by Ellen Harris, Living Abroad If a relocation were a Broadway production, it would have several acts, multiple scene changes, and many actors – some playing more than one role. Top billing goes to the assignee and his or her family. Making sure the production goes smoothly is essential, and it truly can seem like a cast of thousands supports this goal.
From HR specialists, real estate experts, and shippers to bankers and school administrators, there are professionals to handle the big pieces. Other, softer issues are important, too, such as educating the assignee on the host destination, and helping the family familiarize themselves with things like language and local culture.
Above all – and unlike a stage drama – the assignee must have full knowledge of the process unfolding before him. No last-minute surprises or unexpected plot twists. In fact, the more prepared the assignee and her family can be, the more successful the relocation.
With all the tasks facing an assignee, the to-do list can look more like a complex road map than a playbill. Where do you start? How do you keep track of the process? Where do you get answers to your questions? Even more importantly, how do you know what questions to ask? A few of the major topics to understand are raised below. Although each answer could go on for pages and in great detail, I’ve included brief discussions here:
Many people opt to select housing based on proximity to office or school, although many considerations come into play, such as transportation, safety, and housing inventory. A pre-assignment trip is useful to view potential properties, size up the available space, and ascertain paperwork requirements. Short-term accommodations like corporate housing or furnished rentals are good ways to bridge the gap between arrival and signing a lease, especially when no pre-assignment trip is planned.
Registering with your country’s embassy in the host country is a good first step. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with local issues and potential safety concerns, be they natural hazards or political unrest. Share age-appropriate knowledge with children. Make sure they know local emergency numbers, their new address and where to go if that location should become inaccessible. Creating an emergency plan with your family is highly recommended – and absolutely critical in some locations.
Several health sources are useful in determining vaccination requirements, such as the CDC, NHS, and WHO. Some courses of treatment take quite a bit of advance planning. Your personal physician should be consulted before beginning any travel-related medical treatment.
Countries’ customs authorities typically outline any restrictions or special handling of prescriptions. Also check whether you’re likely to find acceptable medications for refills while abroad, or if you’ll need to bring several months’ supply.
Culture affects everything: what people value, how they behave, ways they communicate, and how they treat each other – especially those of different rank, tribe, or education. When the subconscious understanding of these common threads is disrupted, as it is in a foreign location, we can feel unsettled, confused, isolated, and out of place. Gaining an understanding of the local culture helps illuminate local mindsets and behaviors, easing communication and daily interactions.
The answer to this is affected by ease of import, cost of duties and taxes, availability of alternative means of transportation in the host country, and local laws with respect to driving. Ask yourself: Will I have a place to park? Will my daily routine require a vehicle for the distances between family commitments? Are traffic and driving conditions so challenging that it makes more sense to use other transit, like a car and driver? Everything from insurance rates to commuting distance will inform your decision.
Repatriation can be viewed as a new assignment rather than a homecoming. Your experiences have changed you, your relationships, and your views. Your native country will have changed, too, along with the workplace you may be returning to. Expect adjustment and some reverse culture shock. Also, set the stage for rejoining your colleagues by keeping in touch, and keeping track of potential positions, while abroad. Realize that your children may feel isolated and anxious upon return. Coach them to anticipate some adjustment time, and support them in balancing the gift of their experience abroad as they embrace their familiar home culture.
These are just some of the many topics – large and small, obvious and obscure – that assignees consider before and during an international move. With so much to do in preparing to relocate, some information needs to be seen and heard many times, in multiple ways. And some will only have impact when the assignee is immersed in a relevant situation.
Take advantage of every support tool offered. Books, websites, apps, online tools, and face-to-face interactions all have merit as forms of information delivery and relocation assistance. Sharing resources among family members can help your experience abroad will be more satisfying and productive.
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