Career Advice

You get the memo from your employer. They are pleased to inform you that your position is not being eliminated. They are happy to have you as an employee and hope you will be able to remain in your job. However, that job will now be located in ... Fill in the blank with the name of some locale to which you cannot commute from your present home. You must pick up your family, find a home, find schools for your children and move to a strange place. In addition, your spouse, who may be happily employed near your current home, must quit his or her job and start anew.

If you follow the news, you know this is not an unusual scenario. Companies often decide that they can operate more efficiently in another town and either hire a new staff in that town or take their employees along. If your employer offers to take you along, you must decide if you would rather relocate or look for a new job.

There are many practical factors to consider: cost of living in the new town, quality of life, and job opportunities for your spouse. There are also personal factors: leaving family, friends, and all things familiar. That I can’t help you with. What follows are resources that can help you with the practical issues. These resources can help you compare the costs of living, find apartments, find houses, and organize your move.

Author: Dawn Rosenberg McKay,