When you ask expats about the main challenges they faced during their first months in Paris, they will certainly tell you about the house hunting, the...
When you ask expats about the main challenges they faced during their first months in Paris,
they will certainly tell you about the house hunting, the setting up of contracts and home facilities or the search for reliable providers to help them with daily matters.
Often, they will not even mention the most obvious challenge: the communication barrier that made every step and move even more difficult.
You get the impression that this problem is too obvious to even be mentioned. But does it have to be like that?
Expat life has challenges but expat entrepreneurs create solutions
Today, in a globalized world with people from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds living side by side, Christiane Horn, founder of Expatforever, thought it would be a good idea to bring people together who share the same languages. International providers and expat clients should be able to find each other on a platform that lists and ranks for free businesses and freelance services.
This platform should also offer the listed providers, often expats or ex-expats themselves, the opportunity to offer specials and discounts, talk about their personal story and let their clients leave reviews and testimonials.
Why twist your tongue if there are people in town who understand your native language?
Everybody who has lived abroad and gone through a challenging situation or faced a specific problem, has experienced the relief of finding a person who speaks his mother tongue, or at least fluent English, to help him out and explain what needs to be done next.
Also personal goals are easier to meet if you are accompanied by a provider you can talk to. Good communication creates trust.
The whole process of expatriation in (Paris) is covered
Expatforever currently has listed hundreds of multilingual providers in several European cities. Various categories have been filled starting from Housing & Relocation, Home & Interiors, Admin & Computer, Legal/Finance/Insurance, Courses & Education, Cooking & Dining to Beauty & Wellness, Health & Fitness and Leisure & Events.
The categories Trips & Visits as well as VIP Concierge also address the demanding tourist community.
Filtering the best expat providers in town
"We have contacted the providers one by one talking to them, getting a first impression and checking their English level. In the end, we listed only the ones that we found recommendable" Christiane Horn says.
"Some of them have very interesting stories to tell and I hope they will share them using our story tool. We have come across extraordinary people who are innovative entrepreneurs and truly love what they do. We believe that their passion will reflect on the quality of service they offer to the expat community. These providers are them people offering the competencies and dedication we try to find in each city. Of course with time, the expat community will help us refine our listings."
Although still young and partially a "construction place for future functionalities" Expatforever has as steadily growing base of unique visitors.
"Over 50% of our visitors come back within a month which is amazing." Christiane Horn notices. "They already seem to find helpful information, and this is only the beginning".
