Americans can work in their home country for longer in their early career and still progress professionally than Europeans can, according to an expert on international expatriate issues.

“To grow as a talent in Europe, you must move abroad,” said Alain Verstandig, president of the NET EXPAT Group, which specialises in assessing, training and coaching internationally mobile employees.

At the same time, successful moves within the US are easier to achieve, despite regional differences between the states, than are intra-Europe moves. While US communities may be very different, Americans see each state as still under the US umbrella. “We are definitely not there. We still see remaining barriers,” Verstandig said of challenges in moving Europeans between different European states.

Verstandig was speaking in London yesterday at the Forum for Expatriate Management’s European Totally Expat Show. In outlining the different approaches by the US and Europe to approaching international assignments, Verstandig pointed out that the US has a very “transactional” approach to such assignments, while Europeans tend to have “a more strategic view” of using them to build long-term capabilities within their organisations.

The US has higher levels of attrition amongst international assignees than Europe, he also pointed out.