Pre-departure training
We are supporting expats and their families with cultural knowledge, practical coping strategies, and genuine empathy – throughout the entire expatriation process.
Our mission: turning your relocation into a success story – both at work and beyond.
What makes our offer unique: Our experts have lived and worked in the respective target country for several years. That means you won’t get off-the-shelf theory – but real-life insights and practical tips that truly make your new beginning abroad much easier.
General
- 80 target countries – for example, Germany, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia or the USA
- Languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Russian or Mandarin
- Location: In-house at your company, in rented seminar rooms all across the world or as online training
- Our expat coaching program is available for individuals or groups.
- Our learning events can be combined with exciting online elements, such as e-learning, learning nuggets and AI learning tools. This makes training truly enjoyable!
Experts close to you - worldwide
Our 200+ senior experts live all across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg and many other European countries. We also have trainers in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, as well as in North and South America. No matter if on-site or online; we are close to you!
Content Overview – Pre-Departure Training
Expat partners are warmly welcome to join our programs! And for the little ones: our special kids’ training helps them feel at home, too.
Master Culture & Communication!
- Cultural values of your target country – explained clearly and practically
- Proven strategies for successful communication – in person, by e-mail, phone, or in virtual meetings
- How to collaborate effectively with colleagues, employees, and international teams from your target country
- What leadership really means – understanding differences in work and leadership styles
Doing Business in Your Target Country
- Succeeding in international projects – what really matters in your target country
- Building and maintaining strong client relationships – culturally aware and impactful
- Mastering meetings and presentations – on-site or online
- Best practices for negotiations – strategies that resonate locally
Practical Tips & Strategies for Expats
- What really matters during an international assignment – the key to-do’s at a glance
- Settling in successfully – tried-and-tested tips straight from real expat life
- Your private life abroad – from everyday hacks to meaningful leisure time
- Making connections – how to build friendships and networks in your host country
- Staying safe – essential security insights for navigating your new environment with confidence
- Culture shock? Not with us – smart strategies for staying balanced and resilient
- Special module: Moving abroad with family – tailored support for partners and children
Our expat coaches happily create an adapted program for you. Please contact our team!
Why Eidam & Partner?
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Our expat coaches have lived and worked in their respective target countries for several years. On top of that, most of them were even born and raised on site.
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We’re proud to have a 100% recommendation rate. Here’s what our clients appreciate most.
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It's a matter of the heart for us that the entire family is included in our cross-cultural preparation programs.
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Our expat coachings and trainings feature a dynamic blend of interactive methods – from exercises, group challenges and simulations to recent case studies and videos.
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Our learning events come with a wide range of included extras. Plus, we enhance learning success and practical application through smart online elements – from e-learning and learning nuggets to innovative AI tools.
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Our trainings are individually adjusted to your situation and needs; 100% guaranteed!
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Eidam & Partner operates in a climate-neutral way: with green electricity, recycled paper, CO2 compensation via tree planting and much more.
Meet some of our clients!
We work for more than 550 customers in 25 countries. For example...
Get your free quote now!
Our support for expats – a look behind the scenes
Get exclusive insights into our expat preparation programs – and discover how targeted support turns into measurable success!
FAQ – Pre-Departure Training & Expat Preparation
Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions about pre-departure trainings.
What is a pre-departure training?
A pre-departure training is a targeted preparation for working and living abroad. It equips employees with the skills and awareness needed to navigate cultural differences in communication, collaboration and everyday life. Typical topics include leadership, teamwork, expectations and cultural norms in the target country. The goal is not just to transfer knowledge, but to build real confidence and practical competence. This ensures a smoother start and reduces the risk of misunderstandings and setbacks.
For which target groups is your pre-departure training and assignment support designed?
Our pre-departure training and assignment support is suitable for people who are sent abroad for at least two months, a period that extends beyond classic business trips. The main target group are specialists and managers in small, medium-sized and large companies.
A central feature of our work: We include the entire family. Accompanying partners, for example, are already included in our standard preparation scenario, without any additional costs.
For kids, we also offer separate, age-appropriate training programs, because an 8-year-old has different needs than a 16-year-old.
In addition, we also train HR professionals and global mobility managers who are not themselves sent abroad, but who are responsible for assignments and want to understand their complexity.
What topics are covered in expat training?
Expat training addresses both professional and personal aspects of an international assignment. Key topics include communication, collaboration, leadership and cultural expectations. In addition, participants explore everyday life in the host country and how to handle uncertainty and unfamiliar situations. Programs are typically tailored to the specific country and role. The aim is always to create practical, actionable skills that can be applied immediately.
When should a pre-departure training take place?
Ideally, expat training should take place around 4–6 weeks before departure. At this stage, participants are still mentally available while the assignment is already close enough for the content to remain highly relevant. In some cases, we even deliver parts of the training session on-site in the host country.
For Eidam & Partner, ongoing support during the assignment is equally important, as many challenges only arise in real-life situations.
How long should pre-departure training last?
A meaningful preparation usually takes at least one full day, with two days often being more effective. International assignments involve both professional and personal challenges, and both need sufficient attention. Shorter formats can provide an introduction but often lack the depth needed for lasting impact.
How many participants are ideal?
We deliver our pre-departure training both as individual sessions [with or without family] and in group settings of up to 12 participants.
Since an international assignment is often a highly personal experience, we strongly recommend offering each expat an individual one-on-one training – significantly enhancing the overall quality and impact of the program.
In which formats and locations does the pre-departure training take place?
We prepare expats in four formats and choose, together with you, the one that best fits the destination country, time frame and family situation. Our standard is in-house preparation, directly at your company or at the family's home. Especially for a training with family participation, the home environment is often the best choice: children can be included, and sensitive topics such as culture shock or safety concerns are discussed far more openly in a familiar atmosphere.
Online training plays to its strengths for short-term assignments or geographically distributed groups, methodologically always with interactive exercises rather than pure knowledge transfer. When preparation time is short and learning needs to be spread flexibly across several weeks, our blended learning approach combines e-learning modules with a subsequent live training.
A decisive advantage: our trainers are distributed across all major German-speaking cities and are at the same time based on-site in many countries worldwide. This allows us to continue supporting expats after arrival as well, for example with settling-in sessions during the first weeks or with targeted support in the host country when acute challenges arise.
It is precisely this combination of preparation in the home country and on-site support in the host country that is a central success factor for sustainable international assignments.
In which languages are expat trainings delivered?
We deliver expat trainings preferably in the first language of the respective expats and their families, because emotional topics such as culture shock, family adaptation or safety concerns can be processed much more deeply in the mother tongue.
The standard languages here are German and English. For expats with a different first language, we also organize our expat trainings in Mandarin, Japanese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese and other languages. In total, we offer our services in 40 languages.
A special feature of our assignment preparation: when partners come from a third language background, we also organize parallel language versions within the same family. For example, the assigned employee may receive coaching in English, while the partner is prepared separately in Spanish.
This significantly increases the depth of learning and is an important success factor for family adaptation in the host country.
FAQ – Pre-Departure Training & Expat Preparation – Part 2
For how many target countries do you offer expat preparation?
We offer assignment preparation for over 80 target countries, including all economically important international markets. For classic target countries such as the USA, China, India, Japan or South Korea, we draw on established training programs that we adjust to the specific assignment situation.
For particular target countries such as Iran, Pakistan or Nigeria, we also like to combine our cross-cultural preparation with a security training that addresses specific local risks. This combination of cultural and safety-related expertise makes an important difference, especially for high-risk destinations.
Our global network of 200 experts also enables us to provide support after arrival in the host country. This can make the difference between a successful assignment and a premature termination, particularly in challenging cultural contexts.
How do you tailor your expat preparation?
We tailor each expat preparation individually to the specific destination country, family constellation, professional role and duration of the assignment.
This fine-tuning begins with an online questionnaire that captures not only the professional situation of the expat, but also family topics such as school-age children, accompanying partners or special needs.
To obtain a complete picture, we then conduct short interviews with the expat, the partner and, where appropriate, with the line manager.
Based on this, we develop a tailor-made program that precisely covers professional, cultural, family-related and safety-relevant topics. Because a short-term assignment to Japan for a single expat differs fundamentally from a three-year assignment to Saudi Arabia for a family with children. These differences are exactly what we reflect in our training design, rather than working with rigid programs.
Who delivers your expat training?
Our pre-departure trainings and assignment support are delivered exclusively by trainers who have lived as expats themselves. For us, this is a non-negotiable prerequisite, because topics such as visa stress, family relocation, choice of schools abroad and culture shock can only be conveyed in depth and authentically when these challenges have actually been experienced firsthand.
Our trainers therefore have several years of international assignments behind them, in many cases even with their family. They know the emotional rollercoaster between anticipation, exhaustion, honeymoon phase and the typical crisis after 6 months from their own experience, not from books.
In addition, they predominantly come from the respective focus country of the training: for a China assignment, we deploy trainers who grew up in China and who at the same time experienced the transition to another cultural context themselves. This is one of the most important reasons why our assignment preparation achieves such high success rates.
Are accompanying partners or families included in the preparation?
Yes – and it is a decisive success factor.
It is crucial to prepare accompanying partners as well, as they are often much more exposed to cultural differences. The expat typically works in a familiar professional environment, which provides a certain level of security. Their partners, on the other hand, are often at home on their own and do not have this advantage.
At Eidam & Partner, expat spouses are included as a standard at no additional cost. We also offer dedicated training programs for expat kids.
How much does an expat training cost?
Typical costs range between €1,500 and €2,000 per training day. The exact price depends on the level of customization, the scope of the program and the target group. What matters most is that the training fits the specific context of the assignment.
Is preparation also useful for short-term assignments?
Yes – and in fact it is often even more critical. With limited time abroad, there is little room for trial and error. A focused preparation ensures that employees are effective from day one.
Why is Eidam & Partner the right partner for international assignments?
Eidam & Partner has specialized in expat support since 2004 and is among the market leaders in this segment in the German-speaking area. Our particular strength: we don't only offer classic pre-departure training, but cover the entire expat lifecycle from a single source.
This includes safety trainings for high-risk countries, dedicated coachings for accompanying partners, age-appropriate kids’ training, on-site support after arrival in the host country and re-entry support for the return.
We also pay close attention to the selection of our experts: our trainers consistently have their own expat experience, often with family. This advantage can make a decisive difference when it comes to sensitive emotional topics.
Over 550 companies entrust us with their assignments, including numerous leading German and European corporations. The recommendation rate for our programs has been at 100% for many years.
