Relocation, Relocation, Relocation

Relocating with a job can be a life enhancing experience and move your career on too. But make sure you're prepared for the realities of life and work in a new place before you pack up your belongings.

A new job may provide the perfect opportunity to leave Blighty and head for new climes or, closer to home, trade your current location for a new city.

The number of television programs dedicated to the topic of relocation shows it's a desirable part of modern life: A quarter of Brits think the grass is greener elsewhere according to one recent poll.

But anyone who has moved city, country or continent with their job will also tell you it can be a gruelling business. So do your research first and take the advice of the totaljobs' experts if you don't want to come back with your tail between your legs.

Location up there with salary
Moving is rated as one of three most stressful life experiences. Add to that getting to grips with the new job and keeping up with family and friends and you need to be really sure a job is worth it before you set off. I know of one family who hopped three times between Australia and the UK because they couldn't make their mind up where home really was.

Most jobseekers are clued up about the connection between location and being happy in a job. Graduates applying for jobs on the totaljobs.com website want to know about location as well as salary. But people often forget this if they're offered a big promotion or even basic relocation expenses

Relocation rights
When a company decides to uproot and move offices - usually somewhere cheaper an employee doesn't have any relocation rights under statute says Humphreys and Co solicitors. If your employment contract contains a mobility clause (pretty normal in large companies) there's no automatic right to relocation expenses or redundancy if you don't fancy the change of scene.

Expenses usually kick in when it's a senior job on offer or being transferred. You have to offer some significant extra value for an employer to start talking relocation packages, says Simon Broomer of Career Balance. And even then, it's worth remembering that if there's a queue for the job, demanding a big package could count against you.

Sydney rather than Scunthorpe
Moving town within the UK can be a harder option than moving continent too: Nothing against Scunthorpe but it's more exotic to move to Sydney, plus the long distance move holds a psychological advantage.

When a job is located several thousand miles away, the accompanying change of lifestyle is obvious. But when the new job is a few counties away the change of lifestyle is less apparent, even though it is still life changing.

The trick is to be wholehearted about the change and take the view that 'it's your life as well as a job. Doing the day job for five days and then bolting back to home is not a good strategy says Broomer.

Relocate in phases
And if you've got a spouse and kids a move has to work for all members of the family. If you're considering a major move, it's a good idea to do it in a phased way before uprooting kids from schools.

Employee relocation checklist

• Make sure your salary is adjusted if you are moving to a more expensive area
• Check local schools thoroughly
• You should be given a full home search service, preferably through a relocation agent
• If your employer offers to pay for accommodation while you house-hunt, ask how long the arrangement will last
• Package should include help in job hunting for your spouse and in providing flexible family care
• Insist that your company pays for you and your spouse (preferably the whole family) to investigate the new location.

By Helen Beckett