Relocating for a new job

[Mark2010]

Mentioned this briefly in another thread, but figured it would be worth a thread of its own because many people may be dealing with this issue.

Most of us know that the course of a journalism career can take one to many far-flung locales and that usually changing jobs also means changing addresses. In fact, it's not at all uncommon to see people move cross country for the right opportunity.

So, after months and months of endless applications and rejections, you finally land that dream gig somewhere over the rainbow. Now, the problem becomes getting there. Not just YOU but all your stuff as well. You know, bed, TV, desk, sofa, bookcases, all the stuff that won't fit in the trunk of your compact car.

If you've ever priced a move on UHaul, Budget or wherever, you know it isn't cheap, especially if you are going more than a couple hundred miles (or kilometres). So, do you ask the new employer to cover the cost of the move? Part of it? Or, assuming money doesn't grow on trees in your yard, take out some sort of loan and pay it yourself?

Would be interested to see how others have handled this situation. And what they would do now in this current economic climate.

 

[Den1983]

Most papers, in my experience, understand and pay atleast something for relocation.

If they don't offer anything, or any help or aide at all, it's likely not worth your time.

 

[MileHigh]

Did one cross-country move and another most of the way back. Both paid for by the employer. It's not cheap. But if you do pay for it yourself, there are tax deductions available, so keep your receipts.

 

[slappy4428]

My last work-related move, the new company gave me a choice: They'd pay for the move, or I could have an extra $2,500. I took the cash, paid for the move and deducted it from my taxes since it was out of pocket.

 

[georgiaball]

Doesn't hurt to ask. A buddy of mine was given money towards moving expenses. Didn't cover it all;but was quite helpful.

 

[Mark2010]

Thanks. That gives me an idea what to ask for, and what is standard in the industry. In the past, I've always had the company pay for the move, or reimburse me afterward.

I was just curious, in this day and age of cuts, furloughs and the like, if things had changed much. As much as I am interested in a couple of positions, I really am not keen on getting even deeper into debt just to move before I even start.

 

[Paper Guy]

Don't be surprised if they say no. I moved about 8 hours away for my last job and there was no money for relocation. They figured there were a lot of out of work journos out there and they could get someone who would pay for it themselves if I didn't.

But at least they were up front about it.

 

[spud]

Don't be surprised if they say no. I moved about 8 hours away for my last job and there was no money for relocation. They figured there were a lot of out of work journos out there and they could get someone who would pay for it themselves if I didn't.

But at least they were up front about it.

But, I mean, that's 8 hours. In this climate it's not all that surprising (or stupid, for that matter) that you were turned down. You'll probably need a good multiple-state haul to warrant a cash-strapped paper forking over a few bills for the relocation. I crossed seven states and didn't even get $1,000.

 

[RickStain]

I was flat broke when I took my current job. I mean, as broke as you could possibly be and all avenues of credit exhausted. I told them I needed a minimum of 30 days to relocate, and then took my next two unemployment checks and stopped paying bills to save up for the move. I tried to convince them to advance me the moving expenses, but that was a no-go, but I was getting reimbursed, which was nice.

My parents borrowed an old hitch trailer from who knows where, drove it three hours to my apartment, filled it up with almost all of our stuff, and took it off into storage.

We only took what we could fit into the car, and the morning were leaving we found out we'd overestimated how much that was. We had to start filling trash bags full of clothes we didn't absolutely need and throwing them away.

 

[buckweaver]

Was in a similar situation as Rick for my last big move. Broke as hell, with very few options. So I donated/gave away all my furniture, then filled up the back of my truck with clothes and a dozen boxes of stuff, filled up the passenger seat with my computer, TV, etc., and used my vacation check from my old place to pay for it all.

The company didn't pay for relocation, even though I moved from 2,100 miles away, but thanks to my considerate and savvy SE, they did put me on the payroll a week early, so that was an extra $600 on my first check, which was a huge help.

Was too dumb to know better then, so I can't say if I'd do it all over again. But I have no regrets about making that move.

Didn't get any help -- and didn't ask -- for my current job, either. But that move was only an hour away, so not that big a deal.

 

[Mark2010]

Twice I have piled everything I could into a mid-size car and headed off for someplace else. Then lived out of a motel for more than a month while searching for a place to live. Then bought new furniture: bed, desk, TV, bookcases, microwave, etc.

Not an easy or cheap thing to do and not something I want to do again, not at this age. It's damn hard to even think about getting ahead when you have to start over every few years because you got the rug pulled out from under you.

As much as I am truly interested in a couple of positions --- and think I could do very well --- I guess I have to be prepared to walk away if the only other option is spending more than $1000 to move.

Just wanted to see what other people's experience has been.

 

[BYUSportsGuy]

I've had different experiences with different papers— one has offered relocation assistance, and one hasn't. I think the main thing is that you ask if it's available, and then you have to make a decision. Also, check out different moving van companies: I just noticed for a particular paper I have interviewed with and am considering, Budget was half the price as UHaul was for the same 2,000+ -mile move. Hope that helps...

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

I moved 26 hours for my current gig and didn't get any assistance monetary wise.

 

[spud]

Was too dumb to know better then, so I can't say if I'd do it all over again. But I have no regrets about making that move.

Ain't that the honest to God truth.

 

[spud]

Money, you can earn back in time. What I'm more interested is how you guys dealt with it mentally. I'm not saying I'm drowning, but I'm still dealing with some relocation-related demons a year after my most recent move. That isolated feeling is the pits, man. It's hard to get over it when you know, unequivocally, that the only people that legitimately give a damn about your well being within a 1,000-mile radius only do so for their own job-related selfish reasons. That's a cold slap in a face on down days.

 

[Mark2010]

That's true, too, spud. Moving certainly isn't for everyone. Although it seems like in this business, most people do it a time or two. I sometimes envy friends in other businesses who can change jobs multiple times without ever having to move.

If I felt like it was something that had enough upside over the long haul, I suppose I'd make the sacrifice. But when you've made that sacrifice before only to be treated rather poorly, it makes one think twice.

Like BYU guy said, I'll ask and if they turn me down, I'm prepared to walk away.

 

[buckweaver]

Spud, only thing I can say is: find a happy place, wherever that is. For me, it took getting out of the damn house on long, dark, empty off-nights when I had nothing to do and no one to do it with. Even if it was just to walk around Target, or to go sip an Italian soda and read for three hours at B&N, even though I didn't have much money to buy anything. You can only stay inside and surf the Internet for so long. You can only play video games for so long. Get out of the house, if only to drive around for a while.

The key is, gotta be able to enjoy time by yourself, especially if you don't have a choice. Gotta be able to entertain yourself, when you're alone. That's the only way to get rid of that isolated feeling.

It ain't easy. But neither is life. Gotta just keep on truckin'.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Being new was great -- could sit in a bar alone, strike up a conversation with a woman and explain that I'm new, not like that sneering loner at the end of the bar (well, not yet, anyway). Force yourself to make at least two friends outside work; you don't have to do the ritual with the blood and you many not want them in your wedding party, but you'll have no regrets if you behaved admirably. The last big move before I met my wife, I lived with two black people for a year in a small NYC apartment and learned some things.

 

[RickStain]

I grew up as a pastor's kid, and I think the longest I ever lived in once place was four years. I feel weird if I don't relocate every few years.

 

[TrooperBari]

I grew up as a pastor's kid, and I think the longest I ever lived in once place was four years. I feel weird if I don't relocate every few years.

Coming from an Air Force family, I know the feeling. Between bouncing around as a kid and relocating for newpaper jobs, I'm averaging a move every two years.

Spud: I can't agree enough with what Buck said. Holing up at home only exacerbates the problem. I'm about 10,000 miles from home in a third-world country where English isn't the native language, so even just an evening at a poolside cafe is a welcome change of pace.