International transfers

Hi there,

They do indeed! There are a wide range of transfer (with lots of different names), but essentially you can go elsewhere for anywhere from 3 months to permanent!

I've transfered a few times within companies and have the following advice on how to make it happen:

1) Build a stellar reputation - do good work, work hard, and be known as "the guy/gal" for xx

2) Build your network - network agressively (yes, networking doesn't end once you've gotten the job offer). Make sure you're known by and have allies in people who make decisions such as staffing managers, Partners (specifically those responsible for recruiting/resources and who are heads of industry/function verticals), etc.

2) b). When I say network "aggressively" please don't be needy/annoying :) There's nothing worse than someone who is obviously working the room or trying to please!

3) Look out for opportunities - look for office transfers, short-term projects, ambassadorships, etc.)

4) Practice patience and be flexible - how long have you tried for? This might take a year. And you need to be ready to go at the flip of a coin.

Bide your time, keep pushing, be smart, and you'll get there!

Transferring internationally is possible but not as easy as just wanting to do it. The following factors affect your ability to transfer

• Your performance at your current office
• The office you want to move to (popular offices get MANY requests to transfer and have a strict requirement on what they are looking for)
• Your network at the office you are moving to - these are the senior people that will need to support your case to move there and say they will work with you when you are at the new office
• Reasons for the move - the more you can show you have roots at the new location the better
• Your local office transfer policy - some local offices limit transfers out of the country for various reasons related to brain drain

Best,

Udayan

Hey there,

Udayan's answer is quite exhaustive already. Just to add a personal perspective:

I have seen it a couple of times and what all cases had in common were

• they had to move there due to personal reasons (usually related to their spouse) and it was no option for them to stay in the current location 
• they started to build a network in the target office as soon as it was clear that they want to move (reach out to partners, support them on proposals, start doing engagements with them, etc...)

In one out of 6 cases it did not work out and the person actually left the firm...

Cheers,

Florian

Generally these options are open to everybody. But there are some constraints, like

• Tenure: Often you need to work for at least 1 or 2 years at the office that recruited you for being eligible
• Performance: You should have received recent performance review in line with expectations
• Supply/demand: SF is typically high in demand, Seoul and Germany are not
• Local language requirements: Some offices require local language (Latam, Southern Europe, Germany, East Asia, etc.)
• Intended demand: If you're moving with a partner it's typically easier than if you're moving just to live in a place with a lot of sunshine

Earlier responses are already pretty exhaustive. I would also reiterate that you want to avoid joining an office with the in-going assumption that you can just move to another office. Beyond the different factors, it's not always straightforward where many spend years being dissapointed.