Roaming: Living and Working Abroad in the 21st Century

Thank you for taking the time to respond to this survey based on the book Roaming: Living and Working Abroad in the 21st Century. Roaming argues that millions of people who live abroad cannot be classed immigrants, expats, refugees, migrant workers or any other term used today. Roamers actively choose to live abroad and may never return to live in their home country full-time.

Many of the questions below (e.g. 'Where is home?') have complex responses. Please chose the answer with which you are most comfortable. There is space at the bottom of the survey for you to make additional remarks.

There is a draw for a $50 Amazon gift voucher as thanks for your help with this research. if you'd like to participate in the draw, please enter your email at the bottom of the survey.

All responses are confidential and your details will never be shared with a third party. Thank you for your help!

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Are you currently living abroad or in what you consider your home country?

Home

Abroad

Comments:

This is required

Whether you live abroad or "at home" right now, would you describe yourself as one of the following:

Local

Expat

Immigrant

Roamer (something between an expat and immigrant)

Other

If Other (please specify):

This is required

In the past 3 years, have you spent at least one year living or working in a country that is not your home country?

Yes

Comments:

This is required

Are you female or male?

Male

Female

Do you hold a passport for the country in which you were born?

Yes

Comments:

This is required

How many passports do you have?

more than 3

Comments:

This is required

Other than English, how many other languages do you speak fluently (defining 'fluent' as a language in which you could work, even if some brushing up were required)?

0 - only fluent in English

Comments:

This is required

Was English the main language you spoke at home?

Yes

Comments:

This is required

Are you married or single?

Single

Married / life-long partnership

In a relationship

Divorced, now single

Divorced, in a relationship

Other (please specify):

This is required

Have you ever been involved in a long-distance, cross-border relationship?

Yes, I'm in one now

Yes, in the past

Comments:

This is required

If you are married or have a life-long partnership, were you and your partner raised in the same country?

We were raised in the same country

We were raised in different countries

Comments:

This is required

Do you have any children?

Yes, living with me

Yes, not living with me

Comments:

This is required

Did you grow up in the same country where your parents grew up?

I grew up in the same country where both my parents grew up

I grew up in the same country where one of my parents grew up

I grew up in a country where neither of my parents grew up

I spent most of my childhood moving from country to country

Other (please specify):

This is required

Were you born and raised in the same country?

I was born in a different country from where I grew up (i.e. immigrant)

My parents were living abroad when I was born, but then we moved back to our home country

I was born and raised in the same country

I was born and raised in the same country, but moved frequently within my country

I was born and raised in the same country, but spent some time living abroad with my family

I grew up moving from country to country

Comments:

This is required

Would you consider yourself a Third Culture Kid? (TCK is defined as "someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time outside their parents culture. TCKs build relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCKs life experience, TCKs feel most at home with other TCKs.)

Yes

Comments:

This is required

In how many countries did you live for more than one year before the age of 18? (Selecting "1" indicates your home country.)

Comments:

This is required

Did you attend a high school / secondary school that was state funded or privately funded?

State funded school

Privately funded school

Privately funded international school

Comments:

This is required

In how many countries have you lived for more than 1 year since finishing your undergraduate degree (or if not applicable, since leaving high school)?

Comments:

This is required

What is the highest level of education have you received? (As national university systems vary widely, please chose the most suitable equivalent.)

High School or Foundation Degree

Diploma

Undergraduate Degree (BA, BSc, BEng, etc)

Postgraduate Masters Degree (MBA, MSc, MA, LLM, etc)

Postgraduate Doctorate or PhD

Comments:

This is required

When you were an undergraduate university student (BA), did you study abroad?

No study abroad experience

Studied a semester abroad

Completed half of my studies in my home country, half abroad

Completed my entire degree or several degress abroad

Comments:

This is required

If you had to choose one primary reason, why are you living abroad in your current place of residence?

Higher compensation

Better position or job opportunity (compensation was secondary motivation)

Lack of job at home

Adventure / trying something new

Personal (e.g. meet new people)

Family / followed partner

Intellectual stimulation

I am living in my home country

Other (please specify):

This is required

If you had to choose a secondary reason, why are you living abroad in your current place of residence

Higher compensation

Better position or job opportunity (compensation was secondary motivation)

Lack of job at home

Adventure / trying something new

Personal (e.g. meet new people)

Family / followed partner

Intellectual stimulation

Other (please specify):

This is required

If you are not working, but living abroad with your partner, under which type of contract is your partner employed?

Expat contract (free housing, family benefits, etc)

Local contract with benefits (e.g. relocation allowance, housing allowance, cost of living adjustment)

Started on an expat contract, but have since switched to a local contract

Local contract with no benefits except a relocation allowance

Local contract with no benefits above locals

My partner runs his or her own business or is self-employed

Other (please specify):

This is required

Did economic problems in your home country or previous country of residence inform your decision to move abroad?

Yes

No, it made no difference to my relocation

Other (please specify):

This is required

What best describes your idea of 'Home'?

The place where I grew up

Where my parents currently live

The city in which I currently live

The house or flat in which I currently live

A place in my mind, that doesn't exist in reality

I feel at home anywhere

I don't feel at home anywhere

Other

If you responded 'Other' to the question above, where is home?

When you moved to your current city of residence, how long did you expect stay?

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

4-5 years

5+ years

I moved here with the intention of staying

Other (please specify):

This is required

How long have you lived in your current city of residence?

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

4-5 years

5-10 years

10+ years

Other (please specify):

This is required

How much longer do you intend to stay in your current country of residence?

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

4-5 years

5+ years

I intend to stay

Other (please specify):

This is required

How long have you been living away from your home country?

1-2 Years

3-5 Years

5-7 Years

7-10 Years

10+ Years

I grew up living around the world so I don't see myself as having a home country / I'm a global citizen

I am living in my home country and intend to go abroad again

I am living in my home country and don't intend to go abroad

Comments:

This is required

When you left your home country, how long did you expect to be away?

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

4-7 years

7+ years

I left thinking I'd never return

Comments:

This is required

If you intend to leave your current country of residence at some point, where would you like to go next?

Back home to the country where I grew up

Back to a city/country where I have already lived, but not where I grew up

To a country where my family lives, which is not where I grew up

To a new destination country

I intend to stay where I am (I don't wish to leave at all)

Other (please specify):

This is required

If you responded 'Other / None of the Above,' what are the two most likely cities you'll move to next?

If you have bought property, where have you done so? (Multiple answers are possible)

Bought property in my current country of residence

Bought property in the country where I grew up

Bought property in a third place

Have not bought property

Other (please specify):

This is required

At the end of the month, do you have more spending power in your current country of residence than your previous country of residence (adjusting for wages, cost of living, taxes, etc.)?

Significantly higher (ie. My monthly take-home is letting me put away more savings or to spend more freely)

Moderately higher

About the same

I'm saving less/spending more than I was before moving

I'm bleeding money, but it's worth it

Comments:

This is required

What is your household's annual income including bonuses, after tax?

under $50,000 USD

$50 - $100,000 USD

$100-$200,000 USD

$200-$300,000 USD

$300-$500,000 USD

$500-$750,000 USD

$750-$1 million USD

$1-5 million USD

$5 million USD +

Comments:

This is required

If you work, how many hours a week do you normally work?

40 hours (e.g. 9am - 6pm, Monday - Friday)

50 hours (e.g. 8am - 7pm, Monday - Friday)

60 hours (e.g. 7am - 7pm, Monday - Friday)

70 hours (e.g. 7am - 7pm, Monday - Friday + one day on the weekend)

More than 80 hours (I live on my blackberry)

Less than 40 hours

I am not currently working

Comments:

This is required

Did you vote in your passport country's last national election? If you have more than one passport, did you vote in at least one country's last election?

Yes

It is mandatory to vote in my country of origin (regardless of where in the world I live) so I voted

It is mandatory to vote in my country of origin (regardless of where in the world I live), but I didn't vote

Comments:

This is required

If you did not vote in your passport country's last election, why not?

Too difficult to register

I registered to vote, but did not end up voting

I don't feel qualified to vote because I've been away too long and don't know the issues

I lost the right to vote in my home country

My country makes it difficult to vote (e.g. I must travel to another city or country)

I'm not interested in voting or elections

I wanted to vote but my postal ballot didn’t make it in time (or similar technical difficulties)

Other (please specify):

This is required

If you're currently living abroad and were given the ability to vote in the elections of your resident country, would you do so?

Yes, I'm very interested in participating in the political life of wherever I live

Yes, because I believe it's important to vote if you can

Maybe, if there was an issue that interested me and if it was made easy

No, I'm not that bothered about the local politics

No, I'm not really interested in voting anywhere

Other (please specify):

This is required

If you have any other additional thoughts you’d like to share, please do so below.

Thank you for completing the survey! If you would like to be included in the draw for a $50 Amazon gift voucher and to be notified when the book is published, please enter your email below.

If you'd like to stay in touch about the project, please join Roaming Facebook group: www.facebook.com/RoamingAbroad/

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Roaming: Living and Working Abroad in the 21st Century

Page 1

Are you currently living abroad or in what you consider your home country?

Whether you live abroad or "at home" right now, would you describe yourself as one of the following:

In the past 3 years, have you spent at least one year living or working in a country that is not your home country?

If you are employed, in which industry do you work? Please chose one that best describes your line of work (e.g. if you work for a bank investing in real estate, please chose "Banking and Finance.")

Are you female or male?

When were you born?

Where are you from? (If you have more than one citizenship, choose the place you grew up or however you feel most comfortable answering.)

Do you hold a passport for the country in which you were born?

How many passports do you have?

Where do you live? If you have more than one residence, please chose the city in which you spend most of your time

Other than English, how many other languages do you speak fluently (defining 'fluent' as a language in which you could work, even if some brushing up were required)?

Was English the main language you spoke at home?

Are you married or single?

Have you ever been involved in a long-distance, cross-border relationship?

If you are married or have a life-long partnership, were you and your partner raised in the same country?

Do you have any children?

Did you grow up in the same country where your parents grew up?

Were you born and raised in the same country?

In how many countries did you live for more than one year before the age of 18? (Selecting "1" indicates your home country.)

Did you attend a high school / secondary school that was state funded or privately funded?

In how many countries have you lived for more than 1 year since finishing your undergraduate degree (or if not applicable, since leaving high school)?

What is the highest level of education have you received? (As national university systems vary widely, please chose the most suitable equivalent.)

When you were an undergraduate university student (BA), did you study abroad?

If applicable, in which country did you complete postgraduate studies (if you have postgraduate degrees from more than one country, e.g. an MSc from India and an MBA from the USA, chose both India and the USA.)

Apart from your home city, In which of the following cities have you worked in for more than a year?

If you had to choose one primary reason, why are you living abroad in your current place of residence?

If you had to choose a secondary reason, why are you living abroad in your current place of residence

If you are employed, how did you find work when you first moved to your current country of residence?

If you are working, under what type of terms are you currently employed? Please choose the one that best describes your contract.

If you are not working, but living abroad with your partner, under which type of contract is your partner employed?

Did economic problems in your home country or previous country of residence inform your decision to move abroad?

What best describes your idea of 'Home'?

If you responded 'Other' to the question above, where is home?

When you moved to your current city of residence, how long did you expect stay?

How long have you lived in your current city of residence?

How much longer do you intend to stay in your current country of residence?

How long have you been living away from your home country?

When you left your home country, how long did you expect to be away?

If you intend to leave your current country of residence at some point, where would you like to go next?

If you think you'll leave your current city of residence at some point in the future and you don't intend to return 'home', where are you most likely to go next? Chose the 2 most likely cities:

If you responded 'Other / None of the Above,' what are the two most likely cities you'll move to next?

If you have bought property, where have you done so? (Multiple answers are possible)

At the end of the month, do you have more spending power in your current country of residence than your previous country of residence (adjusting for wages, cost of living, taxes, etc.)?

What is your household's annual income including bonuses, after tax?

If you work, how many hours a week do you normally work?

Did you vote in your passport country's last national election? If you have more than one passport, did you vote in at least one country's last election?

If you did not vote in your passport country's last election, why not?

If you're currently living abroad and were given the ability to vote in the elections of your resident country, would you do so?

If you have any other additional thoughts you’d like to share, please do so below.