THE RELEVANCY OF SELF DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC EXPATRIATES’ CAREER IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES OF MALAYSIA
The presence of international staff or independent expatriate academicians in the cross border higher education world today is indeed a global issue that brings benefits to the development of higher education worldwide. The decision taken by independent expatriate academicians to come to the host country to pursue a career as an academician will certainly have useful implications on the career they are pursuing. Through in-depth interviews based on a qualitative approach adopted on thirty (30) selected voluntarily respondents in three public universities, the objective of this study was to find out the implications on self-development of careers as independent expatriate academicians serving in the host country. From the findings received as a result of the interviews conducted, the implications for self-development in terms of the career which could be seen were (I) Promotion (II) Lucrative income (III) Security in Malaysia and (IV) Harmony in the workplace. From each finding stated by the respondents involved, it had been proven that the decision was taken by independent expatriate academicians to the host country in pursuing a career as an academician had given the positive implication that indirectly brought benefits to themselves. The implications for self-development on a career as an independent expatriate academician were also able to lead to the retention of human resources of independent expatriate academicians which can reduce the turnover rate in an organisation such as academics in Malaysian Public Institutions of Higher Learning.