Atkins - Expat Network

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Atkins wins major Hong Kong airport contract

Atkins, the design, engineering and project management consultancy, has won a major, strategic consultancy service contract at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports. The contract which is for airfield facilities design of the planned three-runway system (3RS) at the airport will allow it to handle 102 million passengers, 8.9 million tonnes...

Atkins wins safety Fukushima nuclear plant role

Atkins has been appointed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to undertake fire hazard analysis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan. The Daiichi plant at Fukushima suffered major damage in the 2011 earthquake and will not reopen. Atkins will prepare a Fire Hazards Analysis for the entire Fukushima Daiichi site, which will...

Atkins awarded decommissioning contract

Centrica Energy have awarded Atkins with a multi disciplinary pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design) decommissioning contract. The five year agreement will see Atkins provide the UK energy company with engineering and design services. The agreement applies to any fields Centrica decides to decommission in the UK or Netherlands during the contract period. Alex Campbell, managing...

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.