Relocation Guide

Posted: July 13th, 2011 | Author: bettingjobsadmin | Filed under: Blog, Hints and Tips | No Comments »

Relocation is a life changing decision to make and it involves considering many factors.

With any move, there are advantages and disadvantages and ultimately it is personal circumstances which dictate if relocation is the best option or if indeed it is even possible.

The most common barrier to relocation is family circumstances. Aside from the obvious potential upheaval associated with a relocation, particular issues that need to be considered are partners, children and responsibility for elderly relatives.

It is wise to consider each of those carefully before embarking on relocation. Some questions you may want to ask are

1. If your partner works, can he/she find alternative employment in new location?
2. What education provisions are available for children? Importantly, if moving to non English speaking country where private education is required, what are the financial implications of this? It can be prohibitive in many cases.
3. What support networks are in place for extended family if you do move?

These are the main questions that need to be considered.

However, this is not to give you the impression that relocations are too onerous a process! Never before has it been so simple to move, in particular within the EU.

In the EU there is no need for complicated visa’s, if you own a mortgaged property in current location in most cities it is usually quite simple to rent this out during your move, only a short flight home, existence of support networks and facilities in new locations and finally the financial support from new employers all add up to make relocation entirely practical.

Advantages

The three main advantages and motivations for relocation are

1. The experience of living and working in new location
2. Enhanced career prospect
3. Financial

For someone working in northern Europe, the opportunity to work in a sunnier climate such as Malta or Gibraltar can be very attractive. For someone already in Southern Europe, the opportunity to work in a vibrant Northern European city such as London and Stockholm can prove to be a fantastic experience. Advantages and disadvantages to both of course, but in reality that is the point, the opportunity to have a new experience and adventure whilst continuing to further your career.

For future career prospects, it is usually accepted that those who are internationally mobile have an advantage. Relocation can facilitate a more rapid rise up the career ladder than those who need to stay in a specific location. The iGaming industry offers a wealth of opportunities to be part of a diverse workforce in successful international companies with clear growth strategies.

Individuals can also move for financial circumstances. In reality, this is usually not as great as you may imagine and whilst important, in most cases financial considerations are not usually the deciding factor. In practise, we find that higher salaries in one location are inevitably accompanied by higher taxes and higher cost of living. Of course, the opposite also applies, you may have a lower salary in Spain, but your rent will be 50% the cost of London.

From a financial perspective, there is always trust involved, but we advise individuals that in most cases you simply need to fit into existing salary structure at each location and company. Fortunately within the iGaming industry, the vast majority of our clients pay market leading salaries for their respective locations. A software developer for a gaming company will in all likelihood be getting paid more than someone doing the same job for the company in the business park next door…. This principle can prove to be difficult to practically manage if an individual has existing financial commitments (bank loan for example) in a high cost economy like the UK and is considering relocation to Malta. As great as it would be, your bank manager is unlikely to reduce your repayments simply because you are looking for some sun!

An important figure for your calculations is to identify your basic disposable income each month. Calculate this by subtracting your biggest monthly expenditure, which is accommodation, from your Net salary.

Tax can be complicated and is dependent on individual circumstances, child allowance etc, but there are several online guides to tax in the major gaming locations. BettingJobs can also advise.

Finally

All of the above points are generic and merely serve as a guideline. Individual circumstances can vary hugely, in particular the financial aspect. There may be occasions whereby companies have a particular need for a skill set and as such are willing to pay a higher than average salary for a specific role. Further, in some locations, tax structures can be very advantageous.

If you would like to discuss any of these matters or job opportunities please contact the relevant consultant at BettingJobs.com.