#JobRelocation #RelocateForAJob #WhereTheJobsAre

So there is no job for you where you live.

What goes into your decision to move where the work is, or stay where you are?

Susan Ricker of Careerbuilder.com discussed this in an article Sept. 13, 2015, in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.

The article quotes Jodi Chavez, senior vice president at recruitment and staffing firm Accounting Principals, as saying that relocation is common in certain professions – usually those jobs that require travel as part of the work. (Read: high-level jobs).

But even if the employer pays the cost of moving, one could be moved from a relatively low-cost area to a higher-cost area. The salary change, presuming there is one, has to compensate for that. If it doesn’t, that should provide some food for thought.

There are many perks, the article states, to some locations vs. others. Certain cities, like San Francisco and New York, provide a wide range of potential off-the-job activities. They are also among the more expensive places to live.

But let’s step back a moment and presume that you are just out of a job. Either you’ve been laid off, your job has gone away or you are being “retired” before you want to be. There is no benefactor to help with moving expenses.

But, there is, or at least could be, a job waiting for you as long as you move to a certain location.

What do you do?

Let’s say you are in a tough housing market now. You could rent your current house, move to your new location and let your previous house be financially productive for you. There are significant headaches to being a landlord, even if you hire a property manager to deal with day-to-day tasks. You’ll find there’s a difference between renting a house that was your home, and renting a house that you had bought specifically for that purpose.

The tenants may not know, or care, that the house they are renting used to be your home, and may not take care of it as you had.

If you are moving to a place at which the cost of living is considerably less than it is at your current location, you might make money simply by moving.

If you don’t want to rent your current house, the benefit you may get from the lower cost of living at your new location may mitigate having to sell your current house quickly, perhaps getting less than you believe it is worth.

Of course, there are emotional attachments to where you live – friends, family, off-work activities etc. But, if you have to work, and there is no work where you want to be, sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.

Another thought: what if there were other ways to put money in your pocket besides having a job? There are many such vehicles. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. What if you, and your friends, family etc., could help each other succeed, without having to move?

Still, moving, whether you are being relocated, or are relocating yourself, is a difficult decision. If you ever face it, here’s hoping that your employer is helping you as best he can. If not, think long and hard about all the advantages, and disadvantages, of moving and act according to your best interests.

Peter