Doherty, NoeleenRichardson, JuliaThorn, Kaye2014-04-012014-04-012013-01-011362-0436http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13620431311305971http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8358Purpose – This paper aims to move towards clarification of the self-initiated expatriate/expatriation construct with the aim of extending and deepening theory development in the field.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on Suddaby's think piece on construct clarity, this paper applies his proposed four elements; definitional clarity, scope conditions, relationships between constructs and coherence, in order to clarify the SIE construct.Findings – The discussion examines the “problem of definition” and its impact on SIE scholarship. The spatial, temporal and value-laden constraints that must be considered by SIE scholars are expounded, and the links between SIE research and career theory are developed. From this, potential research agendas are proposed.Research limitations/implications – This is a conceptual piece which, rather than giving precise research data, encourages further thinking in the field.Originality/value – Although the definitional difficulties of SIEs have been identified in previous literature, this is the first attempt to clarify the boundaries of SIE and its interconnectedness with other related constructs.en-UKArticle