Place2Place Destination Services

While our services are extremely flexible and can be tailored to meet specific needs, our Inbound Destination Services (for employees being transferred into the United States or between cities within the United States) and Outbound Destination Services (for employees being transferred from the United States into other countries) are similar in their delivery. They include:

• Preview Trips are designed for transferees and their families after they have accepted an assignment. Preview Trips give them the opportunity to visit a new location in order to find out about schools, communities and what an area has to
  offer before they move. Place2Place is in touch with the employee by phone and e-mail before arrival in order to discover needs and desires. A Place2Place consultant assembles appropriate information for the visit. When consultant, transferee and spouse meet for the first time, the consultant leads a sit-down orientation meeting where she reviews the various communities and the ones best suited to their needs. Once options are narrowed, the Place2Place consultant conducts the family on a tour of suitable schools and neighborhoods. If time allows, the tour will include a sampling of a few homes as well as of the city. The transferee and family will come away from the preview trip with a good sense of the options available to them that will meet their
  needs.


• Home Searches begin with Place2Place providing general information on how to work with a realtor and what to expect at every stage along the way. Place2Place will introduce the transferee and spouse to a realtor; together they will discuss available listings and tour the area. Place2Place will be there throughout the entire process as an advocate, assisting the transferee in selecting the best community, taking into account schools, shopping, amenities, commuting distance and other important factors. Once a selection is made, Place2Place assists with negotiation and introduces the transferee to both a mortgage company and insurance agent, if necessary.


• Settling-in Services begin with a needs assessment and orientation meeting where Place2Place comes to a full understanding of the transferee's situation and sets expectations. Place2Place discusses necessary documentation and presents the transferee with a fact-filled information kit, which includes a resource guide and supplementary books. Place2Place assists with the acquisition of a Social Security Card and driver's license; as well, assists with establishing banking, utility and telephone accounts. If an automobile is required, Place2Place assists with selection and negotiation for lease of a car. Place2Place will also review driving customs. If necessary, Place2Place will arrange for driving lessons. Settling-in services also include an in-depth community orientation that covers shopping, hospitals, grocery stores, post office, sports and country clubs, libraries, theaters and other amenities of interest. A great deal of emphasis will be placed on engaging the spouse in the move based on the spouse's interest in employment, volunteering, language training, and taking part in international groups and clubs. Place2Place settling-in services also include referrals for everything from spouse employment as well as insurance (great rates without a U.S. driving history) to maid services, babysitter services, hair salons, doctors and home improvement contractors. And Place2Place will introduce spouses to other spouses of transferees they might enjoy meeting and have a good deal in common with.



• Intercultural Training includes:



- Pre-departure Training Moving to a New Culture

Pre-departure training provides participants with a realistic understanding of what to expect while on assignment. In addition to thoroughly explaining the new culture, the course provides practical living information, specific business-related information and an understanding of the cultural adjustment process. Ideally, pre-departure training should take place two to four weeks before departure.




- Post-arrival Training Moving to the USA

Place2Place's post-arrival training is designed to help the international transferee and family make a smooth transition to life in the United States. Optimally, it should be offered as a companion piece to Pre-departure Training and should be presented to transferees and spouses two to six weeks after arrival. This training can also be offered in place of pre-departure training as stand-alone training.




- Individual Coaching Cross-cultural Coaching Programs

Place2Place individual coaching is fully individualized to meet participant needs. It can be used to accelerate the adaptation to a new business culture or to assist the spouse in creating a personal success plan with specific goals during the first months of acculturation. Coaching can be freestanding or can be supplementary to other Place2Place training.




- Repatriation Training Moving Home

When an employee and family are sent on an international assignment, they know that they will encounter a different culture, language and lifestyle. When they return home, they often don't expect things to be different, but they always are. Thus, studies show that returning can be more difficult than moving to another country; the adjustment can be demanding. Place2Place's Repatriation Training has been shown to make the process of re-assimilating far easier and more effective.




- Team Building Working with Multicultural Teams

Companies today will often assign multicultural teams to collaborate on projects. They will often have one office working with another in another country or with multiple offices in multiple countries. This mix of cultures can cause frustration and lack of clarity for the group, which can reduce its productivity. Place2Place's Team Building training helps participants understand distinct ways of thinking and working through games and information so as to remain flexible and creative. Participants learn valuable skills, including how to communicate and work effectively across cultural boundaries.




• Location Recruiting Services
  
  Now that you have found the right candidate for the position, keeping that person engaged in moving to a new location requires more than offering a package of benefits and a job title. It is important to facilitate a connection between the transferee and spouse on the one hand and the community on the other. Leisure and lifestyle amenities can be just as important as job opportunities for the trailing spouse. Place2Place offers a half-day recruiting tour. A Place2Place consultant communicates with the winning candidate prior to meeting in order to find out what they are looking for in a neighborhood and leisure activities, and to what extent the spouse is interested in job opportunities. A Place2Place consultant puts together a tailored welcome packet about the area. In an initial sit-down meeting, the consultant provides an overview of the neighborhoods, and city and what is available. The consultant answers any questions the candidate may have, and probes to find out if there are any issues that need to be addressed. Then the Place2Place consultant takes the candidate and spouse to a few neighborhoods and on a short city tour. The candidate leaves with a good idea of what the locality has to offer and is better able to make an educated decision.

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