1. What are you looking for when considering a move
The first question to ask yourself is why you want to move: do I want a change of scenery, discover a new region, or sometimes, start from scratch? Indeed, as with many other big decisions in life, the first question to ask concerns the purpose, the objective that we are pursuing: to move, yes, but for what? What drives you from where you are? What are you looking for when considering living elsewhere?
The three main motivations of those who wish to move are the search for a better quality of life, family reasons and career. We move to improve our living environment, to adjust it to family and personal projects, but we can also consider moving for a career opportunity.
Beyond career concerns, the subjects that can come into play in a moving project are numerous: housing, pace, purchasing power, activities, transport, so many questions that weigh in the balance!
2. Who will be impacted by your departure
Mobility projects can have repercussions on the whole family.
As a couple, a mobility project for one is not without consequences for the other partner. Should you resign to follow your partner, or on the contrary continue your work remotely? What are the professional opportunities in the new location? When there are two of us working, it’s much more complicated to move than when we’re alone. There are two jobs to be found. Sometimes one can put his career on hold, sometimes we move off-beat, the other stays in the city of origin, the time to find a job there.
Children can also be taken into account in the mobility project. Indeed, the children must also find his place in the new life, and this is all the more true when it comes to children with specific needs: will we find the right educational establishments locally , the right institutes, the right specialists?
The entourage: The question can sometimes go beyond just the family unit, as is the case, for example, when there are geographically close grandparents taking care of the children’s school trips, or if you have elderly dependents.
Although taking into account those around you should not necessarily prevent a mobility project, it is nevertheless essential to consider the way in which your loved ones will be affected by the move in order to avoid endangering your relationship or the balance family!
3. What professional setting are you ready to go into
For many people, the simplest way to consider a move seems to request an internal transfer. When people seek to move, it is often directly within their companies that they they discuss it with their management or human resources. he subject is not so easy to raise in business, however, because it often involves questions of private life. We don’t always want to talk about the reasons – often personal – which motivate us to leave: a relationship project, a separation, the search for a specific living environment for our children, to pursue our passion.
When your company does not offer you the possibility of mobility, you can try to negotiate remote work or even consider a change of job, by directly looking for a job in the new region. The most adventurous will decide to move without any job waiting for them there, hoping to find once settled, a bet that can also be tried!
4. What professional opportunities await you in the future
Leave, yes, but after? It is interesting to consider the project in a slightly longer term. What could be the professional opportunities for the future if you consider this mobility? A move can be a real springboard, but also give an interesting turn to your career.
If in the United States many young graduates settle in New York or Boston to launch their careers, there are many choices when it comes to relocating in the USA.
5. Mobility costs: how do you plan to finance your initial project
The price of moving in the USA can vary a lot depending on the service provider. For example if you are moving from Boston, smaller operators such as EasyMoving will charge more affordable fees than the big national companies. Although the cost of a move is sometimes significant, it is not the only financial element to take into account during a mobility project.
Salaries clearly vary from one US region to another and your purchasing power could be changed by a move. It is therefore interesting to look at the question of the cost of living there before considering mobility.
Housing, in particular, is a complex subject when you sometimes have little knowledge of the local real estate market, and not necessarily the best personal file to convince owners. It may be interesting to take temporary accommodation, while you get to know your new city, to know the neighborhoods where you want to live and the rental prices before committing. It’s not necessarily easy to find accommodation before you get there. It can also be interesting to find accommodation or take an Airbnb at the start so as not to take accommodation by default, without having visited the city.
A move, especially to a big city, can generate other expenses, and sometimes precipitate the need to purchase a vehicle. Buying a car can be essential, depending on your situation.
6. How to reorganize your social life once there
Finally, the last element, which is not the least important, is the question of social life in your new place of life. How to meet people and make friends in this new environment? It is often at work that your first contacts are formed: colleagues are often the first people to welcome you, relationships to take special care of!
Having a little social support before your arrival can also greatly facilitate the transition. When you are thinking about moving, it is important to have at least some local knowledge, so as not to find yourself alone when the time comes. To do this, call on your network, finding friends of friends who live in the new city can be a good place to start.
