In Parts I and II of the International Mobility series, we showcased the diversity of our international employee population and provided insight into benefits offered to relocating employees to ensure the move is as stress-free as possible.
To wrap up this series, we thought it would make sense to share with you how it is possible to live and work abroad with the adidas Group. Currently, we have almost 700 employees exploring a whole new location with the company, who are either on a short-term assignment or have transferred to a second office – actually we have a good few who have worked in three, four and even five locations! But we do hire employees from abroad externally as well, as you can see below.
Out of our entire international employee population, 44% are hired externally and 56% are internal transfers or assignments.
There are 3 ways in which current and prospective employees can find themselves abroad: Short-Term Assignments, Future Talent Programs and Transfers.
The first way to go abroad within the adidas Group is via a Short-Term Assignment.
In order to promote development opportunities for key talents in our company, here are some formal Short-Term Assignment programs we run for our employees:
- Global Ambassador Program: This program gives Global Operations (GOPS) employees the chance to switch jobs with other GOPS employees from across the world for 3 months in order to gain exposure, broaden knowledge and share best practices. The inaugural year (2011-2012) successfully switched 22 employees between Portland, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Herzogenaurach, Amsterdam, Canton, Hong Kong and Jakarta.
- Sourcing Wide Access Program (SWAP): SWAP was born as a local initiative in response to the Employee Engagement Survey, specifically to promote employee exchange within the Global Sourcing teams. Employees on SWAP will gain 3 – 6 months’ work experience in another Liaison Office with the idea of broadening, sharing and implementing their business knowledge.
If you are keen to join us and work abroad as a Future Talent, check out the following external programs:
- Business Management Program (BMP): A select general management program for top MBA graduates with several years of work experience. BMPs rotate every 6 months to complete four cross-functional, cross-brand assignments in different locations. From Amsterdam to Tokyo to Panama, check out Salvador’s story here.
- Functional Trainee Program (FTP): An 18-month rotational program for top graduates with a focus on one specific function. FTPs rotate throughout multiple departments every 3 months with at least one assignment abroad. As an alumnus of the FTP, I found myself in Shanghai learning how my global HQ work was implemented and affected the different regions and markets, enabling Global markets and regions to work better together in the future! Find out more about the FTP experience here.
However if you want to fully immerse yourself in a new culture and live like a local, the most straightforward way to work abroad with the adidas Group is…
- To APPLY for a position abroad! This is our most common approach where we transfer and hire employees from abroad to relocate to a new location. For both prospective and current employees, you will become an employee of the new location. So if you share a passion for sport, have a few years of relevant work experience and a solid performance record, then you are well positioned for a role abroad. We have international employees in over 40 locations. To see what roles are open and, maybe even apply, check out our global careers site. It’s your move.
This brings us to the end of the International Mobility series. In the three-part series, we illustrated the demographics of our international employees, how we move our people around the world and the various ways to go abroad with the company.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about our international employee population and mobility at the adidas Group!
Great information and I like the fact the adidas group creates pathways for staff to expand not only their career but their life experiences.
great read & very informative blog. creates a lot of interest in Adidas as a great & truly global employer.