PREPARE: 6 Tips for Working with Host Country Relocation Agents

If you’re an expat on the move, there’s a good chance that you will have access to a host country relocation agent who is retained to help with things like house-hunting, school visits and immigration formalities among other things.  Working with the relocation agent, you will make key decisions that may affect your assignment from beginning to end.  After six relocations, including the last one when I hired my own host country relocation agent, I’ve learned a thing or two (mostly the hard way) about getting the best from the relationship.

Here are the 6 things that I do:

1.    Clarify with HR what services the relocation firm is contracted to provide.

I’ve found that most relocation agents assume that I know what they are paid to help with and that if I don’t ask them to do something, it’s because I don’t need that service.   Furthermore, in these days of cost cutting, there is no incentive for relocation agents to offer services that may or may not be required.

Since most expats (myself included) are not told what services their relocation agent is contracted to provide, we often miss out on valuable support.

2.    Find out how my relocation firm gets paid.

In some countries relocation firms are paid by real estate agencies or have alliances with particular agencies.   It’s not hard to imagine how that will affect their behaviour.  I learned this lesson the hard way when I was house-hunting in Shanghai and noticed that our relocation agent was reluctant to take us to certain housing compounds.  We discovered later that the relocation agent would be paid by the compound we moved into and not by my husband’s company (standard practice in Shanghai at the time).  I may not be able to change how my relocation agent is paid but at least I understand what is motivating him or her and can work around it.

3.    Before my house-hunting trip I find out what else I can take care of while I am visiting my new country.

Can I take care of immigration formalities?  Is it possible to open a bank account when I am there?

I make sure I ask my relocation agent well in advance so that appointments can be made if necessary.  My rule of thumb – if I can do something on my house-hunting trip that will help me to hit the ground running when I move, then I’ll do it.

4.    I find out if there are any key dates I need to know about.

Are there deadlines for school applications or for submission of immigration forms?  I also make sure that I understand the sequence of events so that I can plan properly.  On one move, I discovered that neither sea shipment nor air shipment could be cleared until we received our visas a month later.  I assumed that the air shipment would arrive straight away and had packed suitcases and luggage accordingly, leaving us without some of the things that would have made that first month much easier.

5.    I research housing and schools before I go house-hunting.

I use the Internet and the advice of friends to educate myself on schools, residential areas, rents and amenities, just as I would if I was moving in my home country.  As a result, I have a better idea of what I can expect and what I want and can offer my relocation agent more helpful and detailed input on what’s important for my family and can use my house-hunting time more efficiently.

6.    Communicate clearly and review each step.

Often my native language is a second language for my relocation agent, and communication between us will be taking place by phone or e-mail leaving lots of room for miscommunication or misunderstanding.   At each juncture, I review action steps and make sure I understand who is responsible and by when.

It’s easy to forget in the stress of managing the myriad tasks related to an international move that the relocation agent is there to help you (within the constraints of the contract with your sponsoring organisation) and their local knowledge can be a huge asset in pulling off a successful move and setting yourself up properly.  Manage the relationship well and you’ll reap the benefits for your entire assignment.

Working with a relocation agent is only one element of the preparation for an international move.