CEO asks for help moving employee and family to UK from Jordan
The Initial Enquiry
We recently received a call from a CEO who was struggling to manage all the moving parts of a staff relocation. The family were moving to the UK from Jordan and needed accommodation, school places for their three children, immersion in English language for the children before school started and help with all the admin areas such as bank accounts and right to rent checks.
How we helped
We took on the search and assured the CEO that we could coordinate all the elements of the international relocation. The family were keen to be based in St Albans which was an easy commute to Hemel Hempsted, where the office was located. Ahead of their arrival, Chiltern Relocation visited a number of properties and took some video clips and sent them to the family so that they could get an idea of what was available at their budget. In terms of schooling, we needed to find places for a Reception aged child, a Year 4 and Year 7. When the family arrived, we took to the road in convoy for the Viewing Day. We saw seven houses in and around St Albans which allowed the family to get a feel for the different areas and property options. At the end of the day, the family opted for the house that we had shown them on the video which had the added bonus of being available within a couple of weeks.
The Problems we Faced
We knew that the family would require accommodation instantly so we needed to find available properties which were within catchment of excellent state schools. Finding a Year 7 space in the summer when all places for starting secondary school had been allocated in March was the difficulty. We have been in this situation in the past and we know to apply to the Council for what is termed as an ‘in year application’. In these situations, the child – and their address – are placed on a waiting list and they will be allocated a school. However, the down side is that they may need to miss the first few days or possibly week or two of school whilst numbers are finalised at the start of term in all the local schools. The couple were happy to do this – assured that a place would be made available for their daughter. There was then the question mark over schooling for their son who was due to start in Reception. Again, all places are allocated back in March and securing a Reception place a few weeks ahead of school starting would mean joining the waiting list for ‘in year’ in the same way. On reflection, it was decided that given the lack of spoken English, that their son would benefit from a year in a nursey school to consolidate his English and help him settle into his new surroundings. Meanwhile, Chiltern Relocation were successful in finding a Year 4 school place at an excellent Primary school just days before the school closed for the summer holidays.
Conclusion
Chiltern Relocation were able to find a great rental option, secure a school place, a nursery place and help with all the formalities for the ‘in year’ application for the Year 7 place. Chiltern Relocation found a fantastic summer camp for the children so they could start to familiarise themselves with the area, make friends and all importantly practice their English ahead of school starting. We assisted the family in opening bank accounts ahead of their arrival to ensure that rental documents could be completed as soon as possible. The family spent a fortnight in a hotel awaiting the rental to be ready and have since moved in ready to start their UK adventure.
