For long-term expats, priorities will inevitably shift as they move from one country to another, especially when they start a family. Expat partner Veerle Hisken shares her experiences.
The adventure begins
“When we left Amsterdam for Ulaanbaatar 10 years ago, I didn’t think about the possibility of starting a family as an expat. Moving to Mongolia was such an adventure that we weren’t looking too far ahead,” says Veerle, now a maths teacher, who reinvented her career after embarking on her expat journey. “Teaching is a profession I truly love. There are so many things I enjoy about it but seeing the growth of the students is really special.”
No part-time option
“After we started our family, I continued to teach. But in more recent times, I started to wish that I had more time with my girls,” says Veerle, a mother of two, who now lives in Jakarta. “In my experience of Indonesia, there is no culture of part-time roles. At least that’s the case in the education sector. All of my friends, who have started families back in Europe, seem to have part-time roles and a nice work-life balance. I definitely felt like I was missing out on a lot as a mom. Monday to Friday, I was often working late, so I could never pick them up from their school then take them to swimming lessons, or join them for playdates. Little things like that…”
A big decision
“I worked with a life coach and we talked about this a lot. I loved my career, so the thought of giving up work felt a bit drastic. In Southeast Asia, it’s very affordable to have a full-time nanny to support you. So I knew that I could continue to work full-time. But this became a real dilemma for me. In the end, I decided that I would stop working and be a stay-at-home mom. Then I spoke to my boss, who was planning the roster for next year, and he asked if I would be coming back. I replied: ‘Well, only if I can work part-time.’ And he said: ‘Okay!’”
Happiness all around
“Now I feel very fortunate to have a perfect work-life balance. I teach at the school three days a week. I get to spend more time with the girls. They’re really happy about this, and I’m really happy, too!”
Photo: Veerle and her family
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