Relocation Expectations

Hamish Bode

Hey guys,

So I'm looking to tap into the Polycount encyclopedia and get some info on what I should expect/ask for when it comes to relocation from New Zealand to the US (West Coast). I have absolutely no idea what the standard package or expectation is! Can anyone help me shed some light?

Thanks!

Hamish

Kwramm

usually you just get a budget from HR with how much they pay and they'll reimburse you later. Some companies may go beyond that and hire a relocation service for you with which they had good experiences.

If you're on your own, get a company which has an office in the US, so you can raise a fuzz if things go wrong and don't have to deal with someone at the other end of the pacific. Label all contents of your moving boxes exactly. Keep a copy of the packing list for the movers, for yourself and one for customs. The more detailed the list, the less trouble people will give you.

Unless your company is very rich, or you're lucky with the quote, you may have to leave some stuff behind or replace it at the destination. If moving cost for an item > price to replace it, leave it behind. E.g. don't move kitchen stuff or CRT monitors

For excess stuff like books I rented some storage back home and then moved a little bit myself everytime I visited home. UPSing stuff may be an option - depends on your country. In my home UPS is horrible asspensive, even domestic.

Hamish Bode

Thanks Kwramm, this is totally new for me! I know of a few people at the company but I think they were all local hires - I'm sure they'll have some recommendations though.

sprunghunt

if it's just you - then whatever it costs for your airline ticket and a bit of shipping. Sell everything you can.

If you have a whole house full of stuff you're looking at more like 10-20 grand.

Hamish Bode

Thanks sprunghunt - I'm not going to be taking anything other than my luggage and a guitar really so probably wouldn't even need shipping. My partner will be coming too, and we've already looked into what VISA she would need but that's not something I expect the relocation to cover.

Is it common for a company to put you up in short term accomodation or at least suggest some? I have never even been to the mainland US (was in Hawaii for a week once!) so I'd need some time to get a feel for the area before signing a lease on a place.

Kwramm

Usually they pay for accomodation - I've seen ranges from 2 months down to 7 days. I guess it may be different for juniors. On my first industry job I didn't get any relocation perks...then again I just had to grab my bag and buy a GBP 10 Ryan-air ticket to relocate.

Bruno Afonseca

When I relocated to argentina, gameloft rented a pretty cool apartment, sent me a chauffeur to pick me up at the airport and helped with all the paperwork. Some days later a bunch of other newhires started to show up at the apartment, which was cool. They let me stay there for a month, while I looked for another place. I paid for the plane ticket myself, but no biggie since it's cheap from brazil to argentina.

And that's my only relocation experience. Not having to rent a place right away is a big relief, so that's what I'd ask first.

sprunghunt

Hamish Bode wrote: »

Is it common for a company to put you up in short term accomodation or at least suggest some? I have never even been to the mainland US (was in Hawaii for a week once!) so I'd need some time to get a feel for the area before signing a lease on a place.

Most landlords will not even talk to you about signing a lease. This is because you have no credit history in the USA. And most rental places will do a credit check before you sign a lease. You probably want to look on craigslist for month-to-month accomodation. Or just somewhere very cheap.

You could certainly ask for reccomendations about short term accomodation. Getting the company to pay for it would probably be harder. This is because, in the USA, accomodation paid by the company raises some tax issues that they'll probably want to avoid. But I have heard of some places paying for accomodation so it can't be that bad.

Kwramm

back in the 2000's i just walked into the leasing office of a nice apt complex in Fl and had no trouble just renting an apartment with having 0 credit history and not even a social security number. stayed there for over 3 years. was a nice place... was i just lucky or did things get much more complicated in the US?

EarthQuake

sprunghunt wrote: »

Most landlords will not even talk to you about signing a lease. This is because you have no credit history in the USA. And most rental places will do a credit check before you sign a lease. You probably want to look on craigslist for month-to-month accomodation. Or just somewhere very cheap.

You could certainly ask for reccomendations about short term accomodation. Getting the company to pay for it would probably be harder. This is because, in the USA, accomodation paid by the company raises some tax issues that they'll probably want to avoid. But I have heard of some places paying for accomodation so it can't be that bad.

I've never had a credit check when renting an apartment/condo, just filled out a basic application showing my salary etc. This may be pretty specific and dependent on area, as well as type of rental, and how lucky/unlucky you get with your landlord. Where I've been the owners were small time, so maybe if you're trying to get an apartment in a huge complex its different. Generally just looking presentable is a huge plus too, treat it like a job interview and you shouldn't have much problem finding a place.

Craigslist is a good bet as you're more likely to find someone who isn't doing rental property as corporation. Generally, the sorts of places that are likely to need a credit check, big apartment complexes etc, were never places I was interested in staying, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I've rented in CA(condo), WI(apt) and IA(house, apt, condo), without needing a credit check. But its been a couple years since I have rented.

Autocon

In Seattle, specifically Kirkland I had to have a credit check to rent my apt there. I had pretty much 0 credit and still do today (which is a bad thing, i should start charging things to a credit card and then paying them back to build credit) Did not have to do that here in Santa Monica though. Then when I moved to Kirkland I came strait from college.



Also SAVE ALL YOUR RECEIPTS! Get like a little folder you can easily bring with you and drop them in there so you dont put them in your pocket and throw them away/lose them later.

EarthQuake

Yeah get a credit card! I charge as much of my expenses as possible to my credit card, pay it off every week or two and get mad rewards cash. If you're not an idiot and just treat your credit card like your bank account(IE: dont spend money that you dont have)it literally pays to have one. Also a great way to build credit.

sprunghunt

EarthQuake wrote: »

Where I've been the owners were small time, so maybe if you're trying to get an apartment in a huge complex its different. Generally just looking presentable is a huge plus too, treat it like a job interview and you shouldn't have much problem finding a place.

Even the mom and pop places would still do a credit check where I am. Maybe there's just more rental scammers in this area?

Wrath

I think the reality is you can only afford what you can afford. Figure out what that is and make it part of your salary/benefits negotiation. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and settle for what you need. You might be pleasently surprised.

If it doesn't work out and you can't get what you need to relocate, then it's probably better than ending up in another country with a load of moving debt that you really can't afford. Especially if you're dragging another person along with you.