Career Advice
5 Things to Consider Before you Relocate For a Job?
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 1 May 2018
Relocating to another part of the country or the world can be exciting or plain scary. If it sounds exciting then you’ll probably jump at the chance of relocating for a new job, to you it’s just another adventure but what if you’re not jumping up and down at the opportunity of living and working somewhere completely alien, what do you do?
Perhaps you’ve been asked to relocate by the company you’re currently working with, it’s a massive career opportunity, and they’ve just given you an amazing offer. You feel confused because you’re excited about the offer but you currently like where you live and not only that, so does your family!
Maybe, the location where you currently reside doesn’t offer your dream job, and the only way to do what you want to do is to relocate. What if you don’t make any friends in the new location and you hate it there?
Sometimes it’s good to “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
Any change is scary and relocating is not just about changing jobs it’s changing homes, meeting new people, forming new relationships, sometimes even learning a new language.
How do you know if relocating for your job is the right thing to do?
The answer to that is you probably won’t know until you do it, however here a few questions you can ask yourself to help you decide if relocation is for you?
Is there a relocation package?
Sometimes companies offer their employees relocation packages to entice them into new locations. This is also the case for companies in locations that are trying to attract new workers with particular skills. Relocation packages can include a relocation lump sum of money, removal costs, legal fees, hotel fees, childcare assistance, each package is unique and depends on how much you or your skill is needed.
What is the work-life balance?
Sometimes to achieve a good work-life balance you have to relocate to get one. If you’ve been currently city working, maybe enduring long commutes every day and generally feeling burned out then an offer of an easier way of living is enticing. Will a relocation offer you a better way of living, will you achieve that work-life balance?
What will the family say?
If you have a family, then there’s a lot to consider. When children are young, it's generally easier, young children are quick to adapt, but as they get older, it could become difficult. Older children might resent moving; they’ll have to leave their friends, they’ll have to start a new school or new after-school clubs. You may also have to consider grandparents, will they still be able to see their grandchildren, if not how will they feel about that and what will the children say about not seeing them? Last but not least, if you have a partner will they want to relocate for your work, how does it affect them?
Is the job secure?
You don’t want to go through a relocation to be told that you're to be let go after six months. How long has the company been around for and what future does it have? Sometimes you might make a risky jump into the unknown especially if it’s a start-up, this is where your gut instinct usually rules your head, sometimes for the best, sometimes not. When making blind leaps of faith, it’s good to have a contingency plan in place, if it belly flops then what happens? It isn’t thinking negatively it’s just being prepared.
Have you had a test drive?
Make sure to visit the location a few times, check out the schools, the neighbourhoods, local clubs, business groups, communities, gyms, restaurants and local amenities. Sometimes the high street can say so much about an area, is it buzzing, is it clean, are all the shops let out? Also, make sure to go at different times, it might look lovely in the daylight, but it could be a different story at night. See if you can do a trial run with your potential employer, get a taste of the workplace and the area before making a full commitment.
Relocating is always better when prepared.
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