What is Relocation Assistance thse daysGone are the IBM relocation days when everything was paid for. They bought your house if you still lived in it, they paid for your exploratory visits, temporary accommodations and a little extra to help with the settling in to a new place. So what is the norm now a days?? Thank you in advance for your help. So what is the norm now a days?? For most people in most jobs with most companies in most locations- nothing. As a matter of fact, most companies won' t even consider candidates from outside the local area because they don' t want to go down the relo road. If you' re at a high level, have a unique skill set or they' re looking for someone to go to a remote location, you might get some help, but not what it was. I' m not sure there ever was a "norm" for relocation, but Tess is right, fewer and fewer companies are offering any relocation assistance at all. And among those who do, what they offer varies so widely that I don' t think it' s possible to give you a fair notion of a "norm." My company recently relocated my familiy over 1000 miles. they paid for everything and then some. I have been with the company 1 year, out of college for 2. company has hundreds of people at my position. not sure who you guys work for but I wouldnt move for a company unless they paid for it. There is a HUGE difference between relocating an existing employee to a site where they need staff (what happened in your case), and paying to move a potential new hire that has yet to work a day for them (what the original poster was talking about). An existing employee is a known quantity that they have some investment in. A new hire (again, unless we' re talking a very senior position or unique skill set), they can take their pick of, and like as not, find someone totally acceptable who already lives where they need them to. Sometimes I worry about the reading skills of people. The original question was about relocation assistance for someone who was thinking about taking a job with a new employer, NOT about someone who was already employed by a company and asked by that company to relocate. Rather a huge difference. I' m not sure who' s reading skills are wanting. The OP certainly did not state he was talking about a new employee vs. a present one, he didn' t say either way. I don' t know anything about IBM. I can tell you what my experiance is in the aerospace industry is. It' s a national market. If Boeing Renton needs engineers, they' re not getting them from the local market. All the local candidates already work for them. They then usually expect to pay relo for a new employee. If you want some examples, go to Boeing.com and try their job search. They list right on the req whether relo is available or not for each position. Some jobs in areas like LA may not offer relo. If they don' t fill the opening in a reasonable time, they' ll repost with relo. The Boeing relo pays for moving you, your family and your stuff, one house hunting trip, some temporary lodging and meals and they' ll usually pay the sales commission you your house. They always pay relo for present employees and I think there may be some more items covered too. This is pretty similar for any of the competition, Rayethon, LockMart, NorthGrum, BAE, etc. I got a better deal, but I' m in the 20+ years catagory. My job was not advertised, it was a network deal, I was the only candidate. That' s how my employer does most of their hiring, they need someone, put out the word, one of us finds a friend who wants the job and they give us $1500 for finding the guy. They don' t spend much on recruiting and they get pretty much a know quantity. They then paid all the standard expenses I mentioned above, plus continuing cost of ownership until my house sold (that added up), a lot of the fees for buying a new house, up to three months temporary meals and lodging. They even paid for blinds/drapes for my new house, new drivers license and car tags. There were a lot of little incidental things they paid, which is really smart. When they pay for your new license you fell like they' re really taking care of you, but it only cost them $20! Finally, they paid me $5000 relo bonus to pay the taxes on all the rest. The movers are tax deductible, but most of the rest is taxable. I think I had $25,000 taxable. OK. Nevertheless, the inference is that relocation packages for NEW employees aren' t what they used to be. The response that they' re NOT what they used to be and that if there is a relocation package at all, there probably is no "norm," is still a valid response. The point is still the same - there is no "norm" that job seekers can rely on to predict what sort of relocation package an employer may - or may not offer. That' s not the same - in any respect - as a current employee being asked to move to a new location by a current employer! Two totally different topics... Just a quick weigh-in here from a Realtor and someone who has relocated due to a spouse's job change, so has some experience in this area.... Relocation assistance is not being offered as frequently as it once was, pretty much across the board. The amount of and package inclusion is not as encompassing as it once was, in general. Expenses that have been trimmed include paying Realtor's fees and paying you the equity in your house upfront. There is no "standard" or "normal" or "typical" amount of relocation assistance. The higher the position in the company, the more relo assistance. It is not true that relocation assistance is not offered unless one is in a management or executive position. Sometimes there is help with moving expenses, corporate discounts for temporary-housing facilities, etc. Some companies still offer the whiz-bang package of benefits, but certainly not as many as in years past. Many out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the employee are tax deductible. Ask your tax preparer or accountant, and keep every single receipt--hotel bills for house-hunting trips, truck rental receipts if you more yourself partially or in full, etc. If the corporate office does not have a relocation policy or it is stated only for upper management types, ask your department head about any help that might be available. Sometimes, if your supervisor wants you badly enough, he/she can take money out of the department budget for moving expenses. It may not be much, but anything will help! (This tact may work best if you've already started your job and have yet to sell your house/move your family & all your belongings, etc.) Wow, this is all sounding discouraging. I'm waiting on hearing back from a company in Toronto within the next week for a job opportunity. I have to consider that besides the move to a different country (work permits, taxes, etc.) I have to hope that I get a good salary offer and some relocation assistance. On the plus side, I think there is high interest on their part. I met the company president at a trade show, showed him my work, and had a great discussion with him then regarding where they wanted to go with future product development. He asked me to come up with some concepts to demonstrate that I know what he's aiming for (I'm a product designer so this type of thing isn't unheard of) and if he likes what he sees he said he'll fly me out and make me an offer. So in other words, he's seeking me out and feels I have merit to their company, vs. me being another job applicant. I'm just hoping that the salary offer is enough to carve out a modest living there. Unfortunately I've got 3 yrs of job experience, not 20 yrs. and a proven track record. I'm really hoping that besides a good salary offer I get a good relocation package. I haven't sat down and done extensive research yet, but I could end up spending over $400 on fees for work permit, etc. alone, plus a moving truck, deposit, and first month's rent. If they say they are willing to offer relocation but don't have a standard amount does anyone think $3,000 is off base? | |
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