANN, 2014). This exploratory study aims to analyze how self-initiated expatriation of Brazilians occurs and how it relates to their careers. In the context of this research, we will understand career in line with Arthur and Rousseau (1996), who consider it as a process that involves all aspects of our life, both inside and outside of work. Because it is an international experience, we will also use the theory of global careers (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011) to understand this phenomenon. The data collection was done through semi-structured interviews, carried out in person or at a distance through Skype and Messenger, with Brazilians who have already passed or were undergoing self-initiated expatriation for a minimum period of six months. Five men and 10 women, ranging in age from 26 to 53 years of age, were interviewed, with varying degrees of education, from different regions of Brazil, with a history of self-initiated expatriation in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. Most of the interviewees went abroad in their 20s and 30s, alone or accompanied by relatives (spouses and / or children). The presentation and analysis of the results was performed through content analysis (BARDIN, 2004). As results the study shows that the main reasons for the self-initiated expatriation of these Brazilians refer to the lack of professional perspective and unemployment in Brazil, the search for professional development and improvement, the escape of urban violence and the desire to know and experience new countries and cultures. The intention to leave the country was motivated especially to work abroad and have personal and life experiences that go beyond experiences related exclusively to work. The research also presents the different paths that led these Brazilians to self-initiated expatriation, an important element to understand in more depth this complex process, from the choice of the country, the planning of the trip, the role of the networks, the language barrier and the strategies found to enter and stay in the foreign country. In some situations self-initiated expatriation has become a permanent project, since many of these Brazilians no longer intend to return to live in Brazil. In this sense, the social and economic context of Brazil, marked by inequalities, lack of opportunities and high rates of urban violence, contributed to the decision of some self-initiated expatriates to stay longer or permanently abroad, transforming the initial project of self-initiated expatriation in immigration. In addition to gains related to the acquisition of material goods and work considered to be of a higher social status, respondents reported that aspects related to quality of life and leisure, security, social inclusion and foreign ownership have marked their experience of international mobility.

A autoexpatriação é o processo onde o indivíduo, por iniciativa própria, decide sair de seu país para trabalhar e viver em outro país por um período, a priori, previamente estabelecido (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013; DICKMANN, 2014). Este estudo exploratório teve por objetivo analisar como ocorre a autoexpatriação de brasileiros e como ela se relaciona com a construção de carreira destes indivíduos. No contexto desta pesquisa, compreendemos carreira em consonância com Hall (2002), que a considera um processo que envolve todas as experiências de vida, dentro e fora do trabalho. Por se tratar de uma mobilidade internacional, utilizamos, também, a teoria das carreiras globais (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011). A coleta de dados se deu através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, realizadas presencialmente ou a distância através do Skype e Messenger, com brasileiros que já passaram ou que estavam passando pela autoexpatriação por um período mínimo de seis meses. Foram entrevistados 5 homens e 10 mulheres, com idade entre 26 e 53 anos, variado grau de escolaridade, provenientes de diferentes regiões do Brasil e com história de autoexpatriação em países da América do Norte, Europa, Oceania e Ásia. A maior parte dos entrevistados se autoexpatriou na faixa dos 20 e 30 anos de idade, e partiu para o exterior sozinho ou acompanhado por familiares (cônjuges e/ou filhos). A apresentação e análise dos resultados foi realizada através da análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2004). Como resultados o estudo mostra que as principais razões para a autoexpatriação destes brasileiros referem-se à falta de perspectiva profissional e desemprego no Brasil, a busca por desenvolvimento e aprimoramento profissional, à fuga da violência urbana e ao desejo de conhecer e vivenciar novos países e culturas. A intenção de sair do país foi motivada especialmente para trabalhar no exterior e ter experiências pessoais e de vida que vão além das experiências relacionadas exclusivamente ao trabalho. A pesquisa, ainda, apresenta os diferentes caminhos que levaram estes brasileiros à autoexpatriação, elemento importante para compreender com mais profundidade este complexo processo, desde a escolha do país, o planejamento da viagem, o papel das redes de contato, a barreira do idioma e as estratégias encontradas para entrar e permanecer no país estrangeiro. Em algumas situações a autoexpatriação se converteu em um projeto permanente, na medida em que muitos destes brasileiros não têm mais a intenção de voltar a viver no Brasil. Nesse sentido, o contexto social e econômico do Brasil, marcado por desigualdades, falta de oportunidades e altos índices de violência urbana, contribuiu para a decisão de alguns autoexpatriados de permanecer por mais tempo, ou até permanentemente, no exterior, transformando o projeto inicial de autoexpatriação em imigração. Muito além de ganhos relacionados à conquista de bens materiais e de trabalhos considerados de maior status social, os entrevistados relataram que aspectos relacionados à qualidade de vida e lazer, segurança, sensação de inclusão social e de pertencimento ao país estrangeiro marcaram sua experiência de mobilidade internacional. / Self-initiated expatriation is a process where the individual, on his own initiative, decides to leave his country to work and live in another country for a period, a priori, previously established (THORN, 2008; CERDIN, 2012; ALTMAN; BARUCH, 2012; ROGERS, 2013, DICKMANN, 2014). This exploratory study aims to analyze how self-initiated expatriation of Brazilians occurs and how it relates to their careers. In the context of this research, we will understand career in line with Arthur and Rousseau (1996), who consider it as a process that involves all aspects of our life, both inside and outside of work. Because it is an international experience, we will also use the theory of global careers (DICKMANN; BARUCH, 2011) to understand this phenomenon. The data collection was done through semi-structured interviews, carried out in person or at a distance through Skype and Messenger, with Brazilians who have already passed or were undergoing self-initiated expatriation for a minimum period of six months. Five men and 10 women, ranging in age from 26 to 53 years of age, were interviewed, with varying degrees of education, from different regions of Brazil, with a history of self-initiated expatriation in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. Most of the interviewees went abroad in their 20s and 30s, alone or accompanied by relatives (spouses and / or children). The presentation and analysis of the results was performed through content analysis (BARDIN, 2004). As results the study shows that the main reasons for the self-initiated expatriation of these Brazilians refer to the lack of professional perspective and unemployment in Brazil, the search for professional development and improvement, the escape of urban violence and the desire to know and experience new countries and cultures. The intention to leave the country was motivated especially to work abroad and have personal and life experiences that go beyond experiences related exclusively to work. The research also presents the different paths that led these Brazilians to self-initiated expatriation, an important element to understand in more depth this complex process, from the choice of the country, the planning of the trip, the role of the networks, the language barrier and the strategies found to enter and stay in the foreign country. In some situations self-initiated expatriation has become a permanent project, since many of these Brazilians no longer intend to return to live in Brazil. In this sense, the social and economic context of Brazil, marked by inequalities, lack of opportunities and high rates of urban violence, contributed to the decision of some self-initiated expatriates to stay longer or permanently abroad, transforming the initial project of self-initiated expatriation in immigration. In addition to gains related to the acquisition of material goods and work considered to be of a higher social status, respondents reported that aspects related to quality of life and leisure, security, social inclusion and foreign ownership have marked their experience of international mobility.

The mobility of students has increased dramatically in the past decades which primarily is a consequence of globalization (Ninnes & Hellstén, 2005). Many higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world have responded to the global educational trend by actively recruiting students from abroad, with the incentive of maintaining a competitive position on the global, knowledge-based market (Knight, 2004). Simultaneously, an increasing number of students have responded to the expanded opportunities which have become available, aspiring to secure the best education to facilitate their path into a well-remunerated career (Waters & Brooks, 2011). By employing a qualitative research approach, this study explores how international degree-seeking students undertaking engineering studies in Swedish HE, take on their career development within a global framework. The findings are compared and analyzed in order to provide further insights into the career trajectories of engineering students from different countries. The findings suggest that the participants in the study have employed a large degree of agency and independence in advancing their career development further. Moreover, it has also been indicated that they, as global professionals, uphold a flexible stance towards future career opportunities, regardless of where in the world these would be located. Considering the increasing numbers of international students that occupy Swedish HEIs, the study concludes that further attention needs to be paid to gain further insights into the realities of this student population, both to increase our understanding of how they respond to the forces of globalization and to safeguard that career services address the real career needs of this population.