ABSTRACT
International working has been likened by some to a heroic journey (Campbell 1968), a notion taken from the Parsifal myth common in many European countries: themes of heroism as a cycle of going out from a familiar home base to foreign realms, following a call for adventure, encountering and confronting challenges along the way, learning and experiencing transformations, before returning with new knowledge and understanding to share, an authority on two worlds.The idea that travel can broaden the mind is not new but being globally mobile and able to develop a global outlook has considerable currency. However, the return from such a journey may be far from epic, as much research suggests that the repatriation element of an international expedition can be fraught with difficulties.This chapter explores some of the individual and organizational challenges involved in the repatriation phase of international mobility. These insights are related to practical implications for managing repatriation.
