Guide to becoming a global mobility specialist

International relocations take a lot of planning and organizing skills. Moving companies often have to do much more than just pack and move a few boxes. When moving a company is relocating its employees, there is a need for a person who can handle all the logistics of the move. Becoming a global mobility specialist requires a specific set of skills, as well as previous experience in this type of business. In case you are looking forward to becoming one, we made a short guide for you to read. If you are planning an upcoming company relocation, make sure to look for a reliable company like Transparent International to help you move your business with ease.

Becoming a global mobility specialist – what does it take?

When companies decide to relocate their businesses internationally, there is usually a lot of organizing to do. Since their employees often have families they need to relocate with them, it’s not easy to plan a company relocation without taking care of every employee. In order for this operation to work, it takes more than just a few suitcases and some paperwork. This type of moving process is why global mobility programs exist. In essence, a GMS’s job is to ease the process of international relocation in various aspects, often including different aspects of immigration-related issues.

Depending on the moving situation and the difficulty of the move, the company that needs to relocate will decide whether to hire a global mobility specialist or not. The global mobility specialist doesn’t have an easy job to do. There are many important logistics to handle, and the most important one is to ease the moving process for employees. People who need to move overseas and are looking for a new job often face various difficulties. From finding a new home and handling paperwork all the way to getting a steady job – it’s not all that simple.

Overall, becoming a global mobility specialist requires a lot of skills and experience in the moving business, since they usually need to handle international employee populations. Besides employee relocations, GSMs usually provide different logistics solutions including inventory relocation and finding warehousing solutions for businesses. Some of the obligations of a GSM are handling paperwork and helping mobilized employees settle in a new environment.

Education and experience

There are many different types of skills and knowledge that you will need for becoming a global mobility specialist. Here are some examples of skills and experience you will need to gain.

• Knowledge of one or more foreign languages. International employee relocation often requires communication with non-English speakers. In order to handle every issue that comes with this type of move, you will need to be fluent in at least one foreign language.

  

• A degree in business-related subjects. Although this requirement can be optional, you will need to have some experience in the moving business or international relocations. Also, before becoming a global mobility specialist, it’s highly recommendable to have some experience in HR or similar jobs.

Skills and abilities

• People management and communications. When people need to move across the border, they often lack the knowledge of how to manage and settle in a new environment. After becoming a global mobility specialist, your people-managing skills will need to come through. You don’t have to have a formal degree in management since your employers will have a set of tests to prove your skills.
• You’ll need to be good with numbers and handling paperwork. Organizing a global employee relocation often takes a lot of calculations. For example, each person moving to the UK from the USA will have to manage their employees, and housing and living expenses. A global mobility specialist’s job is to deliver payroll solutions, calculate taxes and salaries, and handle different statistics. If you have previous experience in handling numbers, filling forms, and processing information, becoming a global mobility specialist will be much easier.

Qualifications for employment

Even if you lack some of the formal requirements to get this type of job, there are still some qualifications that could help. Here is a list of responsibilities that will be required of you after becoming a global mobility specialist.

• Having organizing skills. Get ready to manage people in the most complicated situations during the move.
• Being highly responsible. Your skills will affect the lives of many newcomers and how they settle in.
• Handling different types of logistics problems during the move. Get ready to never know which problem you’ll have to solve next.
• Being ready to provide solutions last-minute. A GSM often has to come up with a solution in the shortest period of time.
• Working under pressure. If this is a type of working environment you like, then this is the right job for you.
• Being confident and flexible. With all the complications and challenges that a GSM’s job implies, you will need to have confidence, especially when working with people directly.

Should you become a global mobility specialist?

Although it seems like a pretty stressful job, becoming a global mobility specialist could be gratifying. Do you love communicating with people and working in a highly stimulating environment? If you do, then this job could be the right one for you. The overall salary is around $20,000-$30,000 per year, but this job is often paid on an hourly rate. This means that you could choose to work full-time or have this as a half-time job if you prefer.

Before becoming a global mobility specialist, you should consider researching more about the moving business. Also, consider contacting a few moving companies along the way. Professional movers who specialize in international moves and corporate relocations are usually the ones hiring global moving specialists.