"Great! Thanks," you say. But there's a catch: you would have to move to headquarters.

That's a big catch. The CIO tells you to think about it and get back to him. You certainly have plenty to think about on the flight home.

If you're unattached, not too worried about where you live, and eager to climb the corporate ladder, the decision is probably a no-brainer. You have nothing to lose by jumping at it. Most of us, however, need to think such a move through carefully before deciding either way.

In this article, I look at some of the possible concerns of moving to the HQ, ranging from your family to your finances, and finish with an examination of options such as remote working.

Small Pond to Big Pond
I assume that you currently are the head of a branch IT or development function. You have responsibility for your local crew and probably report jointly to headquarters' IT management and local operations management. If that's the case, you're sitting at the top of your local hierarchy. If not, your boss is going to be seriously upset that headquarters bypassed him or her and went for you. But let's not go into that—there are enough issues there for a whole other article.

So, you're the big IT cheese at your location. That makes you the proverbial big fish in a small pond, which is already quite an achievement. It means that you have considerable day-to-day responsibility for what you do—you probably can run things the way you want. That probably will change if you move to headquarters. You'll be in a much bigger pond—more space for you, but also the risk of sharks.

Whether you consider that a good thing or not depends on your comfort zones and aspirations, as well as the comparative ponds. Maybe you revel in leading your team (possibly even "against" those idiots at the head office). That's not the kind of feeling you're likely to find at HQ. After all, those same idiots have recognized your talents and want you to join them!

If your ambition is to become a big fish in the larger pond, this is your chance. You'll have to accept leaving that small-team feeling behind, but you're one step closer to where the big decisions are made. Working in remote offices is often frustrating because of what seem like bad corporate decisions. Moving toward the managerial epicenter means that you will be able to help get things right. At worst, you'll have a better understanding of why those decisions are made.

Of course once you're higher in the corporation you might see that those decisions are not so bad globally. What you certainly can do is bring more knowledge of how branch and remote offices work to the central decision-making process. At every company I've worked in, the head office usually despised the remote offices and vice versa. This could be an opportunity for you to break down those barriers.

Tasks Left Behind
Having insight into the decision-making process almost certainly means that you will be more involved with management. One of the great things about working in a remote office (from my point of view, anyway) is generally being involved in more activities. Your responsibilities are likely to be wider and you might even have time for some engineering work. Keeping your hand in the day-to-day activities always helps. It garners extra kudos with your team and helps make your plans more realistic.

As you move into the big-picture context of the head office, you're more likely to focus on one area. You might, for example, be responsible for the development process and quality throughout the company if your group has a particularly low turnover. You might find yourself focusing on technology choices for new developments. You might be the budget keeper for all the big-ticket projects. It is most unlikely, however, that you would ever do any programming.

Depending on your interests, that may be a good thing or a disaster. It could be a welcome relief not to have to cope with ten direct reports, for example. Essentially, you need to know what you would be doing in your new role, which is true of any promotion or job change, and figure whether it is right for you.

Change in Political Climate
It's not just what you do in the new role that counts. The climate in which you do it counts almost as much. I've already alluded to inter-location tensions in distributed companies, which is one side of the dreaded office politics. Moving to the head office inevitably will expose you to more politics.

A company's main site has more politics than its branch offices for many reasons. For one thing, the main office is generally a lot older and has had longer to draw the political lines. You may also find that you're near Imperial High Command, which is naturally staffed with empire builders.

Now that doesn't mean that you have to be Darth Vader to survive, but it does mean that you'll have to live with a higher level of politics than before. This could be a serious disadvantage if you, like me, prefer plain speaking and direct action. Alternatively, if you're a master of the corporate game, headquarters will be the perfect playground.

But it's not just the political climate that is likely to change. You'll be moving to a new part of the country, or even to another country. That can be a big change, which won't affect just you. Any move is a matter for the whole family.

Family Matters
You won't succeed in the new job unless your family, if you have one, is as happy as you are about moving. You need their support. Your partner will have to switch jobs too, and your children will have to say goodbye to their friends and move to new schools—once you find them. That's a big disruption.

You all need to know you'll be happy in the new area. That means that your employer will have to be very supportive in the relocation process. After checking how sane the notion is with your partner, ask your boss to send all of you—children included—on a visit to the location. Before the visit, arrange for a realtor to show you around. They'll have the low-down on neighborhoods, day care centers, schools, and all the other factors affecting lifestyle.

If the company will not pay for at least two investigative visits (one en famille, one adults-only) to the new location, do not proceed with the move. It's as simple as that. If they really want you, they will pay for the visits. If they're not prepared to pay, they are not serious about your relocation. Moans about limited budget can be cut short by pointing out the cost of a failed relocation.

Suddenly lifting your happily employed partner out of their existing life and dumping them down in a strange town, with no job and no friends is doubly difficult. While you'll be hard at work facing the challenges of your new role, your life mate may find himself or herself alone and desperately bored. Children who initially think moving to Florida means living in Disney World will soon start missing their old friends when they discover the reality. Budgeting for a large post-move phone bill is one thing, but you'll need to take time away from work to help your family settle in and adjust.

There may even be places where you or your family would not want to live. I've been offered relocations to places where I would not consider moving, normally because traffic is too congested and commutes are too long for me, or the weather too cold for my sun-loving wife.

On the other hand, moving isn't all doom and gloom. People are moving around the world like never before, and many thoroughly enjoy living in their new homes. They enjoy the excitement of a new place, settling in, and having fun. Once the nightmare of unpacking all those cartons is over, a vacation-like period takes place when you discover the wonders of the your new area.

Budget is an important factor too. You don't want to find that you can't afford to live in the new area. The salary that pays for an agreeable family house in a provincial location may not even cover a decent condo in a major metropolitan area. Find out how much it is going to cost you before you negotiate your new package. Again, just say no if they won't play along—after all, they're the ones who want you to move, and a realistic salary is an essential component.

Relocation Alternatives
If you can't move, it doesn't mean that you can't take the job. Working remotely is one possibility (see the CareerLink article "Telecommuting Perks and Pangs" for insight into this option). Plenty of technology out there will support your virtual presence in the head office, backed up by regular visits. Do the math for them: having you as part telecommuter, part real commuter might be cheaper than relocating you.

If they really want you to move and you don't, there is generally no shortage of alternative employers. Depending on your appetite for risk, plenty of startups still are desperate for experienced engineers and engineering managers. You might think they are all in San Francisco, but loads of new companies are springing up all over. Dig around a bit in your local community and you're bound to find an entrepreneur who's short on staff.

Last, but certainly not least, is the option of becoming a consultant. I'm sure we all know someone who was asked to move to a different job, refused, resigned, and then was taken back to do his or her old job as a consultant. Why not you? This route has the great advantage of allowing you to test the waters with new employers on a short-term contract basis.