Open Access

Julia HormuthORCiD

• Nowadays graduates are more international than ever. This is especially true for graduates of business and management studies. They have passed international study semesters abroad; realized international internships; worked in international work groups; attended courses with international lecturers; learned several languages. Why would such graduates not think about applying for a job abroad directly after their studies? ‘Self-initiated expatriates’ is the term used to describe job seekers that are not sent abroad by a company but decide themselves to apply for a job in another country. Going for a professional stay abroad directly after graduation should be appealing since graduates are mostly quite flexible – no family, no children, not settled down. For companies, hiring self-initiated expatriates can be quite attractive, among others for cost reasons: they do not pay for relocation and they are not responsible for repatriation issues either. How easy is it for companies to hire such graduates?