by Patricia M. Boer

Most military professionals and people employed by multinational corporations anticipate that relocation will be an integral part of their career. Not so with consultants or free agents who entered their field with the hope of picking and choosing assignments. As the demand for outside management consultants increases (anticipated to be 15 percent in the coming year), so, too, will the demand for free agents to accept relocation assignments. What are the trade-offs of the growing demand for free agents to move for their assignments?

The Pros of Relocation
There are several benefits to relocation as a free agent. Here's what many consultants have shared with me over the years and what I have found to be the pros of relocation.

• Expenses: The company generally pays all expenses when you work off-site. Expenses include lodging, meals, transportation, car rental, telephone calls and associated travel costs. For long-term assignments (a month or longer) an apartment will be rented for you, with paid expenses for biweekly or monthly trips home. In many cases there is an additional per diem fee added to the consulting fee, making an off-site assignment financially attractive.
• The Off-Site Job: Working off-site allows the free agent to focus exclusively on their job. With no outside distractions from the daily obligations of family, friends or community, you are free to concentrate on your job and then relax. Evenings are yours. You are even free to work on other consulting jobs, sightsee, visit out-of-town friends and pamper yourself with a special dinner or book. Plus, assignments in Hawaii, the Caribbean, or abroad can seem like free vacations.
• Personal Rewards: Personal rewards of relocation vary, from getting away from hectic or routine schedules to gaining national reputations to reconnecting with old friends and colleagues when traveling to cities you'd never visit otherwise. Relocation can also serve very personal purposes. In my case, it affords me the opportunity to commute out of state for my brother's chemotherapy treatments. If I weren't a free agent, there's no way I'd be available to help my only brother get through the horrors of lung cancer. Contract work affords me a flexibility I couldn't achieve in any other setting.

The Cons of Relocation
There are an equal number of free agents that see no advantages to relocation assignments. To them it defies why they chose to become free agents in the first place. Some of their complaints include:

• Expenses: Even though the company pays all expenses, in many cases these go on your credit card initially, and reimbursement checks may arrive later than your statements, necessitating bookkeeping or juggling funds between accounts. Travel to exotic places can strain your budget when it involves extra expenses to maintain and oversee your home, pet and/or office while you're away; when it requires a new wardrobe; or when sightseeing expenses and souvenirs tempt you to charge more than you might otherwise spend.
• The Off-Site Job: Many consultants report that off-site jobs interfere with ongoing marketing efforts to prospect for new business. They report the benefits of relocation do not compensate for the loss of time to promote their services and/or participate in community and professional activities, which keeps them visible and competitive in a changing marketplace.
• Personal Time: Whatever the advantages -- paid expenses, exotic places, per diem, etc. -- some free agents say time away from home is just not worth it. Family, friends, pets, hobbies and lifestyle considerations should come first. Some free agents say off-site work creates a lonely lifestyle, suited best for single people or independent types.