Moving house: Finding out about career opportunities

You can start researching for a new job straight away, whether you’ve found a property or not. If you were looking for a job right now, would there be any in your chosen field? Searching on job websites such as indeed and Jobsite should give you some indication of the types of jobs available in the area you are moving to. Read the job sections of local papers, and note what kind of jobs are coming up too. If you’re moving to a seaside town, for instance, you may struggle to find a role that isn’t seasonal. Do you know the types of industries/businesses that operate from your new town, city or village? If you work in higher education, are there a few universities or colleges within easy reach? If you work for a national retail chain, would you be able to get a hassle-free transfer? If you’ve got high career ambitions, you’ll want the kind of roles you’re looking for in or nearby to your new location, as you probably won’t want to move again shortly.

Employer help Relocation Package

If you’ve already applied for a position and been successful, your new company may be offering you a relocation package, which can include a financial lump sum, cover for removal expenses and travel costs. Some relocation costs, up to £8000, are classed as ‘qualifying costs’ and don’t require you to pay tax or National Insurance on them. To find out more, visit the gov.uk website. If your new company hasn’t mentioned a relocation package, it might still be worth asking if there is a possibility of you getting one.

Consider the cost of living in your new town

Salaries tend to be higher in cities compared to salaries in villages and small towns, so you may need to adjust your expectations somewhat. Other costs you need to consider include council tax, public transport costs, distance to local amenities and car parking charges, especially if you’ll need to pay to park at your new place of work.

Children Flexible Working & Schools

If you have children or are planning on having children in the near future, you might want to work for a company that offers flexible working- whether you’ll be allowed to work from home one day a week or start/finish early to pick your children up from nursery/school. When moving to a new area, be it a village, town or city, you’ll want to ensure that you’re in the catchment area of good schools. You can find out how good schools are in certain areas by looking at ofsted reports, or at the Gov.uk’s school performance tables. If your children are at nursery, or you’ll be requiring a childminder or wrap around care, it can be a good idea to check what’s available, and at what cost, as this will impact on how much you’ll be taking home each month.

Support network

Start building your support network as soon as possible, as this will make settling into your new location much easier. Join groups on social media, start reading local blogs and news sites, and if you’ll be looking to join a church, sports team or social group, why not try to connect now? If you can, meet face to face, before your move. If you have children and will be moving in the holidays, try to find groups they can join, or arrange play dates, in advance of them starting at school/nursery. This should help them feel less apprehensive, as they’ll already have some friends. Having friends outside of work, can help you feel happier and more content, but you’ll hopefully find people who you can click with at work too. This should help you perform better and settle quicker in your new role.

The moving process

Ideally, you’ll want a few weeks off between finishing at your current job and starting your new job in your new location, but this isn’t always possible. If flexible working in an option during the transition period, it might be your preferred option so that you can work and arrange the move simultaneously. To make your move as smooth as possible, be organised, make lots of lists and put together a schedule, so that you know exactly what needs to be done and by when. When packing up your current home, it can be a good idea to have a wardrobe box for your work clothes, as this will allow you to transport them hung up, saving you from having to iron them at the other end. If you are having to go straight to work a day or two after the move, try not to let this stress you out, just unpack the boxes containing the basics, and let the rest of your boxes wait until the weekend. There are lots of things to consider when buying a house and your potential career opportunities are just one. For more information about moving house and the questions to ask during the process, take a look at our advice and inspiration.