Use properly trained mentors. Mentors help in many corporate activities, but they are especially valuable in expatriate situations. Often, they are used to maintain contact with the expatriate and to assist them with reassignment planning. The best mentors are people with higher positions, who have been expatriates themselves, willing to put time into their mentoring process and people who have clear understanding of the importance of creating a global talent pool for the company. Actively plan and implement a smooth reintegration of the expatriates into home base Involve expatriates in their own career planning process.
Career planning for expatriates is most successful when all levels of the company are involved.
Treat expatriates as investments. Expatriates are expensive, sometimes costing three to four times base salary. When they leave the organization, the money is lost. They state that according to a recent estimate, there are over 80,000 US expatriates working for their firms in more than 130 countries. According to the Center for International Briefing, 25-40 percent of American managers fail in their overseas assignments.