Some people are reasonably able to handle the resulting complications and frustrations. Others are not suited due to temporary family issues or permanent personality traits. But some people simply are poor risks. To paraphrase Shakespeare, intercultural trainers cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear. The good news is that intercultural researchers have developed a body of knowledge about suitability for overseas assignments that can be put to a company's use when candidates are being selected.
Training prepares people to be effective as soon as they arrive overseas.
This fallacy leads to the common decision to purchase only pre-departure training. Pre-departure programs last from one day to a week or more. They assume that pre-departure training deals with every eventuality. The truth is more complex. And except for a brief visit to meet colleagues and find a place to live, most have little or no personal experience in the host culture.