Sometimes relocation is in your future, even if you are a Federal worker. While the relocation may be due to personal reason or the transfer of your department or division, relocation still requires a lot of planning in order to make sure it gets done in the most efficient way possible.
As with any type of relocation, there are many things that should be considered by any Federal worker who is planning on relocation. Here are some tips to help you if you are a Federal worker who will need to relocate in the near future:
Make Sure Work Awaits
If the reason for you relocation is due to your Federal employer moving you then you really don’t have to worry about this first point. However, if you are planning on relocating due to your own personal decision then you want to make sure that you will in fact have a job to go to when you get where you are going.
The worst thing you can do is assume that you will be able to find work with another Federal employer once you get where you are going. Many Federal employers will only hire at certain points during the year and even if they are in a hiring mode, they might not be hiring for your particular department. Therefore, it is always a good idea to find out what you Federal employment opportunities are first.
Know the Area
Wherever you are being relocated to, you should take the time to learn everything you can about the area. To start with, you will want to look at the price of homes. Whether you decide to buy or rent is really irrelevant, because you need to get an idea of what you will pay either way. By looking into prices first, you will avoid the potential ‘sticker shock’ that could await you should you decide to hold off on finding out the information on home prices.
You will also want to look at the schools in the surrounding area if you have one or more children. There may be more than one school that you child, or children, can attend and you will certainly want them going to the best school possible in that particular area. This is as easy as finding out what the local schools National Ratings are and then trying to make an informed decision from there. Obviously if one school is A Rated where the others are only B Rated, it is pretty clear which school you will likely want to choose.
Also take a look at the area near where you will be working. Is it congested? Will you need to worry about paying tolls and paying for parking? Will you even need a car at all or can you get by with the public transportation?
All that will really be determined by where you will live so you should also know ahead of time if you will want to live close to where you will be working or if you will want to live a little further out and commute. This is a big consideration as many Federal jobs are in the busiest parts of some of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country. So, you may not wish to reside where you work as it may be too much for you to handle. On the other hand, if you live further out in the ‘suburbs’ then you will have to deal with the traffic nightmares that will no doubt exist. These are again more issues to look into before you relocate to a new area.
Plan Your Move
Once you know you will be relocating, you need to then figure out how you will be doing so. This will of course depend on whether or not your Federal employer will be picking up part, or all, of the tab, but if they aren’t then you may want to move yourself.
This will of course entail you getting everything packed up yourself and then have you driving the rental truck to your new location, but if that is all too much for you to handle you can always hire a company to execute the moving portion of your relocation for you.
If this is the route you want to go you do have more options that just the regular person working in the private sector who is moving. There are moving companies that will specialize in Government worker relocations. These kinds of companies are typically very competitive with pricing, but they offer something that the other companies can’t; experience with moving Federal workers and their families. These special moving companies know the ins and outs of moving Federal workers and they typically make any relocation go a lot easier than simply trying to do it yourself.
Give Yourself Time to Settle In
If you can you should complete your relocation with a few days to spare before you have to return to work. This will allow you ample time to get all the unpacking done and to get your new home set up the way you want it.
Additionally, you will be able to take care of all the running around that comes anytime you move into a new place. You will be able to take care of things like getting your kids registered for school, paying all the necessary deposits on your utilities, and anything else that required such attention.
The few days will also allow you to drive around and sort of give your new area a ‘test drive.’ You can take the time and get a little more familiar with the area so you are not flying blind once you are required to start work again.
Most of all, the extra few days will just allow you the opportunity to sit back and relax a little bit. After a successful Federal worker relocation and all the running around you will have to do, you will probably be ready for a little bit of rest and relaxation.