The desire to move to a new country for fresh opportunities or a better quality of life helps drive corporate relocations all across Ireland. It also provides employers here with access to highly skilled personnel.
But if such relocations don’t work out, it can be a costly mistake, says David Dowling of Ireland Relocations, part of the Cronin Group. As well as logistics and machinery, the business specialises in relocation of international personnel. In all cases, careful handling is required.
“We provide stress-free and tailored relocation solutions for corporate clients, individuals and families who are relocating to Ireland and what we say is that preparation is what allows their employees to arrive, ready to thrive,” says Dowling.
The company provides a range of services including visa and employment permit management, home search, temporary accommodation solutions, and school search for families. As well as bringing people over for a “look see” in advance, once the candidate has arrived, it provides settle-in and orientation services.
“The idea behind it is that when they arrive in Ireland, they’ve already seen their accommodation, and have talked to the school, having come over maybe a month or two before their kids are due to start,” Dowling explains.
“For the employer, it means much less chance of a failed assignment because they settle in much more quickly and do a better job, with less of a chance that one of the family simply cannot settle in and wants to go back.”
Ireland Relocations can provide a comprehensive hand-holding service to new arrivals, helping them through all the practical details that might otherwise soak up their time, from opening bank accounts to signing up with utilities providers and figuring out transport links, all of which can feel overwhelming.
“It’s not just about visas and employment permits but about how to help someone get their PPS number and all the documentation required for that too, for example. It’s all about making it a much smoother and stress-free assignment for them,” says Dowling.
Such assignments are made right across the country, with some of Ireland Relocations’ biggest clients coming from sectors such as pharmaceuticals, med tech, IT and nursing homes.
For most people moving to Ireland, a priority is to secure accommodation close to their new workplace. In a housing crisis, doing that independently has become a serious challenge.
“Many are coming for great jobs and are really happy with the pay and conditions but it may not occur to them that they are landing in the middle of an accommodation crisis and that it is going to be really hard,” says Dowling.
One of the advantages of working with Ireland Relocations is that it gets access to “off-market” rentals.
“It means we can offer them a better choice than if they were searching for themselves. We can also recommend certain areas near their workplace, based on their particular criteria. For example, it might be that they want proximity to a school, or a train link, or to be beside the sea. We can give them advice on all of that rather than them having to try to figure it out for themselves.
“We’ve specialists in every location across the country who know the local markets really well and have built up relationships with auctioneers and even landlords who will phone us to say they’ve a property coming available in a month or two’s time. They know these people all come reference checked and, because they are being brought in by employers, have good jobs and are likely to be secure tenants.”
The biggest mistake those relocating independently tend to make is choosing the wrong location.
“Often they just don’t realise how far away they are from their work and how difficulties can occur as a result. On a map it might look good but it may not be connected up in terms of transport routes, for example,” says Dowling.
“Sometimes when they do it independently the property viewed online is not the same as the one they arrive to – it’s simply not in the same condition. Alternatively, they may not have seen the neighbouring properties or the whole setting. The other thing is that sometimes people arrive with pets, only for the landlord to say, sorry, no pets allowed.”
Proper relocation services enables people to avoid all such nasty surprises, while comprehensive orientation supports when they arrive ensure the move is a positive one all round.
For employers, such relocation services packages come at a cost but it is far cheaper than having an unhappy candidate leave and having to start all over again, as Dowlng points out: “It’s all about having a successful assignment.”
