Before the contract
1) Which entity actually employs me, in which country, under which law? 2) Is the location a requirement, an expectation or a preference — in writing? 3) How are this role’s successes reviewed, and by whom, from which office? Honest answers here predict daily life better than any careers page.
Before moving
4) What does my spouse/partner sign up to administratively? 5) How are social security, pension continuity and healthcare handled across the two countries? 6) What happens to the assignment if the project is rescheduled or cancelled — what is the agreed alternative, not the intention? (7) If housing or permits are involved: who does what, and what does it cost? A recruiter who knows these answers — even to say “outside us, here is who handles it” — is telling you the engagement is managed.
After the first ninety days
8) Am I judged with local colleagues on the same terms? 9) Is there a defined path back — to the home team, another market, or the local one? 10) Who checks on me, and do they have permission to hear bad news? International success is rarely about talent and mostly about structure. Ask for the structure. If Quanta is your intermediary, we expect these questions: a candidate who asks them stays longer and performs better, and the client deserves both.