Congratulations! You got the job, but… While taking your career onto the international stage may be exciting, securing your dream job does not stop at acing the interview and signing your employment contract. In this brief guidance note, we share key steps that you should take in order to not fall foul of relocation compliance in your new home: Step 1 Do your research on compliance requirements for your target countries Step 2 Begin the process of gathering all relevant documents and/or secure replacements before you start the application process. Requirements vary from country to country, but a typical list for prospective employees and dependents would usually include: Birth Certificate; Passport with 5 – 10 years validity; Recent medical Report within the last 3 - 6 months; Police Clearance Step 3 Ensure that all documentation is duly notarized prior to forwarding on to prospective employer/immigration Step 4 If transiting through different countries prior to starting work, ensure that you apply for and obtain relevant transit visas. While it might be tempting to save money by applying for the standard option, some countries offer a premium (faster processing) option for transit visas. The latter comes in particularly handy during peak periods (e.g during the summer) and on occasions where immigration offices are short staffed (usually during December and January holidays)

Engineering Management or Individual Contributor?  In engineering management you are responsible for coordinating multiple moving parts towards a desired outcome. As a director of a public utility, these moving parts would include internal stakeholders such as your direct reports (usually senior engineers, senior project managers, health & safety manager); the board of directors and budgets. External stakeholders at that level would usually include your national/provincial Regulator, the relevant government ministry (usually the Energy/Infrastructure Ministry or equivalent), a multidisciplinary team of external contractors and customers to name but a few If you are experienced in or (for those lacking the necessary experience) enthused about the prospect of co-ordinating these moving parts, then the engineering management pathway is the right path for you As an individual contributor in a utilities engineering team, your focus will be on your particular ‘moving part’ – eg SCADA, Controls, Protection, Line Planning etc. If you are more enthusiastic about the inner workings of your particular utilities engineering specialization vs dealing with the extra moving parts that come with people management, then it might be worth considering the Individual Contributor pathway If you’re an electrical, mechanical or civil engineer trying to decide on which pathway is the best fit for you, feel free to reach out to us using the form in the ‘Contact’ section.