As more and more expatriates are required to negotiate their expat’s package aka expat’s benefits, we have compiled some information on this regard for those in need. Without a firm knowledge about different expat’s allowance and costs-of-living in the host country it’s close to impossible to negotiate an advantageous expat’s package.
If you are looking for a professional assistance, contact us today.
While many international corporations have international mobility guidelines and policies in place, others follow a flexible plan where transferring employee can negotiate different benefits or simply get a lump sum to spend on various relocation services.
Below we explain different expatriation allowances in detail:
Installation Costs
This allowance is meant to cover all costs related to the move itself. It is important to understand full costs of the move and installation in the host country. Even if the cost of actual move of the belongings is fully covered, there are many other hidden costs that should be considered i.e. storage cost for goods to be kept in the home country, duties and other costs related to cross-border shipments, move of art pieces to name a few.
Another big chunk of installation costs include relocation and/or real estate agency fee. These costs depending on the destination country and city can vary between couple of hundreds to thousands of euros.
Additionally, premiums for various types of insurance should be also taken into account.
Last but least, portion of this allowance can be meant to cover the costs of purchase of different appliances due to difference in electrical system between countries.
International School Fees & Tuition
When moving abroad with a family, the most important item is schooling for children. International schools usually offer English as first language of instruction. These schools serve well needs of families moving often between countries, as children can follow similar curriculum. Nonetheless, international schools have high fees and tuition.
Many countries, bi-lingual schools, that do not necessarily follow the IB curriculum, could offer a good alternative. Moreover, some schools are able to get subsidies from the local governments and hence are becoming more cost effective.
For the fees & tuition cost structure is so different from school to school, it’s quite important to understand which costs are refundable when the child leaves the school. We advise to find out the details of the schools bus fees, lunches, learning materials and extra-curriculum activities as these can be often forgotten in the whole calculation, but can make up a sum considering the annual payments.
Costs-of-living
Our cost-of-living analysis generally is divided into 3 sections: general living (food, leisure and personal care), transportation and property rental prices.
Consumer products, groceries, personal care items and services as well as restaurants and leisure expenses constituting general living section are calculated based on statistical models and indexes. We usually present it as a range rather than a median.
Other Expat’s Allowances
Living abroad is a challenge and it takes time to find oneself in the new environment. As some countries are objectively speaking harder to live in than others, the industry established various expat’s allowance to make up for these hardships.
More about different types of typical expat’s allowance you can find in our section Expat’s Benefits&Finance.
