After having made your mind, there are a lot of things to take care of. Lets see what are the obvious ones.
1. Job : The main reason that brought you abroad is career. Job plays a very important role in setting your lifestyle in a foreign country. When you return to India, same would be the case.
A few things one would consider while going back are :
-are both husband and wife working abroad? would both want to work after going back to India?
To maintain a certain lifestyle, may be that double income is required. But on the other hand, if the lady of the house has enjoyed a job which allowed her flexibility like part-time, work from home etc - can she negotiate a similar arrangement in India? If not, is she willing to work full time? What would be the arrangements then in terms of childcare, travel, house work etc?
-is there a possibility of getting a work transfer for either of them - preferably in a desired city in India?
If one is fairly happy with the work they do abroad, negotiating an offer to work in India with the same employer might be beneficial. If its possible , that is. For one, you know the organisation, so may be you know what or what not to expect. Also, that way a few other things like relocation charges, initial setting up in India can be taken care of. Once one of you is comfortably placed, the other can take his/her time to find a suitable job.
-do your research before you accept an offer.
To land a job in India, one would have his/her own resources. Contacts, agents, network etc. Keep your expectations realistic. A salary earned abroad does not translate dollar-to-rupee while moving to India. Factor in the cost of living in different cities in India. Check the extras that go into the salary - HRA, medical, leaves, bonus - even for the same employer, these things vary with geography and country policies.
Get a rough estimate of your day-to-day expenses, and the in-hand salary you would draw monthly. Consider savings you would make, if any. Owning a property in India, renting an accommodation, kids' education, medical expenses, car, loans - everything needs to be considered before you reach a figure you would want to accept. Again - keep your expectations realistic!
2. Current arrangement Abroad
-House
Once you know where you are landing in India, its time to wrap up things abroad. If you are renting, then things might be a bit easy. Hand in your notice, dispose off your belongings that aren't coming with you, ship off the ones that are and you are set. If you own a property - you have a bigger task at hand. Do you want to sell? do you want to let? How long would it take for these transactions?
Also, keep in mind your subscriptions, utility services, insurance policies etc. Allow enough time for transfers, cancellations, refunds on all of these. Don't forget to to forward your postal mail!
-Belongings
Does not call for a separate tab, but lets just quickly skim through. Anything and everything can come under belongings - cars, furniture, white goods, books, clothes, kitchen stuff and what not!
There are roughly 3 ways to categorise disposal of belongings. 1) Take with you to India 2) Sell off or
3) Donate, distribute or just bin it!
Allow enough time for this activity as it gets a bit crazy towards the end!!
-Shipping
People do a lot of research before shipping goods to India. There are numerous options available. You can send by ship or by air cargo. The charges and limits vary. Some vendors are packers and movers, some just collect the boxes that you pack.
Air cargo normally drops from door to destination city. Custom clearance needs to be done by you. It costs more, but is quicker.
Shipping normally is from door to nearest port. Shipping takes longer, but is less expensive than air cargo.
Some go by volume, some by weight. People share containers with others if there isn't much to fill a whole shipping container. The vendor might do this for you, or you might have to do it yourself.
What ever you do, keep a detailed inventory for your reference. It helps during custom clearance, and also later when you unpack.
Also, keep receipts of valuable items - electronic goods, furniture etc.
Check details on custom duties. It might be cheaper to buy again in India!
Check what your airline is allowing you. Also compare costs of booking extra baggage with airline against shipping options, for things like clothes, books, vessels which can safely be checked-in- you might get a good deal !
3. Schools
If you have kids, then deciding on a school in India is a big task!
Start your research early. Check the curriculum, term dates, admission procedures and fees.
Many schools offer CBSE, ICSE or IGCSE curriculum. So called International schools have CBSE/ICSE till 8th grade, and then give an option to switch to GCSE pattern.
Academics has high priority. Some schools have co-curricular activities (everything within school timings) , some have extra-curricular ( after school hours).
Some schools have day care facilities. Some provide b'fast / lunch / snacks in school. Some provide transport facilities - school buses. Check everything! Ask about everything!
Terms normally start in June. Admissions start from Oct /Nov for next year term in June. Admission forms might be on first-come-first serve basis. Most schools are particular on the class strength ( not more than 25 students) and age limits. They also have sibling preference, management quotas etc.
Higher grades mostly have entrance exams. One time non-refundable admission fees, 'development fees', 'donation' etc are the norm. Be prepared for those as well!
Most schools have online application forms and websites giving details of the school. Most of the time they aren't of any use.
If you have friends/relatives staying in India with school going kids, call them. Ask favours - they can sell your case better if their kids go to same school.
If you can call and fix appointments to visit schools before you reach India - do that. It might not always count, but be sure to make some contact!
Always give preference to personally visiting the campus, talking with principal, management, teachers etc before you take a call!
4. Accommodation
Once you reach India - where do you plan to stay? Unless you have a home / place to return to, finding accommodation is another big task. If you are returning through your employer, most likely you will get a serviced apartment or hotel stay for a limited (or extended period if negotiated). Use this stay wisely. Scout around to choose a locality of your choice. Consider traffic, travel times to and fro work, schools etc. Ask around, talk to friends, family, colleagues for ball park figures on rents or sale prices. Though there are a lot of property sites to refer to, they aren't always very precise and property pictures etc can be deceptive. Get references for property agents - they make your task easier. If possible log on to property forums created by communities. Coming from abroad, gated communities is a good option to stay because all the services and facilities are better regulated. For e.g. setting up your cable connection, telephone, broadband, milk-wala, papar-wala , domestic helps, drivers etc is very easy. Also school buses for most of the schools around that area, office cabs drop and pickup etc is regulated. Security, water supply (even tanker loads), generator back up - basically things for which you would need to run from post to pillar if you choose to be on your own are easily sorted for you if you choose to rent / buy in a gated community. Do your research before you choose one.
If you have not shipped your furniture, you would need to buy some - not all rental places come fully furnished as that is not the norm in India yet. If cost is a constraint or you would rather buy the good stuff for your own place than in a rental , there are sites which offer pre-owned or used furniture at a discounted price through individual sellers. There are some who might what to sell the whole lot because they are moving abroad.
So you have decided on the destination in India, and you have successfully packed and shipped stuff.
You are ready to start your life in India !!
1. Job : The main reason that brought you abroad is career. Job plays a very important role in setting your lifestyle in a foreign country. When you return to India, same would be the case.
A few things one would consider while going back are :
-are both husband and wife working abroad? would both want to work after going back to India?
To maintain a certain lifestyle, may be that double income is required. But on the other hand, if the lady of the house has enjoyed a job which allowed her flexibility like part-time, work from home etc - can she negotiate a similar arrangement in India? If not, is she willing to work full time? What would be the arrangements then in terms of childcare, travel, house work etc?
-is there a possibility of getting a work transfer for either of them - preferably in a desired city in India?
If one is fairly happy with the work they do abroad, negotiating an offer to work in India with the same employer might be beneficial. If its possible , that is. For one, you know the organisation, so may be you know what or what not to expect. Also, that way a few other things like relocation charges, initial setting up in India can be taken care of. Once one of you is comfortably placed, the other can take his/her time to find a suitable job.
-do your research before you accept an offer.
To land a job in India, one would have his/her own resources. Contacts, agents, network etc. Keep your expectations realistic. A salary earned abroad does not translate dollar-to-rupee while moving to India. Factor in the cost of living in different cities in India. Check the extras that go into the salary - HRA, medical, leaves, bonus - even for the same employer, these things vary with geography and country policies.
Get a rough estimate of your day-to-day expenses, and the in-hand salary you would draw monthly. Consider savings you would make, if any. Owning a property in India, renting an accommodation, kids' education, medical expenses, car, loans - everything needs to be considered before you reach a figure you would want to accept. Again - keep your expectations realistic!
2. Current arrangement Abroad
-House
Once you know where you are landing in India, its time to wrap up things abroad. If you are renting, then things might be a bit easy. Hand in your notice, dispose off your belongings that aren't coming with you, ship off the ones that are and you are set. If you own a property - you have a bigger task at hand. Do you want to sell? do you want to let? How long would it take for these transactions?
Also, keep in mind your subscriptions, utility services, insurance policies etc. Allow enough time for transfers, cancellations, refunds on all of these. Don't forget to to forward your postal mail!
-Belongings
Does not call for a separate tab, but lets just quickly skim through. Anything and everything can come under belongings - cars, furniture, white goods, books, clothes, kitchen stuff and what not!
There are roughly 3 ways to categorise disposal of belongings. 1) Take with you to India 2) Sell off or
3) Donate, distribute or just bin it!
Allow enough time for this activity as it gets a bit crazy towards the end!!
-Shipping
People do a lot of research before shipping goods to India. There are numerous options available. You can send by ship or by air cargo. The charges and limits vary. Some vendors are packers and movers, some just collect the boxes that you pack.
Air cargo normally drops from door to destination city. Custom clearance needs to be done by you. It costs more, but is quicker.
Shipping normally is from door to nearest port. Shipping takes longer, but is less expensive than air cargo.
Some go by volume, some by weight. People share containers with others if there isn't much to fill a whole shipping container. The vendor might do this for you, or you might have to do it yourself.
What ever you do, keep a detailed inventory for your reference. It helps during custom clearance, and also later when you unpack.
Also, keep receipts of valuable items - electronic goods, furniture etc.
Check details on custom duties. It might be cheaper to buy again in India!
Check what your airline is allowing you. Also compare costs of booking extra baggage with airline against shipping options, for things like clothes, books, vessels which can safely be checked-in- you might get a good deal !
3. Schools
If you have kids, then deciding on a school in India is a big task!
Start your research early. Check the curriculum, term dates, admission procedures and fees.
Many schools offer CBSE, ICSE or IGCSE curriculum. So called International schools have CBSE/ICSE till 8th grade, and then give an option to switch to GCSE pattern.
Academics has high priority. Some schools have co-curricular activities (everything within school timings) , some have extra-curricular ( after school hours).
Some schools have day care facilities. Some provide b'fast / lunch / snacks in school. Some provide transport facilities - school buses. Check everything! Ask about everything!
Terms normally start in June. Admissions start from Oct /Nov for next year term in June. Admission forms might be on first-come-first serve basis. Most schools are particular on the class strength ( not more than 25 students) and age limits. They also have sibling preference, management quotas etc.
Higher grades mostly have entrance exams. One time non-refundable admission fees, 'development fees', 'donation' etc are the norm. Be prepared for those as well!
Most schools have online application forms and websites giving details of the school. Most of the time they aren't of any use.
If you have friends/relatives staying in India with school going kids, call them. Ask favours - they can sell your case better if their kids go to same school.
If you can call and fix appointments to visit schools before you reach India - do that. It might not always count, but be sure to make some contact!
Always give preference to personally visiting the campus, talking with principal, management, teachers etc before you take a call!
4. Accommodation
Once you reach India - where do you plan to stay? Unless you have a home / place to return to, finding accommodation is another big task. If you are returning through your employer, most likely you will get a serviced apartment or hotel stay for a limited (or extended period if negotiated). Use this stay wisely. Scout around to choose a locality of your choice. Consider traffic, travel times to and fro work, schools etc. Ask around, talk to friends, family, colleagues for ball park figures on rents or sale prices. Though there are a lot of property sites to refer to, they aren't always very precise and property pictures etc can be deceptive. Get references for property agents - they make your task easier. If possible log on to property forums created by communities. Coming from abroad, gated communities is a good option to stay because all the services and facilities are better regulated. For e.g. setting up your cable connection, telephone, broadband, milk-wala, papar-wala , domestic helps, drivers etc is very easy. Also school buses for most of the schools around that area, office cabs drop and pickup etc is regulated. Security, water supply (even tanker loads), generator back up - basically things for which you would need to run from post to pillar if you choose to be on your own are easily sorted for you if you choose to rent / buy in a gated community. Do your research before you choose one.
If you have not shipped your furniture, you would need to buy some - not all rental places come fully furnished as that is not the norm in India yet. If cost is a constraint or you would rather buy the good stuff for your own place than in a rental , there are sites which offer pre-owned or used furniture at a discounted price through individual sellers. There are some who might what to sell the whole lot because they are moving abroad.
So you have decided on the destination in India, and you have successfully packed and shipped stuff.
You are ready to start your life in India !!
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