The international protean career: four women's narratives

Abstract

Purpose Using narratives from four women following international careers in France, this paper seeks to offer an insight into the depth and complexity of career issues for women working in a foreign country. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative hermeneutic inductive research undertaking on international protean careers, using in‐depth interview data together with contextual information regarding the specificity of the location in question. Findings The concept of the protean career is highlighted in the findings. This concept is described as “having an ability to reform oneself” also referred to as “morphing”. The findings in this study demonstrate how the women in the sample had the proven capability of morphing their professional role over time due to circumstance. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited as they cannot be generalised to a wider population due to the small sample size. However, the aim was not to generalise, but to share an in‐depth collection of real‐life stories from women. Practical implications Careers are complex, even more so on an international level. Individual choices regarding career pathways require more individualised career management approaches within organisations. Originality/value This research adds to the limited extant European research on women and international careers from a qualitative perspective.

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