Your employer has just offered you an amazing opportunity to relocate from the UK to the US and initially you were so excited. However, once the first moments of excitement wore off, those nagging doubts began to creep in. There is so much involved in relocating to a new country, even though there is no language barrier.
Nonetheless, there will be a cultural difference and you have a family to think about as well. Will they like life across the pond and will the kids fit in well in a totally different educational system? Those are just some of the early questions you are asking yourself, but there are other, equally important considerations.
1. How Secure is your Future with the Company?
Before agreeing to uproot an entire family, you want to know how secure your future is with the company. Yes, you have been given a nice promotion and will be leading the team abroad, but for how long? What will happen if the company doesn’t do well in the US? You will want assurance that your job back home is still open to you and that the company will help to pay the cost of moving back home.
2. Who will Pay the Cost of International Removals?
Speaking of paying the cost, who will pay the costs associated with international removals? You would also like to choose your own removal company because you have used 1st Move International in the past when studying abroad for your master’s degree.
They are fast, courteous, and knowledgeable about each of the 97 countries they ship to and offer a packing service unlike any other removal company in the UK. Not only do you want your employer to cover the cost, but you want a guarantee you can choose the removal service.
3. Will Health Insurance be Paid by the Company?
Unfortunately, your NHS health insurance will no longer cover you or your family because it is a residency-based cover. With that said, and the cost of health insurance sky high, will your employer cover at least a percentage of your family health insurance policy in the US?
At this point you would probably want to do a bit of research to see what percentage of healthcare is paid by US employers and which part is taken from employees’ checks. You would want a guarantee of that just to be safe.
4. Will an Initial Housing Stipend be Offered?
Even though your employer willingly agreed your terms for the international removal company, there is still a high cost involved that falls squarely on you. The cost of a rental deposit along with a security deposit could be quite costly, and you would like that as a perk if you agree to make the move.
If you decide to buy a home in the US, maybe some kind of stipend is available toward the good faith initial deposit when signing a contract for the purchase of that home.
5. What Happens if the Job in the US isn’t a Good Fit?
You were already aware of the fact that there would be a cultural difference even though the US is an English-speaking country. That doesn’t mean that a job in a new land will be a good fit for you. After all, they don’t even know what football is! They call it soccer. Their football isn’t nearly the same in any way.
Even so, all joking aside, there may be cultural differences in the workplace that you are uncomfortable with. If it isn’t a good fit for you, then you will want to know it wasn’t all in vain. Whether the decision was made by the company or by you, you will want to know if you have a job waiting for you and if they will help with the return costs.
6. Will there be an Employment Contract?
Although you will probably think of more questions you need to ask, this really is a big one. You will want to know that any and all promises made during negotiations are a contractual agreement. While you probably wouldn’t be working for an unethical employer, some of the verbal agreements might not be remembered when it comes time to cover costs such as the international removals company.
Your employer might even forget that they agreed to let you choose your own removal service. In any event, you will want everything in black and white and you would like a copy to bring to your solicitor prior to signing anything.
Moving abroad to the US is quite exciting. No matter where you are to be located, America will seem like a different world and there will be new adventures every day. Imagine the experiential education your kids will get as you take road trips to explore this whole new land that is 40 times larger than the UK with 11 states even being larger as well. How exciting is that?
These kinds of opportunities don’t come around every day, so think long and hard before agreeing or declining an opportunity such as this.
