We’ve prepared individual Haldor Topsoe employees for living and working in countries all around the world. We always customize the cultural training programmes to suit individual employees and any accompanying family members.

In spring 2010, we conducted a two-module course for a Haldor Topsoe employee who was going to work in China for a period of time. The employee's wife and the family's two children, aged 9 and 11 respectively, all participated in the training that took place in the family's private home.

During the training we focused on how the children can gain the most from the stay in China and what consequences the differences in working culture can have for the grown-ups – and we also got through a multitude of practical questions.

After the two modules, but before the move to China, the family provided the following comment:

"Thank you so much for your nice afternoon- and evening visits. We would like to thank you for your very accessible and humorous, yet at the same time very thorough introduction to China's culture, manners and customs, and ways of living.

It has been a great help to us to get to know what kind of life awaits us as "long-noses" China. After these two visits we feel much better prepared for plunging into our Chinese adventure."

Some months after the move, Annette Dahl from C3 Consulting visited the family in their new home in Beijing. Here the family tells about the first experiences with living in China:

"We have now been living in Beijing for 3 months as a "first-time relocating family". It has been 3 exiting months, but also 3 months with many challenges for the entire family.

Before we left Denmark, the family had two home visits by Annette Dahl from C3 Consulting. These visits prepared everybody – including the accompanying wife and two children of age 9 and 12  – for the relocation. The children participated some of the time during the home visits, and they really absorbed all the information and advice.

The family was even given "homework" as part of their preparation. For instance, the wife was given the task to set up goals for her stay in China. These reflections have proved to be very helpful in preventing frustrations.

One of the tasks given to the children was to make a poster with all the positive things they could imagine would be related to living in China. When the children's enthusiasm for living in China at one point dropped to Absolute Zero, it was a great help to bring this poster to light and place it on the fridge.

All the practical information and the preparation for the Chinese culture have also proved to be indispensable for the well-being of the adults as well as the children in China. Thus there is no doubt that all the information and advice, we received ahead of our departure, has made our move to China so much easier."