Relocation consultants?
 

Hi all,

Haven't posted on here for years since moving to the Middle East. Now in the Far East but looking at a possible relocation to NYC. Same employer which makes life easier, but I've got relatively little time to make a decision and not really knowing where to start I wondered if employing a relocation consultant was worthwhile. We've got kids who would need to slot into school there, and then back into the UK in 2-3 years time so getting that bit right (and keeping the wife happy) is key to making this all work and given the differences in systems, and the differences state by state I want to make the most informed decision possible.

Wife prefers the idea of Connecticut , but only because she went there on holiday once. Yes, really starting from square one.

Has anyone used a relocation consultant or education consultant to help piece the bits together?

Many thanks in advance

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

I have seen them mentioned many times, something provided by the Employer.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

My experience is that relocation consultants don't help you with deciding whether you should move, but with relocating once you have decided that you plan to move, and where you plan to move to.

You also don't mention visas. Is your employer looking at an L1 visa of some sort?

What age are your children? Their education needs may make a big difference as to how practical that move is for you, especially if you considering a return to the UK after a few years.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

This is what I do for a living.
In terms of helping you decide whether to move or not, the role of a relocation consultant is to advise you about housing availability and costs, schools in your area and activities and a good one will help you arrive at a budget for your living costs.

The role is very location specific and you will need someone in the area to which you want to move.

What usually happens with an international move is that your HR dept hands you over to the global mobility company who will handle all aspects of your move - legal(visas) , removal companies and relocation consultant. The amount of help you get depends on the budget allocated to the move. If your company is wishing to keep costs to a minimum, then the first service to get cut is the "look-see" visit where you get to go to the destination to take a look at houses, schools etc and get a feel for whether you want to move there. The next area that may be cut back is "destination service" or relocation consultant for when you arrive. Normally, I help people find houses and utilities, get bank accounts, kids in (the right ) school, social security numbers, drivers license.

BE is a GREAT place to come for advice!!

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

If you will be commuting into NYC on a daily basis, I would suggest looking at Greenwich, Stamford, or New Canaan, CT. People also commute from as far afield at Ridgefield, Wilton, and Weston -- which all have great schools. Choose your town, and there will be excellent relo experts to help you, as there is a big corporate residential presence in the area.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

Many thanks for the helpful replies. I used BE a lot when I moved to Dubai so I remember what a useful place it was to visit!

We have done a few moves so are pretty comfortable with most aspects, but it's the schooling that is baffling. When we moved to singapore we used a local education consultancy ( part of nord anglia) to advise us on how the school curriculums here dovetailed with the U.K. with an eventual move back in mind. It is that sort of thing I was after; if you live in state x there are IB schools which are an easier fit with uk/ international systems etc. I don't know the extent to which differences by state would impact on our destination decision.

I don't know about what visas etc. Our in-house HR is pretty thin on the ground but they will handle that aspect. I am quite lucky in as much as cost won't be an issue - they will throw money at sorting out problems they can't fix themselves. The downside with that approach is the number of times you are asked to relocate!

It sounds like it is a case of speaking to schools there and in the UK and trying to piece it together ourselves.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

How funny - small world! Which areas do you cover?

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

Thanks for this. Yes, I will be going into grand central so I was thinking something along the CT coast. How long have you lived there?

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

I'm in Austin , Texas. So not much use for Connecticut. Why does your wife want to go there?

What are your choices of location in the US? Maybe the combined brainpower and experience on BE can help you narrow down your search.

Think about climate - do you want to be near the coast? Is cost of living a big factor? Good, quick flights back to the UK? Do you have to travel internationally?

that's a start.....

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

I've had a home in Fairfield County, CT, since 1982, and gave up my NYC apt. to live there full time in 1985. You would not be alone on that commute! I always suggest that it is helpful to learn where your prospective colleagues live.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

Offices all over the US but most likely location will be NYC. We have done city living for 9 years around the world so looking for something in the 'burbs ideally.


I don't want to waste my firms money on a look-see visit if we cant get the schooling bit to work. I will see what google throws at me....

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

A few in NJ but most in upstate NY or CT. Our offices are stumbling distance from Grand Central so the metro-north route is pretty popular. Of course the youngsters all live in Manhattan but the wife and I haven't done high rise living for a looong time.

Re: Relocation consultants?
 

Precisely--Manhattan is wonderful, but there comes a time when there is more allure to having a garden and not having one's neighbors on the other side of the wall than there is to waking up in the city that never sleeps! I'd suggest checking out Greenwich for the quicker commute, New Canaan and Wilton if you can handle a little more time on the train.