Tazzn Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Good dayI was wondering if anyone on the forum had made use of a relocation company when they moved?The company I am going to join has sent some information on a company that specializes in assisting foreigners in orientating themselves with their new country/state. Sounds like a really great concept and I think it would be useful BUT we have a strict budget and I am not sure what would be more important.The company has given us $7000 relocation assistance to be used in the first 8 weeks after our arrival. This will be used to pay for rental, hire car and the services of the relocation company if we choose to use it. The relocation company charges between $1000 and $3000 dollars depending on what package you choose (from half day city orientation to a full day orientation with house hunting assistance etc..).For those that have settled already. Do you think it's worth taking $1000or $1500 out of the $7000 for this type of service or do we rather use the full $7000 for rental etc...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 I cant really think of anything that they could do for that money that you cant get for free on the web?What services do they say are included for what is a fair chunk of money @ $1k? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibella Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Use it for rental. You can ask anything on this forum and get good advice, and also only you can decide what you like and don't like in terms of neighbourhoods, schools, etc. and as Nev said all this info is available on the net and if unsure just ask.And really why would you need a city orientation, the city is there to explore for fun as you are not actually going to live there. Just take a day or two and drive, drive, drive to areas and get a feel for the places. When we arrived we explored from Berwick to Brighton to Sanctuary Lakes to Eltham. Visiting shopping centers, suburbs and schools. Only you can decide what is right for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazzn Posted February 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Thanks everyone for your opinions.Nev, below is a description of a $1000 package. It says 4 hours of introduction to the city (I assume this being taken around the city) plus 2 hours with a consultantHalf-day Orientation – “City Snapshot”This is a short-duration program that can be combined with other services or usedas a stand-alone program on a time-limited pre-visit.The program will give a general overview of the host city and include a chauffeuredintroduction to the city and a selection of suburbs (2-3) based on the assignee’sneeds analysis, their general layout, streetscapes, housing styles, school locales,general facilities, options for getting around, etc. If the assignee is international, theconsultant will also give a general brief on banking, taxation and legal issues andensure the assignee has the information to begin making necessary arrangements.A Destination Pack will be provided for the assignee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 We had a relocation assigned to us when we arrived. We didn't use her for orientation but did use her to sort out schools and a house.Was she necessary? Probably not. I did a lot of research and knew where I wanted to be suburb wise,she dealt with the schools and gave me great feedback on reputation and who could take the kids. She set up meetings with each school and helped sort through the issues. She also helped us secure our first rental. When we moved from Melbourne to Brisbane we were offered another relocation aeagent but I decided to spare the cash and use it for other expenses. The downside was that I spent a lot of time dealing with agents in Brisbane. School wasn't such a big issue as I knew what I wanted. If you need to start working soon after arriving they can be a help but set the pace and don't let them waste time doing something you can easily do. Ultimately they have a number of allocated hours and when they are up they move on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) I cant really think of anything that they could do for that money that you cant get for free on the web?It sounds like those companies exist because people get given relocation allowances and some employers need an invoice.The big issue when you migrate is the cost of doing it. For example a hotel costs over $150 per night. But you can rent a holiday apartment for $750 per week. Those savings add up. The issue there is a cheap place has drawbacks (e.g. poor public transport). So you need to understand why its cheap and be willing to accept it. Even if the relocation company moved you to the same place, you would be upset. Purely because you wouldn't have seen how bad or expensive the a alternatives are.But then a relocation company would be extremely useful if you were an Aussie relocating to a 3rd world country like South Africa.You have a wonderful resource here. I would rather ask the peeps here how to search online for a good cheap rental than spending my cash on a relocation agent. Edited February 27, 2015 by monsta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Yea, not sure if i would pay $1000 for that.I agree with monsta, if i was moving to say Angola it would be a must but moving to auz, na that is the first week and a half of furnished rental covered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caz Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 We had relocation assistance when we arrived. The consultant was rather good with info on the city etc. but to be honest all the info is readily available on forums such as this anyway. Google is your friend!Also, she confused me more than anything with regard to rental, schools, etc. as she seemed to have her own preferences and was trying to push us towards these. After spending 1.5 days with her we decided to do things our way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21yearsoutofrsa Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 I would be wary.To my mind you are only seeing half of the business model. The other half is the kickbacks these guys get from the business' that they get you to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 We used a relocation agent when we moved to Perth. It was a service offered by the new company so we technically didn't pay for it.I don't have kids, so didn't need help with schools.The biggest assistance was with finding a rental. The lady made contact with the estate agents and took us to see a few houses (all things we could have done on our own). She was very helpful with negotiating the lease conditions, helping with applying for the rental, and making sure that our rent was set for a year and that the estate agent could to increase the rent after 6 months. She organized rental furniture for us and gave advice on electricity and gas. I don't think it was worth $1000 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enrica Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Relocation companies exist because some people want the security of knowing that there is a local person they can turn to.Relocation companies are in the business of relocating people, and they charge accordingly.Imagine if you knew no one in a new country , their assistance would be invaluable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good dayI was wondering if anyone on the forum had made use of a relocation company when they moved?The relocation company charges between $1000 and $3000 dollars depending on what package you choose (from half day city orientation to a full day orientation with house hunting assistance etc..).For those that have settled already. Do you think it's worth taking $1000or $1500 out of the $7000 for this type of service or do we rather use the full $7000 for rental etc...?We were given a relocation agent to show us around for 2 days as part of our relocation service and in my honest opinion, it was a waste of time and money. The one day the woman drove us around a few suburbs, past a few schools, local shops etc and took us to Caslte towers for a toasted sandwich then dropped us back at our accommodation. The next day, she took us for about 3 hours to see a few rental homes - all pretty rubish and not at all what we told her our requirements were. She did not take us to medicare, RTA, banks, nothing - and did not tell us about any of that either. In the end we found our own school, our own rental and our own way around medicare, RTA and all the rest. Don't waste your money. Rather ask your forum friends when you need information or meet up with someone from the forum to show you the ropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazzn Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks RiekieWe have decided not to go the relocation company route. We will rather look at area's and places ourselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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