Introduction to our services

Ensuring that your assignees are moved quickly, efficiently and are comfortably housed are the first vital steps of the relocation journey. However, there is still a lot more we can do to help them fit in to their new surroundings and integrate in to the local culture. In this section, we look at the ways we can help your employees feel at home in their new working and social environment.

Generally, an assignee will have very limited first-hand knowledge about their new host location prior to arrival. Our orientation program is designed to ensure that the employee and family are given sufficient local information to understand what they can expect to find and experience. This often helps them to make realistic, informed decisions about where to live and educate their children. The process normally begins with an initial informal but detailed discussion with the assignee’s family to identify their requirements and to set realistic expectations.

On the basis of the results of this needs analysis, a specific, customized orientation program is arranged to allow the assignee and family to be taken to and guided around those residential areas which best suit their lifestyle, budget and other relevant criteria. We show them the proximity to the work place, schools, transport links, and local amenities such as shopping areas, medical and banking facilities and places of worship. Generally, we also include a sample of suitable properties that meet their housing requirements.

The family will also be provided with an area information pack. The contents of the pack vary from location to location but generally include local maps, details of restaurants and entertainment venues, transport information, utility supplier details and useful websites.

Our experience has shown that assignees that are given this initial introduction to their new location tend to settle far more quickly in to their new role and lifestyle, and the costly risk of a failed assignment is reduced significantly.

We know that all assignees have to adjust their outlook and lifestyle to some extent when they move to a new location. Sometimes the transition is easy and the employee settles in quickly. Unfortunately, in other situations, the process can be far more complex and demanding, requiring a significant cultural adjustment.



BTR International’s settling in program is designed to offer advice and support to the employee and their family during the first vital weeks after their arrival in their new host location. Our aim is to help optimize the speed and effectiveness with which they acclimatize to and become comfortable in their new environment. With these objectives in mind, we provide an extensive range of individual settling-in services that can be melded into a customized solution to match each of your employees specific requirements.

The services we can offer include:

– Collection from airport.
– Banking and legal services.
– Neighbourhood area orientation.
– Utility, ‘phone and internet connection.
– Vehicle purchase/lease assistance.
– Health care system overview.
– Vehicle and property insurances.
– Driver’s licence and vehicle registration.
– Assistance in locating doctors, shops, places of worship etc.
– Overview of local transportation services.
– Translation services.

The amount of information we all have access to today is unprecedented and it is easy to believe that we can learn all we need to know about living in a foreign country from TV and the internet. In reality, experience has shown that culture-shock is a real phenomenon and although not widely recognized, is one of the most important and challenging issues facing many assignees and their families when they relocate to a new country; especially for those moving overseas for the first time. Respect for, and adherence to, local customs and traditions can dramatically help assignees to integrate more quickly in their new role in the host location.

Evidence shows that initial difficulties caused by cultural misunderstandings at the start of an assignment can cause lasting problems, both in the work place and in the wider social environment. Equally, newly arrived employees and their families who have been given pre-arrival expert guidance and advice regarding what cultural differences they are likely to encounter, are much more likely to settle successfully into their new environment.

BTR International’s cross cultural training courses are designed to ensure that your assignees have a thorough understanding of how to work and communicate effectively in the new host location, and gain valuable insight into the local and business social etiquette, habits, customs and values.

Our training courses are tailored for the individual needs of each of your assignees, and are specific to the new host location. They are often combined with a language tuition program to provide an integrated and comprehensive cultural introduction.

We understand the difficulty an assignee may have in integrating with what may initially feel a very different and alien working environment, especially when they are not fluent in the local language.

To help overcome this obstacle, we have developed a range of language training courses to suit the differing needs of your employees and their families. Improved language skills will give your assignees the necessary confidence to better interact in both a business and social context in their new location. The flexible approach we adopt enables us to offer one-to-one or group family tuition, conducted either in the home or at work.

The language training courses include:

– An initial needs analysis to determine the employee’s/family’s language needs.
– The provision of pre-assignment on-site or residential courses.
– Regular tests and assessments to measure improvement.
– Language tuition for children.

At BTR International we know that if your relocating assignee has a partner and a family, the success of the assignment can very much depend on all the family members having a realistic expectation of what to expect in their new location. Partner/family unhappiness whilst living overseas is one of the major reasons assignments fail, often with significant financial implications for the employer.

With this in mind, we have developed a partner and family support program to help the entire family unit adjust to their new life style and environment, especially during the critical first few weeks after their arrival.

As both partners are often working professionals in their home location, the loss of employment for the assignee’s partner can sometimes create major relationship difficulties and, in some cases, financial hardship. The potential consequences of interrupting the career of one of the partners to enable the other to accept a new role in a new location should not be understated. If the assignee’s partner/family do not settle happily, the assignee too will be adversely affected and less productive as a direct result.

As part of our corporate relocation service, our partner and family assistance program offers career support and guidance to partners of employees who have accepted an overseas assignment and comprehensive educational advice and social support for the children. If the partner decides that they do want to work in their new host location, we can offer pre-assignment career counseling and job interview advice specific to the new location. The assistance program also provides support and advice to partners who are not currently working but would like to, and help to those who are unable to seek employment in their new location due to local work permit/visa restrictions.

We believe that our partner and family support program does much to underpin the success of an assignment and makes it far less likely that the assignment will not be successfully completed.

Extensive feedback has shown that the vast majority of assignments ultimately prove to be a positive and rewarding experience for those involved. However, we understand that the initial challenges of setting up home and getting the family settled into to a new environment should never be under-estimated.

To help your employees through this demanding and potentially difficult period, and avoid the pitfalls that can often be encountered at this stage, BTR International has developed a range of assignee support programs which are designed to help find the most suitable accommodation in the right area and get the whole family happily settled into their new location as quickly as possible. In this section, we detail the types of support programs we can offer to achieve this favorable outcome.

Experience shows that the search for a suitable long-term residence can prove to be a complicated and time-consuming process for an assignee, especially when they have limited knowledge of the new host location. This can be the cause of unnecessary stress, especially if the assignee does not have a realistic expectation of the type of properties available within a specified monthly rental allowance.

At BTR International, we strive to eliminate the stress of locating and securing an ideal home for the duration of the assignment. We work hard to find a property that fulfils the requirements of both the assignee and their family and complies with your policy guidelines and budgetary constraints.

The service we provide is in accordance with each assignee’s requirements and can be designed to incorporate property viewings (either accompanied or un-accompanied) and lease negotiation when the ideal residence is found. All of our consultants have extensive experience and knowledge of local property markets which they use to negotiate the best possible lease terms, saving the employee’s time and minimizing your financial exposure. In addition, if required, the consultant can represent the employee at the time of the inventory check, arrange the connection of utilities and pay the deposit and the initial rental payment to the landlord / letting company.

As in all of our support programs, we work within your policy guidelines; we listen to what your employees say to us about their housing requirements and adapt our property search activities accordingly.

Temporary accommodation is typically used to house your relocating assignees and any accompanying family members in their host location for a relatively short period, usually prior to them being able to move into their permanent home. It is often also convenient to make use of this facility at the completion of the assignment if the lease on their long-term residence expires before their homeward or onward relocation.

BTR International can offer a wide range of temporary housing solutions throughout the world to suit each of your assignee's short term living requirements, based on their individual circumstances. These can vary from booking a few nights in a local hotel to the use of serviced apartments and possibly even medium term property rentals for longer periods. We always strive to find the most suitable property available for their needs for as long as they need it.

Our aim is to provide you with the best balance of short-term housing flexibility and cost effectiveness, in accordance with your relocation policy and the needs of your people.

Depending on the whereabouts of your assignee’s new host location, it may prove to be many weeks before they are reunited with the personal belongings and household goods which they elected to transport. In these circumstances, it is common to hire furniture and household items to provide a convenient, stop-gap solution before the shipment arrives. This often allows assignees to move into their new permanent home sooner, saving money on hotel or serviced accommodation and helping them to settle in and able to focus on their work more quickly.

We can generally offer a range of furniture and associated household items of varying quality to match each of your employee’s individual requirements and budget. There are certain locations where the variety of the goods available for rental is fairly limited; under these circumstances, the items we select are of the highest quality that is available locally. However, your employees can more often than not choose from a range of styles and rent precisely what items they want, for as long as they need them.

A number of our clients have few if any assignments that last for more than a few months. In these situations, the individual assignees tend not to ship any of their own furniture or belongings to the new location. Clearly, they can purchase new items locally if they wish but generally, this is not a cost-effective option. For most, the ideal solution is to allow us to rent those items they require on their behalf allowing them to focus on their job and settling-in to their new environment.

The types of items that can generally be rented include:

– Furniture
– Kitchen appliances, crockery, cutlery, cookware and utensils
– Household goods and linen
– Nursery packs
– Visual and audio equipment
– Office equipment

We can offer this service in a wide variety of locations around the world at very competitive prices.

Negotiating with letting companies in the home location and foreign landlords or rental companies in the host country can be one of the most frustrating distractions that a newly relocated assignee has to contend with.



BTR International can ensure that your employees do not have to worry about time consuming property related matters during the period they are on assignment. Our experts can assist with all aspects of property management including:

Vacant Property Management:
In order to provide peace of mind to those assignees that do not wish to sell their existing home prior to going on assignment, we will manage the vacated home in the origin country throughout the duration of the period they are away. We will arrange periodic inspections, deal with all relevant issues such as sourcing and vetting of new tenants if they wish to rent out their property whilst abroad, ensure that rental fees are collected on an agreed, regular basis, make payments on behalf of the assignee, arrange routine maintenance and manage the general upkeep and repair of the property.

Tenancy Management:
At BTR International, we know that the demands of managing a myriad of tenancies in multiple locations can place a huge administrative burden on your HR team. We also appreciate that dealing with property issues in a foreign country such as lease negotiations and utility problems can be both very time consuming and stressful for even the most experienced international assignee. This is where our tenancy management programme can help.

We can provide full tenancy management for all of your assignees and help deal with and resolve any property-related issues that may arise. This will help to minimize your involvement, mitigate your financial exposure and eliminate those challenges that the assignees themselves would otherwise have to contend with.

If required, we can represent the employee when negotiating with the landlord or rental company, manage the payment of rental and/or utility charges, co-ordinate any routine maintenance and emergency repairs, manage the lease renewal and conduct regular inspections of all the properties we manage on your behalf. Our experience and expertise ensures that all property issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently with as little involvement from the assignee as possible. Our ability to carry out regular and thorough property inspections reduces the likelihood of additional and often unwarranted costs being charged to the company or the employee, saving what can often be significant amounts of money on deterioration and damage claims made by landlords and property rental companies.

In summary, the services we can provide include:

– Check the tenancy clauses to ensure they are fair and reasonable for the assignee.
– Negotiate the lease to minimise the rental fee and any associated maintenance costs.
– Re-negotiate the lease at the time of renewal on the most favourable terms.
– Arrange payment of deposits and monthly rental fees.
– Manage the reading of utility meters and the supply of services.
– Ensure on-going maintenance and payment of routine bills.
– Conduct routine property checks.
– Manage the inventory check-in and check- out procedures.
– Arrange for the property to be professionally cleaned, if this is forms part of the. agreement
– Negotiate to minimize any compensation claims for damage and dilapidation from the landlord or the rental company.
– Recover and refund the deposit at the completion of the tenancy period.

When an employee with school age children considers an overseas assignment, the issue of their children’s education can be the most important factor which determines whether or not to accept the new role. The decision making process is additionally complicated by the type and choice of schools that are available in the new host location, the potential complexity of the bureaucracy involved and the necessity to negotiate unfamiliar practices, procedures and regulations.

At BTR International, we strive to ensure that the employee is fully aware of the schooling options available and, if they decide to accept the new assignment, help to find the most appropriate school(s) for their child/children to cater for their current and future educational requirements.



The process begins with one of our education consultants conducting a pre-assignment interview with the family to ensure that we fully understand their schooling needs throughout the duration of the assignment. We will discuss the range of schools available and determine the most suitable solution for their needs taking into account any budget constraints they may have. Once a school has been selected, we can advise on and assist with the registration process.

In many locations, the numbers of suitable school places are limited and often over-subscribed. We help parents to make informed decisions in advance of the start of the assignment to increase the chances of them securing a suitable place at an appropriate educational establishment. The knowledge that the family’s schooling concerns are fully resolved prior to departure will help to ensure that they settle quickly on arrival in their new location and enable your employee to become fully productive as soon as possible.

There are occasions of course when the issue of schooling can only be addressed after the employee has commenced the assignment, especially if the start of the new role has to be brought forward because of unforeseen business demands. Under these circumstances, we work closely with our education consultants in the host location to arrange for parents to visit suitable schools that have available places and provide as much ‘in-situ’ assistance as is required until the educational needs of the children are resolved.

In summary, our education consultation programme provides:

– In-depth pre-assignment interview to compile a detailed educational needs analysis.
– Education overview in host location.
– Comparison of options/curriculum (state, private, international, special needs).
– Admission requirements, registration and procedures.
– Accompanied school visits if required.
– Unlimited support throughout the school placement process.

– Dedicated 24/7 account and transferee support.
– Pre-move guidance; pre-move survey and consultancy.
– Clear, detailed quotations.
– Full export packing.
– Transportation by road, sea and air:
– Direct full and part load, door-to-door collection.
– Sole use, groupage, lift vans and loose load.
– FCL and LCL.
– Specialist transportation (e.g. pets, cars, fine art/antiques).
– Storage
– Export/import documentation and customs clearance.
– Shipment tracking

An active member of the industry, BTR International holds long-standing memberships with internationally recognized moving associations including FIDI, BAR Overseas, IAM, LACMA and FEDEMAC.

Quality assured service, attention to detail and a personalized but professional approach ensure that both you and your assignees will receive the same high standard of care for each and every move that we undertake.

Established in 1983, we have over 25 year’s experience successfully moving corporate assignees and their families worldwide. Our proven track record consistently demonstrates our commitment to delivering the highest quality service and as alliance members of respected industry associations including FIDI (Federation of International Movers) and BAR (British Association of Movers) Overseas you are assured of receiving the best operating standards across the globe.

We recognize that every corporate client and each assignee move, individual or group, is unique and we will support you with a move plan designed around your organization’s needs.

We firmly believe in the personal touch, and appoint a dedicated account manager and move manager to handle all communication with you and your assignees. Our team are experienced and fully trained, from the uniformed packing crews to the move managers who will coordinate every step of the process.

Providing comprehensive move management services, door-to-door road, air and sea consignment of household goods and personal effects and full host country compliance and customs clearance guidance we can support you and your global workforce relocating to and from any location worldwide.

When planning to move overseas, your assignees may choose, for a variety of reasons, to place some of their household goods and personal effects into store in their home location, rather than having it all shipped overseas. BTR International and all of our partner agents around the world can provided safe, secure storage in purpose built warehouses for whatever length of time is required.

Alternatively, if they are living in temporary accommodation prior to moving into a permanent residence, they may require short-term storage in the new host location
Their personal global moving specialist at BTR International can arrange for the goods to be stored wherever they want for as long as necessary.

It’s worth remembering, for employees on short-term assignments, storing their goods instead of shipping them and using locally rented furniture in the temporary host location can save considerable time and money.

BTR International has built up decade's of experience moving the household goods and personal effects of our clients to virtually every country in the world.

Our professionally trained packing crews utilise the latest techniques and the highest quality materials to ensure that every item to be moved is given the maximum amount of protection. Our determination to minimise the risk of damage to our clients’ belongings has resulted in us having one of the consistently lowest claims rates in the industry.

However, no matter how expertly goods are wrapped and protected, we all know that although very rare, accidents and incidents do happen from time to time that can result in some or all of the items in a shipment being damaged or even in some cases, destroyed. As a result, we always recommend to our clients that they consider taking out adequate insurance liability cover to ensure they are compensated financially in the unlikely event that their goods are damaged. In the vast majority of cases, our clients opt to utilise the highly competitive liability cover provided by our comprehensive insurance policy, which offers all risks protection and item replacement at destination. If required, the cover can also be extended to protect the items during any periods of storage.

Should one of your relocating assignee’s need to make a claim for damage covered by our policy, we can assure you that it will be dealt with and resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible to allow you and your employee to focus on their new role.

At BTR International we are constantly seeking improvement through innovation.

As part of our online relocation and move management platform we can support both your HR team and your global workforce with a range of administrative reporting and tracking facilities designed to streamline the relocation process and keep you and your assignees updated through every stage.

A secure, unique reference member and password protected access mean that your assignees can track the progress of any part of their shipment in real time. This not only keeps them up-to-date it also gives the reassurance and peace of mind that their goods are safely on schedule.

In addition, for HR teams and global mobility specialists we can provide more detailed reporting features covering relocation activity, status reports and a series of bespoke reports to aid with budgeting and planning.

Move Assist tracking system ›