Relocation
Whether you’ve lost your job through redundancy (and relocation is the only option if you don’t live in an area with viable alternative employers), or if you’re just fed up where you live - relocating can be liberating, and a bit scary at the same time!Moving house with your family, or even if you’re single, can take up a lot of energy. If you are also coping with a new job, you are in fact juggling with two of the most stressful activities around. It follows then, that if you like where you live and you like your job, you'll be correspondingly less stressed, happier and personally and professionally more productive.
Many recruitment agencies will ask if you are prepared to relocate as part of their registration process. Well are you? Are you really? Lots of people say they are and back out at the eleventh hour because they just didn’t do their homework first.
newlifenetwork tips - make moving with your new job as smooth as possible
- Is relocation the only alternative? Would it be possible or easier to commute? Could you live away all week and come home at weekends? Could you work flexibly or remotely from home for some or all of the time?
- Have you done it before? The more you've moved around, the less daunting it can be in terms of knowing what to do. If you've done it a lot it can lead to a certain kind of rootless existence that doesn't suit everyone.
- What are the positives and the negatives? Make sure you (and your family if necessary) really understand the score and write it all down. You might be surprised that some of your fears might be groundless, or you come across an obstacle that might limit your options e.g. a more expensive housing area may mean that you need to downsize or rent.
- Will a move put too much of a strain on your friends and family? Will you be homesick? However much you look forward to moving, a little bit of homesickness is only natural. If you are really shy and you don’t make new friends easily, you have to weigh up whether you can overcome your reticence. It could be the making of you, and you'll look back and wonder what took you so long.
- Will your future employer make things easy or attractive for you to move? Many large firms offer relocation grants for key workers and have helpful HQ staff to help you find schools, doctors etc. Will the salary be good enough for you to live on (especially if you move from a lower cost rural area to a high cost city e.g. London)? What is your bargaining power? How much do they want you?
- What do you look for in a place to live? Is culture or a good social scene important? Are family considerations such as good schools of high priority? You can check out locations so easily on the net these days – see the resources we suggest below.
- If you're thinking of going abroad, even simple things like getting a phone and a bank account can be time consuming. Check out the working overseas page for further tips on that option.
- What's your back up plan? If it doesn’t work out, can you come back? You may want to rent for a while and check things out before giving up property in an area where prices rise more quickly.
| Subscribe now - keep up to date by email with the latest career news, events and new site content! |
"Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) |