One question appears at that moment: are strangers really welcomed in India within this intercultural environment? Actually, Europeans are seen as people with money, able to corrupt anybody with it. A strong value is given to money in India. The richer you are, the more respected you will be. But I should worry about Europeans’ acceptance in India because there is no hatred within this issue, just a sort of jealousy toward European wealth. The real problem in India is about skin-colored people. A really bad system is implemented in India which is the one of castes. Indians can actually easily scorn black people. The darker is the color of the skin, the less accepted the person would be and people will reject him/her naming this person as “an untouchable”. Even if there are a lot of black student in India, it is still difficult for them to integrate the society as Indians. The only way to get higher in the acceptance process is to have money. I am not directly concerned by this problem of racism but I think it is important to know this negative point about India to prepare my family to any racist situations (bloggers, 2004).
Changing completely the topic, I am also interested in knowing what my family and I would eat going to India. The diversity of the India is also represented by its cuisines. Few generalities must be known: there is a significant use of spices within India, especially the curry. This could be a little problem for children but it is a question of habit and my wife and I can still cook in a French way. A funny problem for children is that a large percentage of Indian people are vegetarian translating the fact that Indians use a larger variety and proportion of vegetables than any other culinary tradition. Those are the two main similarities among India but there are a lot of local styles. Another strange particularity for Europeans is that Indians are use to eat snakes such as samosa and vada. On the other hand, we won’t be able to eat a lot of beef because it is considered as a sacred animal by Hinduism. The most famous drink is tea but coffee is also very popular in the southern part. Alcoholic beverages are well spread with local indigenous beverages like Fenny and Indian beer. Indians enjoy the meal in a particular manner: they eat while seating on the floor or on very low stools, and they use their fingers of the right hand, the left hand being considered as the “dirty hand”. Loving it, children would be happy to know that the Indian fast food industry has seen rapid growth since few decades (Allo'Expat, Cuisine of India, 2007). Thus, food is really different than in France but we will still have the choice to adapt ourselves or still cook using French habits. The principle is to know that there are enough resources to be in good health in India.
Regarding climate and weather, an obstructing element has to be considered: India has a tropical monsoon climate in the southern part called the Deccan plateau between July and September; western region has deserts and coastline. It is nearly the same for the eastern part with heavy rains during the three months of October, November, and December. Northern India has a moderate temperature with extremes during winters and summers (Expat Focus, 2007). India is also affected by natural hazards such as droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes (Allo'Expat, Geography in India, 2007). In consequence, it is not a really easy climate to live with because even if French are use to rain, it is not comparable to monsoons. It is another difficulty to live in India.
There are not so many things to know about India’s government but as an overview, from the conventional long form, the Republic of India is a federal republic composed of twenty five states and seven union territories with its capital New Delhi. The suffrage system is universal and accessible when citizens reach the age of eighteen years old. The legal system is based on English common law due to the colonization. In consequence, it is supposed to be a safe country where the corruption is limited and where justice is based on a concrete system, internationally recognized. It is a good thing to know that in case of judicial trial, justice would be fair and respected (Allo'Expat, Government in India, 2007).
The topic of the economical situation in India is critical to be sure that my family and I would be able to keep our consumption’s habits or that we would probably have to change them. Current India’s economy is composed of traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a consequent and growing number of support services. Compared to a western European country, India is not at the same level but it is not any more called a developing country whereas a developed country. Indians has a good reputation for paying their debts with adequate foreign exchange reserves, quite stable exchange rates, and a really strong and fast development of software services’ exportation. All those high technology exports are boosting the economy since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Concerning manufacturing activities, principal sectors are petrochemical production, aluminum and steel production (Mittal Co. now merged with Arcelor), paint and clothes manufacturing, and food processing. They encountered a rapid growth since the year two thousand. For services, there is a very active private commercial sector. Trading services and other businesses of services in India count as a real determining agent for the economy. Another branch met success since few years, it is the tourism sector: many Europeans and other foreigners are more and more attracted by the India destination (Allo'Expat, India Economy, 2007).
About communications, the Indian network is not so developed. The service is said to be mediocre. Services are really concentrated in urban areas. Efforts are made to expand and modernize long-distance network because there is a fast growing number of local subscriber lines’ creation. Only four metropolitan cities are provided with mobile cellular networks. Radio broadcast stations are numerous but they are not in French. To conclude, it is sure that we will have more difficulties to reach each other in India compared to France due to the problem of cellular phones expansion and low quality service of phone. There are a few number of Internet provider and the speed of it is very slow. This is another negative point for India. We can think about an improvement during the next ten years.
The transportation network in India is well developed even if India’s transportation investments declined during the period from the early 1950s to the early 1990s, as it is written in the “India Transportation” page of IndianChild.com Internet site (India Transportation, n.d.). The car rental system is similar to Europe. Concerning air transport services, the two major Indian airlines, Indian Airlines and Alliance Air, serve the entire nation and its small towns, and neighboring countries as well. Even if it is always crowded, the train network in India is the world’s second largest railway system with sixty two thousands kilometers. What is interesting is that it would cost half the price for my nine years old child and it would be free for the four years old one. India has also an extensive and well developed bus system. Passengers should ensure that luggage is secured properly and waterproof as it is carried on the roof. That information has been taken from the “Transport Facilities” page of Indian-Travel.com Internet site (Transport facilities, 2007). Thus, transportation should not be a problem living in India but we still have to be aware of the huge population of India. Walking in cities could be really stressful as Europeans are not use to large populations.
The final point to discuss dealing with Indian general information is about India’s transnational issues. There are few disputes with boundaries such as with China and Bangladesh because they are not properly definite. There is also a dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore and South Talpatty Island. Finally, India and Pakistan disagree on water sharing over the Indus River at the Wular barrage. It won’t be a direct problem for my family and me but it informs us about the internal security. A very bad point is that even if India is the largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, there is also an undetermined quantity of opium serving illicit international drug markets added to illicit producer of hashish and methaqualone. This is probably the most important drawback about India and it could be risky for my children to grow inside a country where drugs are omnipresent. Information in this paragraph has been found on “Transnational Issues India” page of AlloExpat.com Internet site (Allo'Expat, Transnational Issues India, 2007)
This first part of the paper is intended to give general information about India and to see what the good and bad points of the country are. We discussed topics such as history, culture, cuisine, government, economy, and transports that are positive in India and racism, climate and weather, communication, and transnational issues that are negative for this country.
Now that general information has been treated and classified into good and bad points, I now will present what are specific information for expatriates such as visa and immigration procedures, speaking the language, currency and cost of living, banking, taxation, healthcare, education and school, real estate, and I will provide useful tips about cars, housing, and driving.
There should not be any problem for visas and immigration procedures. As any time a European citizen travels out of Europe, he/she needs to have a valid passport. As we learn in the “Immigration Information in India” page of the Allo’Expat Internet site, expatriates need to have a passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of intended departure from India. A business visa is valid for one or more year with multiple entries. To apply for an Indian business visa, several documents should accompany the application: a letter from sponsoring organization indicating nature of business, probable duration of stay, places and organizations as well as a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses. A visa with validity between two and five years costs one hundred dollars. A critical issue appears concerning the real duration of stay: the duration of stay in India for each visit with a tourist or business visa should not exceed six months even if the visa’s validity is for a longer period. Every six months, my family and I would have to go and come back from France. (Allo'Expat, Immigration Information in India, 2007). A special application needs to be done for children to the Indian embassy in France in my particular case. So, it costs at least four hundred dollars for my four members’ family and the procedure lasts at least one month. Even if there should not be any problem, it is still a heavy procedure and it could represent a bad point to leave to India, but I think all of it could be done by my company, charges included.
We also need to know if, as French speakers, we would be understood in India. We can read in the “Speaking the Language” online page of ExpatFocus.com that the official language is Hindi and it is also the mother tongue of around thirty percent Indians. Most official, political, and commercial communications are made in English. Eighteen other languages are spoken in India as regional languages. The English literacy rate is average: shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and common men speak English. To remain conversant with the majority of Indian people, my family and I should buy a language converter (ExpatFocus, 2007). The major problem is that French is not spoken at all. I do speak English but my wife and my children don’t. I am not sure that they are willing to learn English before to leave. Going there, they are going to be lost and thus not understood by people. It is again a negative point to go to India for work.
Before to leave to India, it is important to be aware of how are the management habits of financial aspects. The Indian currency is INR commonly called the Rupee. Thanks to “Currency and Cost of Living” page of the ExpatFocus.com Internet site, we learn that the cost of living in India is substantially lower than in France: the farther you live from big cities, the lower is the cost of living. To give a concrete example, the cafe meal should cost around two dollars and thirty cents, a restaurant should be around seven dollars (Expat'Focus, 2007). Having a favorable cost of living and a euro’s exchange rate in rupees for around fifty seven rupees, it is a real advantage for my family and me to live in India. I don’t really need to secure a favorable exchange and I know that the French bank BNP-Paribas has a special partnership with Barclays, present in India, for zero-cost ATM withdrawals: I can withdraw Indian rupees from my euro account for free. As explained in the “India – Banking” page of the ExpatFocus.com Internet site, during my mission abroad, I would be able to open a checking account for example in Barclays because I would be consider as a foreign national temporarily resident. An employment contract and a valid French passport with a business visa is asked in my case (Expat'Focus, India - Banking, 2007)and then I would be able to withdraw on my French BNP account to make a deposit on my Indian Barclays account. Concerning taxes, being a resident of India, I will be taxed once a year on my worldwide revenues. The two most important taxes would be for me the Income tax and probably the Wealth tax. Their rates are given the “Tax Rates” page of the Madaan.com Internet site as follows (Madaan&Co's_attorneys, n.d.):
In conclusion, I can be sure that on the financial points, I would be favored living in India concerning currency and cost of living, banking, and taxes.
Since few decades, the Indian government has implemented a vast health infrastructure. Healthcare is well managed by professionals coming from a large number of Indian medical and para-medical institutes and from Europe and mid-East. It is written in the “Healthcare and Medical Treatment” page of the ExpatFocus.com Internet site that “most of the private hospitals have the facilities of pathology labs, physiotherapy, X-ray, ultrasounds and other scanning, surgical operations, ENT and pediatrics” which is a good thing knowing that I have two children. Other hospitals are specialized for heart and coronary diseases, etc (Expat'Focus, India- Healtcare and Medical Treatment, 2007). Thus, healthcare is another positive point for India which won’t cause any problem living there for a while. I will not speak about insurance and its costs because they would probably be paid by my company. I know that it is the usual way of doing things concerning employees’ expatriation.
The process of getting a driver license is a little complicated with several different steps. First, to get a Learner’s License which allows you to drive under conditions, a proof of age, a proof of residency, photographs, and fifteen rupees have to be given to the License Issuing Authority. Then, after a driving test, administrative procedures, and sixty rupees, the candidate will receive a Permanent Driving License. The AlloExpat.com Internet site advices us on its page “India Driving License” not to drive our own car from France because it would be cheaper to rent another one directly in India (Allo'Expat, India Driving License, 2007). We can conclude that it is not a big issue to get a car and be able to drive in India. Just little administrative steps and costs are required but it should not take a long time.
Speaking about housing, usually, it is the company of the expatriate that find the appropriate apartment or house. A lot of housing solutions are proposed in big cities looking like the European way. We should not worry about the problem of housing except that it should not be far away from my children’s school. This is the topic of the following paragraph.
The final topic is maybe the most important and critical one of this issue to know if I will decide to go or not for working in India. It is about education and school for my two children. From the global opinion, India offers studies of affordable education costs and excellent quality. The British level is taught in several schools but the French education is not very present. After having search on the Internet, I have found only four French schools in India which are the Ecole Française de Bombay, the Ecole Française de Delhi, the Ecole Saint Joseph de Cluny, and the Lycée Français de Pondichéry. Only the two first propose a nursery school education and a primary school education for my two children. Consequently, my mission in India must happen in Bombay or Delhi, otherwise it would be too complicated for my nine years old child to adapt himself to the language and the local education. I think my younger child is young enough not to realize the change. Thus, my children’s education being a priority, it is a strong inconvenient for me to live in India for such a long period if it is not in Bombay or Delhi.
As a conclusion, I decided to gather all topics I spoke about in this paper in a simple table. This table separates each criterion with a specific mark from one to five over five. An additional coefficient multiplies each mark according to the importance of the criterion from one to three. The results will provide a final mark that will help me to decide either if I accept the abroad assignment or not.
As you can see on this table, my final decision will depend on where is located my company’s assignment to know if my children would follow a French education. French schools are located in only two cities in India: Bombay and Delhi. With a score of one hundred and four over one hundred and forty five with in assignment in Bombay or Delhi, I will accept the assignment, otherwise, I will refuse it. Everything is depending on where the assignment is located but on a general aspect, India seems to be a good country to work in for a punctual mission.
List of References
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Cuisine of India. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/cuisine_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Culture of India. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/culture_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Geography in India. Retrived le October 25, 2007, from Allo'Expat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/geography_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Government in India. Retrieved le October 25, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/government_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). History of India. Retrieved October 24, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/history_of_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Immigration Information in India. Retrieved October 30, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_expat_tips/immigration_information_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). India Driving License. Retrieved le October 31, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_expat_tips/driving_license_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). India Economy. Retrieved le October 25, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/economy_india.php
Allo'Expat, S. (2007). Transnational Issues India. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from AlloExpat.com: http://www.india.alloexpat.com/india_information/transnational_issues_india.php
bloggers. (2004, Winter). Destinations Asie du Sud. Retrieved le October 25, 2007, from VoyageForum.com: http://voyageforum.com/voyage/touriste_noir_en_inde_nord_D29053/
Expat Focus, S. (2007). India - Climate & Weather. Retrieved le October 25, 2007, from ExpotFocus.com: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-india-climate-weather
Expat'Focus, S. (2007). India - Banking. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from ExpatFocus.com: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-india-banking
Expat'Focus, S. (2007). India - Currency and Cost of Living. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from ExpatFocus.com: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-india-currency-costs
ExpatFocus, S. (2007). India - Speaking the language. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from ExpatFocus.com: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-india-language
Expat'Focus, S. (2007). India- Healtcare and Medical Treatment. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from ExpatFocus.com: http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-india-healthcare-medical
India Transportation. (n.d.). Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from IndianChild.com: http://www.indianchild.com/india_transportation.htm
Madaan&Co's_attorneys. (n.d.). Tax rates in India. Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from Madaan.com: http://www.madaan.com/taxrates.htm
Transport facilities. (2007, October 30). Retrieved le October 30, 2007, from Indian-Travel.com: http://www.indian-travel.com/info/transport.html
