So how does an "Expat" behave?!! When you look at the wide range of Expats worldwide that we have on here for example, we all behave very differently, there's no way you can generalise like that. I even work in the same office two other expats and the three of us are so totally different; the only thing we have in common is the fact we came from the other side of the world originally.

Reads to me as expats behaving as stereotypical expats - in which case, fair point. I've come across some fairly clannish/blokey behaviour in expat cohorts - not fuelled by ill intent, I don't think, more by the insecurity of being far from home.

This is maybe for a new thread altogether but typical expat behaviour that I've seen and even participated in includes:

Congregating with other expats.

Carping on about food that's missed

Living in the adopted country for years and years but still talking about the UK as home.

Spending Christmas with fellow expat "family".

Celebrating Burns Night.

Last but definately not least (and often with considerable relish ): Winge-ing about the adopted country.

Yes. I thought that this amusing facet was understood and almost a given topic of discussion not requiring any explanation and my original reference was tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating.

And I've been guilty of it myself in some shape or form, never in Australia, but elsewhere - only due to a shared interest in Rugby - and my association was frowned on by my peers and perhaps seen as sailing close to the wind...!

What was definitely frowned on was over patronage of some of the Expat pubs..there were people who lived there with permanent ruddy faces ...who could not mix with people from all over Europe.

Polly, I said expats behaving badly. This is not the same as generalizing all expats.

And most of the behavior is harmless often. I agree about expats being different.

It's precisely the fact that people are so different that I don't seek out Expat groups expecting them to behave or be the same as, or a substitute for, people I knew in the UK.

It would appear from some comments that some people only consider expats to be British. How strange.

Thats one reason why generalising about "Expat behaviour" bad or otherwise is a concept that baffles me - every country has expats, surely they don't all behave the same? The guys are work with are a Scot and an Englishman, neither of them behave at all like me, even when we are all behaving badly

When we talk about expats on this website we are by default referring to British expats. But the general patterns are likely to be similar regardless of the nationality.

Fair enough. I don't though, there are too many other nationals around - as you know.

Yeah, it don't make no difference innit geezer

ie - I lived in Britain long term and am now here but am not from there, just like many others on this site.....

expats are expats - // -

But then again I've never really considered myself to be an expat. Immigrant or settler more like because it suggests a much greater permanency in our adopted country than expat does.

Indeed.

I find mixed Expat groups more interesting than expats from a single nation.

I've always recognized other expats from other countries and I recognize common Expat behaviour in them all. I think some of the bad behaviour if it happens, continuing the theme - which after this, I am more than happy to discard - is common to all and I expect all nationalities might think that their own expats are the worst. Might be a healthy thing...

Agreed.

And I see that your last comment reference permanency rings true and was the reason Slappy's post resonated with me.

I am technically an Expat but culturally I don't consider myself to be one.

What do you consider yourself to be?

A migrant. New Australian and all that jazz.