inclusion: Accommodating spouses/partners :
Settling in to a new duty station

Tips and Tools

Domestic Partner Agreements IITA Community Resources Center IRRI Family Services Center G&D initiatives to support CGIAR spouses/partners Direct appointments Consultancies Fellowships Appointment to advertized vacancies Couple appointments A guide for spouses/partners: what to ask

1 Settling in to a new city or town is a challenging experience that is easily underestimated by people who have moved several times or who already have adapted so well that the new location has become “home”. It is hard to comprehend the breadth and diversity of issues confronted by a newcomer.

CURRENT PRACTICES ACROSS CENTERS
2 Many Centers have established practices to facilitate the settling-in process. According to the spouses/partners themselves, it is especially important to provide newcomers with:

• a Center representative to meet them on arrival, assist with any immigration issues and transport them to their accommodations;
• a welcome to the Center;
• temporary accommodations, including necessary furnishings and equipment pending arrival of the family’s own possessions;
• an experienced “buddy” to assist with settling in and provide information and advice, etc;
• maps of the city and country;
• a tour of the city/town, including the city center;
• a comprehensive guidebook to the city/town and its facilities;
• transport (e.g. a car and driver) for the initial settling-in period (e.g. six weeks);
• a loan to cover unexpected/immediate costs of settling in; and
• assistance in acquiring a work permit.

3 In addition to providing the items listed above, spouses/partners identified two other significant needs:

• availability of a Center contact list for all spouses/partners (including e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) to facilitate invitations; and
• a centralized CVs database.
  

4 Finally, and perhaps most significantly, spouses/partners want their staff member spouse/partner to have sufficient time to assist with the settling-in process before embarking on duty travel. For all new staff members arriving with families, a six-week moratorium on travel is recommended.

INFORMATION RESOURCES
5 As explained in the Sample Practice Pre-Appointment Initiatives, the single greatest resource to a newly-arrived spouse/partner is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to life at the duty station.

6 Similarly, other local organizations may undertake activities that would facilitate a newcomer’s orientation. For example, the National Museum of Kenya runs an excellent cultural orientation program for newcomers to the country.

7 In many cases this information (or much of it) may already have been provided during the recruitment/interviewing phase. However, it is desirable to reissue the guide (or a more expansive version) when the couple arrives at the duty station, particularly as there may have been amendments/updates since they received the original.

LANGUAGE TRAINING
8 Spouses/partners will find life in a new environment far less challenging if they can speak the local language. It is in a Center’s interest not only to offer to pay the cost of appropriate language training, but also to identify suitable trainer/s for each duty station.

© CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program 2006