28-Feb-2023 | relocation 3 Factors That Make up the Price of Relocation Services

Relocation services are popular and useful for good reason – it is like having an older brother who explains everything to you. These services easen your life and provide support on different levels, from simply having someone capable of solving local issues, to searching through websites in German or taking care of papers. And one of the first questions you ask yourself is “How much does it cost?”.

The price of a relocation service is counted according to the following aspects and varies a lot. The more services are booked, the higher the price will be.

So what does a relocation agency bring to the table?

Key services:

• Residence & work permit
• Home search
• School & kindergarten search
• Insurance
• Driver's license

Additional services:

• Settling-in
• Intercultural training
• International community club

Resources & Competencies:

• Knowledge and experience
• Time
• Communication
• Translation

First, you should decide what kind of support you expect.

1. Are you more independent and only want to get a guideline for self-service?
2. Or do you prefer to book a full service like an all-inclusive hotel?

There is nothing more disappointing than expectations not being met, so it would be great to discuss the list of services in detail and define what YOU actually need because you often do not have a consistent picture of what the process looks like and can miss out on important steps. Of course, if you go for fully guided assistance, the price goes up and vice versa.

Secondly, it is important to know whether you want to be supported only in particular aspects like residence permits, or prefer that the relocation agency takes care of necessary aspects like housing, schooling, and settling-in. Each service can either be booked separately or as part of a package. Of course, a package is a pretty straightforward option because the services are complementary to each other. If you are buying products separately, there are two things to keep in mind. You will definitely struggle to decide what you need, and it will probably cost more than booking a complete package. Let us elaborate on that: it is not always easy to understand which steps are connected and what the timeline is. Therefore, you might end up in a situation where you have to do something yourself or quickly book an extra service to fill the gap.

For example, the following case shows a typical relocation and immigration package:

Total: EUR 2,000-3,000

Furthermore, there is one key aspect that is often taken for granted despite being an essential part of success. These are the resources and competencies of the relocation agency. It is the solid foundation of every good practice. With years of experience and hundreds of cases, a relocation agency knows what they are doing and is eligible to charge a fair price for that. Without this knowledge, any offered service may fail. Also, additional implicit aspects like translation of rental contracts or interpreting while visiting authorities are to be kept in mind.

Going into more detail, you may notice that the spectrum of services is broad. For more details, download our list of services. Some additional offers, like intercultural training or workshops and meetups, do drive the price up, but you can also perceive it as an investment into your future. Networking is always a good idea, and you never know when your boomerang will come back.

Speaking of intercultural training, it is a win-win situation. You learn about your own culture and become aware of others'. Moreover, you boost your confidence in international settings by learning how to communicate, hold events, take part in meetings, etc. The one-time payment may vary between 300 euros for a simple online webinar to 1,000 euros or more for full-day workshops. Both are good options depending on how deep you want to dive into the topic.

To round things up: relocation experts are multifunctional all-rounders, being there at your disposal and doing their valuable job of soothing and bringing your relocation experience to a whole new level. The golden rule is: Respecting each other and being friendly does not cost anything, yet makes the entire experience so much better. Let’s not forget to include it in our package!

Thought that’s it? Unfortunately, we have to inform you — do not overlook hidden costs!

Such as:

• Authority fees in Vienna
• Certified translation costs
• Costs for visa if eligible
• Police record costs
• Legalisation costs
• Travel costs
• Real estate fee
• Rental contract set-up fee

We recommend you discuss all of this with your employer in advance to plan accordingly and avoid surprises.

If you are the employer (e.g. HR department), make clear what you offer and which costs you are ready to cover. Otherwise, it might lead to disappointment and/or arguments, which will possibly cause tension in the employer-employee relationship.

Are you ready to get on board and join us on the relocation journey? Here is the link to your 10-minute free call, where we will choose the best option for you!