2018.10.24纽约时报：外派海外：正在消失的福利大礼包
Can you get a $21k pay rise by moving abroad?
外派海外：正在消失的福利大礼包
As Ireland’s economy struggled in the wake of the global financial crisis and people were left wondering how they could keep up with their mortgages, Sorcha Coyle took the plunge and moved to the Middle East.
全球金融危机发生后，爱尔兰经济陷入困境，人们为还贷款而发愁。科伊尔（Sorcha Coyle)打定主意，搬到了中东生活。
It wasn’t just the idea of a new challenge that the teacher found exciting, but the fact that by working overseas she would be in a better position to reach the financial goals she’d set herself than if she stayed at home.
这位老师发现，让人兴奋的不仅仅是新的挑战，更重要的是，在海外工作比呆在家里能更好地实现自己的财务目标。
“I’d been in Ireland during the recession and was surrounded by family and friends who had lost their jobs, weren’t able to pay their inflated mortgages and who were mentally and physically exhausted by money worries,” Coyle recalls from Dubai, where the 32-year-old now lives.
现年32岁的科伊尔在迪拜回忆说， “全球经济衰退时，我还在爱尔兰，身边家人朋友都失业了，无力支付越滚越多的贷款，经济问题使他们身心疲惫。”
The decision proved life-changing.
这个决定改变了她的人生。
The money worries Coyle saw her friends struggling with and that she herself had endured earlier when teaching in the UK – spending more than 50% of her salary on rent, leaving little for savings – have disappeared. Since her first expatriate job in Qatar in 2011, she has saved more than $186,000 and purchased two properties, including a four-bedroom house in her hometown. She’s even managed to travel.
科伊尔看到朋友们都在为钱发愁，她自己在英国教书的时候也曾经历过这种痛苦。当时一半的工资都用来租房了，几乎存不到什么钱。但现在，这些问题都不存在了。2011年，科伊尔接到第一份外派工作，离开爱尔兰前往卡塔尔。到现在为止，她已经攒了18.6万多美元，还购买了两处房产，其中包括家乡一栋四居室的房子，甚至还有闲钱旅行。
“One year as an expat could be the financial equivalent of three years back home,” says Andrew Talbot, who has been a certified financial planner for 18 years and currently works with Expat Financial Planning in Singapore.
塔尔博特（Andrew Talbot) 是一名有着18年工作经验的注册理财规划师，目前在新加坡从事海外理财规划工作。他说，“在国外工作一年赚的钱，相当于国内三年。”
According to new research from HSBC, the “average” expat adds an extra $21,000 to their annual salary by moving overseas. Some 45% of those who responded to the bank’s annual Expat Explorer survey say they got more money for the same job by moving abroad, while 28% said they got a promotion.
汇丰银行（HSBC）的一项新研究显示，在海外工作的人每年平均能多挣2.1万美元。在接受该银行年度“海外探险家”（Expat Explorer）调查的受访者中，约45%的人在海外工作比在国内做同样工作赚得钱多，还有28%的人在海外获得了升职。
“It absolutely is life-changing,” says John Goddard, head of HSBC Expat, who’s now based in the Channel Islands and has himself worked overseas in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. “That extra income helps people prepare for their future life. Over a third say they were able to put money away for retirement. Another third say they used it get on the property ladder.”
“这绝对会改变你的人生，”汇丰海外业务主管戈达德（John Goddard)表示。他目前常驻海峡群岛，曾在亚洲、中东和东欧工作过。“人们用这些额外的收入为未来做准备。超过三分之一的人存钱养老。还有三分之一的人把钱用来投资房产。”
The HSBC Expat survey was open to those older than 18 and working away from their home countries. More than 22,000 people responded – mostly professionals with jobs above entry-level – executives who generally enjoy higher levels of income to begin with. Of the 163 countries and territories surveyed, respondents had the biggest average annual salaries in Switzerland ($202,865), the United States ($185,119) and Hong Kong ($178,706).
汇丰外派员工调查针对的是那些年龄在18岁以上、在海外工作的人。超过2.2万人参与了调查，其中大部分是初级水平之上的专业人士，也就是那些从一开始就普遍享有高薪资的领导阶层。在接受调查的163个国家和地区中，受访者平均年薪最高的国家分别是瑞士(202865美元)、美国(185119美元)和香港(178706美元)。
But these days there are numerous types of professional working abroad – from the traditional expat on a generous package to a millennial who’s moved overseas in the hope of getting more experience, new skills and learning more about the world.
现在有各种各样的外派员工，不仅有享受高福利的传统侨民，还有旨在积累经验、培养技能、了解世界的千禧一代。
Yvonne McNulty, a global mobility expert based in Singapore, says that high-paying “expat” packages that include housing, school fees and a car allowance – are fast disappearing.
住新加坡的全球流动专家麦克纳尔蒂(Yvonne McNulty)表示，为外派员工提供的福利大礼包正在迅速消失，包括住房、学费和汽车补贴。
She points to a number of recent surveys that support this trend: a 2017 KPMG survey on global assignments found just 27% of respondents expected their use of standard expat assignments – the ones that tend to attract generous pay and benefits packages – to increase. Some 29% expected them to decrease and were looking at extended business trips, short-term assignments and local hires to meet their international staffing needs. A 2018 survey from corporate relocation providers Cartus found cost concerns underpinned the shift away from the traditional long-term assignment, which is seen as increasingly expensive.
她指出，最近一些调查也印证了这一趋势。毕马威(KPMG) 2017年对全球外派工作的调查发现，只有27%的受访者预计标准外派任务（指易于吸引丰厚薪资和福利的任务）会增加。约29%的受访者预计外派人数会减少；而且，为了满足国际用人需求，他们会延长出差时间、增加短期任务和本地招聘。企业搬迁服务提供商卡特斯（Cartus）于2018年进行的一项调查发现，传统的长期任务越来越贵，成本问题让人们渐渐放弃了这种做法。
“The idea that you can work abroad for your company and ‘get rich’ or earn more than at home is outdated,” says Yvonne McNulty. “It’s a fallacy.”
麦克纳尔蒂表示：“那种认为在国外工作就能发大财，或者比在国内挣得多的想法早已过时了。这是种谬论。”
That said, people can benefit from lower rates of income tax outside their home countries. In Dubai, there’s no tax at all. In Singapore, the top rate is 22% and in Hong Kong it’s 17%. That compares with 45% in European countries like the UK and France.
尽管如此，人们在国外所缴的个人所得税更低。在迪拜，根本没有个人所得税。新加坡的最高税率为22%，香港为17%。相比之下，英国和法国等欧洲国家的税率高达45%。
But that’s only one part of the equation.
但这只是天平的一部分。
Many of the countries where salaries are high are also some of the world’s most expensive. Hong Kong was ranked the world’s most expensive place for expatriates to live in Mercer’s 2018 Cost of Living survey, with Zurich in third.
许多高薪国家也是世界上生活成本最高的国家之一。美世咨询公司(Mercer) 2018年的生活成本调查显示，香港被评为全球外籍人士生活成本最高的地方，苏黎世位居第三。
Added to this is lifestyle creep – the idea that as your salary increases, so does your spending. For those on a foreign posting with a big pay bump, it’s tempting to fritter that money away on more nights out or high-end holidays.
除此之外，还有生活方式的改变——收入增加，支出也会随之增加。对于那些在国外工作、工资大幅上涨的人来说，他们很容易把钱浪费在夜生活或高端假期上。
The key, according to Talbot, whether you are single or with your family, on a generous expat package or an increasingly common “local” or “local plus” deal, is to decide the kind of lifestyle that you want, establish a financial plan and budget accordingly.
根据塔尔博特的说法，不管你是单身还是和家人住在一起，享受的是一般外派待遇，还是越来越常见的“本地薪酬方案”或“本地薪酬加溢价福利方案”，决定自己想要的生活方式才是关键，然后制定相应的财务计划和预算。
“People need to ask themselves what they want at the end of their stint overseas – do they want to pay off the mortgage, have a certain amount in the bank or buy a second property,” he says. “Decide on your goal and stick to that. You should always have a plan.”
他说：“大家要问问自己，到底想通过海外工作得到什么。还贷款？存钱？还是买第二套房子？你应该制定一个计划，确定目标，并坚持下去。”
Mai Tatoy, 48, moved to Singapore more than 20 years ago after the events company she worked for in Manila offered her a position in the city-state with a salary that was six times more than she’d earned at home.
现年48岁的塔图伊(Mai Tatoy)在 20多年前搬到了新加坡，此前她在马尼拉的公司工作，外派后的薪水是国内的六倍。
Working overseas has allowed Tatoy, a Filipino who now has permanent residence, to buy one house for herself and another for her parents (she also covers their monthly expenses), as well as a number of investment-linked mutual funds. She’s also built up her savings in case of an emergency.
来自菲律宾的塔图伊现已获得永久居住权。她用海外工作赚的钱为自己和父母各买了一套房子(她还负担父母每月的开销)，买了投资联结互惠基金，还攒了些钱以备不时之需。
And while the cost of living has risen substantially over the years Tatoy has lived in Singapore, her less-than-extravagant lifestyle has helped make her money go further. “I’m so into cheap and cheerful,” she says. “I take the bus around the city most of the time and pay my credit cards on time and in full every month. I do feel I ‘bought’ myself freedom from the burden of worry and debts.”
尽管生活开销在过去几年里飙升，但简朴的生活方式使她能细水长流。塔图伊说：“我喜欢朴实又快乐的生活。在城里，我大多数时候都乘公交车，每个月按时还信用卡。我觉得自己摆脱了忧虑和债务负担，获得了自由。”
Like Tatoy, Abdul Rahim Miah is not a “traditional” expat with a generous benefits package.
像塔图伊一样，米亚赫（Abdul Rahim Miah）并不是享受丰厚福利的“传统”外派人员。
A British citizen, the 25-year-old trained physiotherapist moved to Malaysia a couple of years ago to work with a football club and be with family. Visa problems meant his original job didn’t work out and he’s now a manager at a gym.
这位25岁的英国理疗师几年前举家搬到了马来西亚，在一家足球俱乐部工作。之前的工作由于签证问题泡汤了，他现在是一家健身房的经理。
“I earned better money working part-time in a cinema in the UK than I do working part-time here,” he says. And while Kuala Lumpur’s lower cost of living means Rahim still has money to spend, he cautions anyone who thinks that a job overseas is a ticket to riches. “Weigh the pros and cons carefully,” he says.
他说：“我在英国电影院做兼职赚的钱比在这里兼职挣得多。”尽管吉隆坡生活成本较低，但还是有花钱的地方。对于那些觉得海外工作是致富之路的人，拉希姆的忠告是“仔细权衡利弊” 。
Over in Dubai, Coyle helps other teachers looking to go international through her blog, which offers advice and information on working in international schools and living in the cities where they’re located, as well as negotiating the best package.
在迪拜，科伊尔通过写博客帮助其他想要出国教书的老师。博客上提供在国际学校工作的建议，及所在城市的信息，还有如何通过协商获得最好的薪资待遇。
She admits it is easy to be seduced by the idea of the well-paid expat, and says discipline is necessary even with a potentially large windfall. After seven years overseas, and feeling more financially secure, she is now looking to the future.
她承认，高薪的外派工作确是很有诱惑，但也认为，即使有可能获得大笔意外之财，也必须自律。在海外生活了7年后，她觉得经济更有保障了，对未来充满期待。
“I have put a limit on my time as an expat teacher,” she says. “My parents are getting older and my friends at home are starting to get married and have children. I no longer want to be that person who comes home only twice a year.”
“当外派老师的日子得有个头了，”她说，“父母老了，家里的朋友也都结婚生子。我不想再当一年只回家两次的游子了。”
