Questions to Ask Your Future Employer Before Relocation
Whether you are looking for a new job with a relocation possibility or you are in the rotation program of the company - the main rule is to not be shy to ask questions! Moving to a new country, culture or even mainland is always challenging in psychological and moral ways. To prepare yourself for this huge move in your career and life - discover what you should know before relocating and agreeing to a job offer.
To ease the nerves here are some insights about the relocation outlook of the people who already faced it: in the job relocation survey from Allied Van Lines, 56.64% of employees positively describe the relocation while only 29.07% of respondents are neutral about it, and 14.29% have a negative experience.
General questions about the job
To make a decision that can be a cliff-changer in your life, do ask any question you have in mind relating to a relocation process. To help you to learn more from an interview before relocation, here are some questions which you can make use of:
- How flexible is the schedule? Is it possible to work from home? How many (paid) days off are allowed? What is an average workday?
Such questions may help to determine the easiness of working while finishing the relocation process with transportation, house-hunting, auto shipment etc.
- What's the cost of living in the area?
This can help to estimate the approximate sum of money that is needed to live in a particular area and compare it with the suggested salary.
- Will there be a mentor or support system?
As has been mentioned, the relocation process is a challenge that can be not for all. Moving to another culture is extremely difficult due to having no connections in the area. It relates not only to company employees but also to native people.
- What is the start date you anticipate?
According to the given answer, you can plan the relocation process and estimate the time you need for it and the dates.
- Can I meet or talk with someone from the team?
Moreover, the best way to understand the pros and cons of relocation is to ask questions to people who did the same in that company, because they may recommend some services, time or anything else related to relocation that they wanted to do themselves but didn't have an opportunity. In addition, you can ask about daily liabilities, mentors, events and any other questions about the company.
- When do you need my final decision?
It may help you to give yourself time to consider all aspects and determine your positive or negative response. Especially, it's crucial to report it to your current employer at least two weeks before you switch jobs.
- Will I have any career advancement opportunities? Do you have a job rotation program?
Those questions are helpful for those who are searching for a new job while not having any experience in the career development of one of the company offices etc. (like an employee with a rotation program). They may help you decide whether you want to work for the company with particular opportunities and the challenge of relocation.
- Do you organize any hackathons or workshops? Do you pay for conferences and courses outside the company?
An additional question to discover about the pros and cons of the company requires an employee from abroad.
Questions to ask about the relocation package
A relocation package is a monetarily offered help from the company that wants you to work for them and do the relocation. There are four main relocation packages:
- Lump Sum Packages (the sum of money the company offers is based on the previous experiences of its employees)
- Tiered Packages (relocation package is matched to the employee: their level of seniority, circumstances and needs. There are 3 tiers that allow some features or provide a minimum for some workers in particular positions. So, there is prepared support for the intern or entry-level employee (1 tier), mid-level managers and long-serving professionals (2 tier), senior managers and high-level executives (3 tier)).
- Managed Budget Package (the company sets limits to the budget of the relocation package and also the possibility of providing/ordering some services from the company) + Flexible Allowance Plans (creating categories (shipping items, home sale, travelling expenses etc.) on which a company will decide the maximum amount of money. If there is some money left, the worker can not spend it).
- A Fully-Covered Relocation Package (for higher-level employees, as there can incur high, unpredictable costs compared to the other packages).
And here are some questions to ask about the relocation packages, benefits and assistance:
- What type of relocation package does the company use?
- What will my relocation package include?
It usually has some services such as packing or/and unpacking, moving services with probable insurance coverage, help with selling a home, a house-hunting trip, temporary housing and storing the household goods from the previous home, auto travel reimbursement, miscellaneous expenses/lump sum, final move, lease break assistance, spousal employment assistance, school location assistance, integration and cultural assistance, auto shipment, lease break assistance. However, it depends on the level of position you will get.
- Does the relocation assistance provide to my family members, for instance, spousal employment assistance or school location assistance etc.?
- Will you provide moving and housing assistance, and in what way?
- Is there a possibility of visiting the city and making a house-hunting trip?
- How much time is there usually provided for the relocation process?
Where to find a job which offers relocation
There are many platforms, websites and marketplaces to find a new job with a relocation offer. To make it easier, we prepared the top list of them:
A platform for searching for jobs with relocation possibility and even getting personalized tips for relocations that are based on your answers to their questions related to your citizenship, relocation with or without children/partner, a driving licence, a degree and presence of pets (those tips are available only after registration or signing in).
The magic trick is to add the keywords “relocation” and/or “visa sponsorship” into the search tab and select the country for relocation.
The main pros of the platform are the ability to choose the option in the filter “relocation”, after which it shows you companies with different job positions and information with the possibility to find more. Moreover, there are many other filters that are based on location, remote jobs, industry, DEI, perks (where is an option of relocation assistance) and size of the company in employees.
Furthermore, the best way to find a new tech job with a variety of working conditions and advantages is to use Hirin.co, a marketplace that is all about candidates and not employers!
