This article first appeared in Re:Location Magazine, in May 2006
"May you live in interesting times" so says the ancient Chinese curse. Although at first this phrase seems benign, when closely scrutinised we begin to see what Chinese society feared most – instability. We are all aware of the ‘interesting’ times we are living in post 9/11 and the impact the events of three years ago had on our industry. However, now more than ever, the role of relocation is central to limiting the uncertainties that life can bring. Relocation providers serving globally mobile employees have seen tremendous changes in their roles over the past five years, as individuals and companies alike begin to recognise the impact that a peripatetic lifestyle has on the individual and on the family. The Association of Relocation Agents was formed in 1986 in response to the recognition of this need by a small number of entrepreneurs who had spotted a gap in the market. In the late 1970’s the first relocation service providers appeared in London to plug this gap. Tad Zurlinden who had been a founding member of the ARA was approached in 1987 to take on the running of the Association. Since those early days, the mandate of the ARA has become very much more defined. The Association is a non-profit making company run by a council elected from the full members. This means that its activities are directed from the ground up, an example of which can be seen in the creation of the strand of Associate membership, fifteen years ago. Although it may not be seen to be in the commercial interest of existing companies to support new companies to start up, the council decided that the only way to promote higher standards and best practice within the industry, was to bring these companies into the association right from their inception. Through the promotion of the use of the ARA office as a resource that these companies can rely on before achieving full membership status, the industry was able to ensure a higher standard of service delivery from new members of the association. The ARA also started to run training courses for new start-ups back in the early 1990’s. Mima Hillier, director of TTH Relocation Management and the next Chairman of the Association attended such a seminar before starting her own company back in 1996. “The support of the ARA in the form of organising training seminars and promoting the industry has been very valuable to us and to the whole industry. It is vital for the relocation industry in the UK to have an association which promotes best practice and provides a platform for continuous professional development. I’m looking forward to becoming the next Chairman of the Association, to continue the valuable work David Deane has started, encouraging people to take part in training, developing higher training standards and helping the ARA to meet the new challenges of the changing world together with a committed council.” The ARA represents the two distinct and diverse sectors of the UK relocation market, the private Homesearch sector and the corporate relocation industry. These two sectors, although different, also have a great deal in common where the issue of quality of service is concerned. The majority of work done in the UK falls into the corporate sector, but the companies offering the on-the-ground relocation assistance, vary from the very largest, employing hundreds of people in regional offices across the globe, to sole traders and partnerships offering bespoke relocation services to HR departments and relocation management companies as well as undertaking private Homesearch clients. It is the ARA’s job to ensure that both of these sectors are represented and supported by the professional industry body. The ARA has recently further expanded its full membership category to include companies offering services directly relevant to relocation. David Deane, the current Chair of the ARA explains: “The Association is very keen to move with the times. When the ARA began it was in response to a growing industry of private Homesearch professionals. Since those early days, the UK relocation market has seen an enormous shift into corporate relocation, and many of the ARA’s private Homesearch suppliers were well placed to take up the mantle of corporate work. In response to the demand from corporate clients the Association has widened the membership to all those whose sphere of operation encompass services vital to the corporate relocatee. It is vital that the ARA is seen as an integral part of the strategy of the corporate client and that we will become a one-stop shop for all relocation policy related issues. We are also very proud to have the most professional and developed private Homesearch industry in Europe” The ARA has been absolutely central in the creation of two of the most important vehicles for the industry of the last decade. The European Relocation Association was conceived in 1997 by a group of people who met in Paris with the common aim of establishing a pan-European industry body, which was launched the following year. EuRA now represents members in 22 EU states as well as another 14 countries worldwide. In 2003 the ARA was again in the forefront spearheading a new training initiative. Along with EuRA, the Association of Belgian Relocation Agents and the Syndicat National des Professionels de la Relocation et la Mobilite in France, the ARA funded the creation of the European Academy of Relocation Professionals. Tad Zurlinden was on the original steering group for the EARP; “The EARP was an idea whose time had come. There are huge advantages for relocation professionals and clients alike from having one central European training agency. The European market is very diverse and the value of providing both country specific and generic training in all aspects of relocation theory and practice cannot be over emphasised.” The ARA has used the EARP syllabus to continue to emphasise its commitment to promoting best practice throughout the industry and has, so far this year, provided six seminars and further regional training days, accredited by the EARP and leading to the EARP’s professional designation. Structuring this seminar programme for what is the most diverse relocation industry in Europe is quite a challenge. John Blakeway, from Sterling Corporate Relocation and Chairman of the ARA’s training committee, explained that familiarity with the EARP accreditation is still growing and gaining momentum. “We had to develop a programme that would accommodate a wide range of levels of experience and expertise across the industry but feel that we now have a broad based curriculum, covering matters as diverse as Cost of Living Allowances and Immigration Issues to Letting Agreements and Family Support, which provides value for all employees involved in any aspect of the relocation world.” Over the years, the ARA has worked hard to build up a portfolio of member services that make membership of the organisation not just desirable but commercially vital. For smaller companies who do not have the benefit of in-house legal or accounts teams, who comprise 80% of the membership, the ARA introduced a Business Helpline. Members can use the expertise of the team at the end of the phone at no charge. This has been particularly useful when it comes to the intricacies of the Inland Revenue, and what they consider tax deductable relocation expenses! The ARA has also offered its members combined, relocation specific, insurance packages for over a decade. This members only package, costs less than half of a comparable high street policy, saving members nearly double the cost of the annual membership subscription. As the UK relocation market has grown and changed it has remained at the forefront of the developments in the European industry. The crucial importance of support for families who are frequently moved with work has long been recognised by ARA members. It is here that most people in the industry find their role clarified. To provide the kind of support they would expect (and frequently haven’t received themselves, which has prompted many people into joining the industry) that would help them to settle in a new area. Sometimes, especially now according to some parts of the print media, the UK can seem an unfriendly place for people moving in from overseas. We live in interesting times. The Relocation Industry has never been so well placed to lessen the negatives of the psychological impact of moving or being moved. As we are all getting used to living in a far more security conscious world, where some aspects of travel are becoming not just inconvenient, but overtly hostile, the idea of moving to a new place is less appealing that it may have been a decade ago. Many companies have cut back on placing staff in international offices since 2001, and this has had a major impact on the UK relocation industry. But now, the relevance and importance of the relocation professional to the individual or family being moved is stronger than ever. The ARA has supported relocation professionals in good times and in bad and we will continue to do so.