One of colleague in China came to me today and asked me for advice. His boss's boss sent him an email and asked for his interest for a position in Vietnam. For him, it means relocation and promotion. Due to education of his sons, his wife and sons can't relocate to other county with him. So he's in dilemma. No doubt this is a great opportunity to grow and climb the ladder in corporation. With brand diversification strategy, more and more brands have moved their sourcing base to Vietnam, and China government's least interest in traditional manufacturing, they no longer provide politic incentives to manufacturers. Obviously Vietnam is the right choice for his long term career growth.
Given his personal situation, I didn't really give him to much advice, I asked him to ask himself these questions-
Does your family support it wholeheartedly? Getting family support is critical in this decision making process regardless how great the opportunity is. Due to school reason, his wife and sons don't live in the same city as his work base. This is a common social problem in China. There are millions of couples leave their hometown and go to other provinces to make money, they left their child behind with their old parents. Many of these parents only got chance to see their kids once a year and in some extreme cases, for years. It's is really hard for American people to imagine this, it has become a huge social problem in China. Children without close guidance from their parents in their upbringing, they were spoiled by their grand parents. Most of them had low school score or didn't even go to school. Many of them have become very indifferent and lack of social responsibilities. China government has started to look into it so it doesn't become a potential social problem in the future. His case is a little bit better as his wife is with his sons. But one of his son has just turned into teenage, he needs close guidance and love from his father not just mother. He's one of the "trouble student" as his teacher put it. His wife has been complaining about his work location and limited time together. I am not in agreement with him to sacrificing his family for career. So I suggested him to rethink what he really wants. As his boss said, even if he doesn't take this opportunity, he's still a valuable asset to the company. His job is still secure even though growth may be limited.
If you can't bring your family on board, pls don't counter offer or ask any questions about the offer, it could give the boss false hope and you don't want him to.
If you can successfully convince your wife and decide to accept the challenge, then negotiate hard but reasonable and include your family into the negotiation. You only get one chance to renegotiate in corporate world. There is no many times in corporate world that you get to have this type of negotiation power. Don't let it go waste.
The decision is on him. I don't live his life. He's the only one who knows what he wants and what he needs to prioritize. As a friend, I can't make any decision for him. My job is done.