Categories ArchivesRelocation

Seated in the hotel restaurant, on the first day of my expatriate assignment in Kuwait, I was having breakfast with my new regional director. He gazed out the window at the Arabian Gulf and then turned to me. “Do you like sunshine?” Not knowing him well, I thought that was a strange question, but said yes. He replied, “Good. You’re going to have a lot of it.” As a new expatriate general manager my role was to lead a multinational team of a global airline. I soon found out that in addition to loads of sunshine I also had extreme challenges, lots of frustration, many laughs and memorable successes. To help maintain a clear perspective on this expatriate experience I ...

In 1996 I made the most positive decision I’ve ever made for my family; I decided to move abroad. I was a single mom of four, working as a DJ at a nightclub in Los Angeles, going to school during the day to get my degree in Psychology and not seeing a whole lot of my kids. In addition to that, my twins were about to turn 12 and would be in junior high school the following year; I was becoming increasingly alarmed by the fast pace at which kids in California seemed to be growing up, experimenting with drugs, and engaging in other less than healthy activities. I wanted a change. I wanted to get my children out of ...

Same sex couples that are considering a move abroad have a few unique circumstances to assess, as compared to heterosexual couples who take the expatriate path. Regardless of whether the move overseas is for retirement, a job or just good old, garden-variety wanderlust, everyone (regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation) who decides to make the move has to look at, and deal with, some basic practicalities, logistics, legalities and lifestyle considerations before choosing a new home country, and packing up that household for the move abroad. For same sex couples, those considerations go quite a bit deeper than the norm, because not every country in the world supports equal rights for everyone. In fact, despite the fact that it ...

Budgeting issues and concerns over displaced Australian workers have prompted the Australian government to make changes to their tax and visa policies. The proposed changes will force companies to pay more in order to bring in expats for temporary assignments, and will make it more difficult to issue 457 visas. Fringe benefit taxes will cost employers In October of 2012, the Australian government imposed a 46.5% tax on accommodations for international assignees that are living in Australia while working on temporary projects. They also increased the fees for visa applications submitted before July 2013. The government has now extended these taxes to employer-paid housing for these temporary workers as well. In other words, employers will now have to pay a ...

If you are interested in a career as a relocation professional, you’re in luck! With corporate expansion into the international arena on the rise and global travel easier than ever before, the relocation industry is booming – which means plenty of job opportunities in what could be an exciting and growing career. Contrary to popular understanding, working in relocation goes far beyond helping people ship their belongings overseas, assisting employees in finding housing or schools for their children, and cultural training. There are not only numerous job opportunities and positions which fall under the broader umbrella of ‘relocation,’ but with mobile workforces increasingly becoming the corporate norm, you could become a key player in the success of a company and ...

According to the latest poll conducted by Hydrogen, the global recruitment company, the United States currently ranks number one in desirable work locations for professionals. Second in line is the UK, ousting the spot previously held by Australia, which now ranks third in the standings. The survey interviewed over 2,000 people in over 90 countries. And what are today’s primary motivating factors for professionals relocating overseas? While the potential to earn more is still among the top three reasons, the leading motivators are better career opportunities and the chance for new experiences. If you’re joining the ranks of the over 200 million people worldwide who are leaving their homes to roam the globe in pursuit of their career goals and ...