How to FLEXPAT Your Career - Choose Jobs Abroad You Enjoy with Francis Kremer

How do you navigate a new place with the language barrier and cultural differences being a possible hindrance? How do you thrive and become successful in living and working as a flexpat in a foreign country like China? 

Flexibility and open-mindedness to the possibility of what China has to offer give you an edge to enjoy your stay there. Sure, there are sacrifices to be made as you are away from family and home. But being positive about the good life the new place can offer makes one appreciate staying in China.  

Francis Kremer is an expert in sales, the latest manifestation of which is as the Sales Director in the Chinese Electric Vehicles (EV) market, a massive part of the automotive industry. His role is to make a Chinese company truly international in scope.  

In this episode, Francis talks about how everyone was apprehensive about his decision to become a sales guy in China. Undeterred, he pushed through with it—four years in China and no signs of regret on his part. Although he has made China his home, it is not without struggles to be living there. He’s got plenty of tips on how he dealt with challenges at work, his personal life, and his everyday life in China. He also made known what a flexpat is and the qualities one should possess to make it in a foreign land. 

What you will learn from this episode: 

• Learn to look through the lens of positivity and find inspiration in the littlest of ways to see you through the day 
• Learn how to be open-minded, have the initiative, and become resourceful when faced with problems while working in China 
• Get an insider’s tip on what to expect when living and working in China 

“It’s very important that you should be a master in your skill, you should have something that you can bring to the table that you can do better than anyone else.”  

- Francis Kremer 

Topics Covered: 

01:46 - What made Francis decide to be an expat 

03:25 - What endeared him to be living and working in China 

05:06 - How does he deal with being away from family and home 

07:06 - What important qualities an expat should have to thrive in China 

08:47 - Francis shares how different a holiday experience is in China compared to Europe 

13:16 - How does he define a flexpat 

17:42 - What the future looks like for flexpats with the onset of the virtual trend 

22:40 - Sharing happy experiences he has around China 

25:02 - Why he would have wanted to come to China earlier 

Key Takeaways: 

“I really enjoy being in China and to feel this development that people do something from scratch and they enjoy it.” - Francis Kremer 

“Whenever I think that I'm far away from home, I think, well, this is my home, and I take my family with me.” - Francis Kremer 

“What I learned from myself is to understand, okay, something's work differently than I thought. And I have to cope with it somehow, and nobody's going to help me. I have to get it done.” - Francis Kremer 

“Currently, it's a very comfortable situation, because I'm an expat, well-paid, and with a low cost of living in China. Not sure if this stays this way. But I think there will be a change in this industry; there will be many opportunities for people who want to try it. But they will not be in a position to sell themselves as the very kind of small species that wants to be well-paid and well-treated with everything with what is associated with an expat job.” Francis Kremer 

Ways to Connect with Francis Kremer: 

• Website: https://www.chinaflexpat.com/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/in/francis007 

Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson: 

• Website: http://www.wealthwithoutborders.net    
• Podcast: https://wealthwithoutborders.net/podcast/  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardwhiteson