inclusion: Accommodating spouses/partners :
Tips and Tools

Tips and Tools

A guide for spouses/partners: what to ask

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

G&D has prepared this guide as a model, for HR groups to send to spouses/partners of short-listed candidates for job vacancies.

HR groups may already have prepared comprehensive information briefs that they send candidates and their spouses/partners as a matter of course. However it is critically important for candidates and their spouses/partners to feel that they are in control of their own situation.

They need to be as confident as possible that they have worked out all the questions to be asked, rather than relying on the employer to foresee all their information needs. This guide has been prepared solely for that purpose: to stimulate the most comprehensive range of questions and, thus, to minimize the surprises that may jaundice newcomers’ attitudes to their duty station.

When your spouse/partner is short-listed for interview for a <Center> position, the final interview will probably take place at the duty station where she/he will be located. You will probably be invited to accompany her/him to <city/town>, so that you both can be shown what the city/town has to offer.

We assume that you both will have done a lot of homework on the duty station. However, if you have never lived far from home before, where do you start? What are the important questions? What do you need to know so that you can make an educated decision about whether you will enjoy living in <city/town>? You need this knowledge so that you and your spouse/partner can decide whether to accept the job if it is offered.

< Center> has sent you an information package, which is quite comprehensive. It tells you about both the living environment and your entitlements to financial and other support during and after relocating to the duty station. It may answer all your questions; it may not. After all, it is difficult to identify every conceivable piece of information a newcomer may require. We all have our individual family and personal needs, requirements and preferences.

If you’ve never been through this process before, how do you start listing the questions you need answered? After all, you’re most likely to settle in comfortably at <city/town> if you have minimum surprises.

The following list of questions is to help you get started. It may be just the tip of the iceberg. You may already have some questions of your own; hopefully this list will stimulate some more.

Where do I start?
Where/how do we find accommodation? For how long? Who is available to help us? What are the normal requirements for renting/leasing? What does accommodation cost for an average-size house near <Center>? What are the pitfalls?

What is this city/town like? Where do I find shops, schools, medical facilities and other family services? Are there any Web sites that show this information about the city/town? Who is available to help show me around? Where are the nice places; where should I avoid? What are the typical recreation activities for adults and children in the city/town?

How do I find employment? What sort of visa do I need? Who is responsible for helping me get it? How long does it take? What are my major employment options? Are there any restrictions on what I can do?

What do I need to do about personal transport? Do I need to buy a car; if so, where does one go? How do I get around until my car is delivered? What are the regulations/process about registration, and what are the traps? Do I need to get a new driver’s license? By when?

What are the absolute “dos” and “don’ts” in this culture/community? How do I avoid offending anyone? Is language training available?

What are my options for further study/professional development? What local tertiary education institutions exist? What do they offer, and how good are they?

What are the schooling options for my children? Where are the local schools, and how good are they? How do children get to school? What are the enrolling requirements, the school fees, the courses offered, and the facilities?

What exists in the way of local medical facilities? Is there a good hospital/s? Does it have good facilities, and well-trained staff? What are the limitations on the services it can provide, and what do we do if we need medical treatment beyond the capability of the hospital? What do we do in a medical emergency? Is there a physician/nurse/person trained in first-aid on campus?

Are there people of my nationality at <Center>? How many, and where?

Are there people in my profession at <Center>? How could I contact them?

What do I do in emergencies?

© CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program 2006