The main purpose of the Orientation is not the tour of the city. It is the communication between the transferee and the orientation consultant on life in the city of transfer. In this case, Qingdao . Let's face it, Qingdao doesn't offer all the amenities of a large metropolis such as Beijing or Shanghai, and transferees have to feel comfortable with their potential life in Qingdao before they decide to move here. That is the job of the orienatation consultant, to make sure transferees feel comfortable and increase the chances of the transferee deciding to move here. Having the orientation after the transferee's decision has been made to move here is basically useless, as it just becomes a tour.

Companies many times don't realize the costs of sending someone abroad for a look and see. The time and money spent on sending the transferee even for a week can be totally wasted if the transferee decides not to make the move. Therefore it is vital that the transferee gets to know the city from another expat's point of view. The Orientation cannot be done by local as a local does not have the experience of seeing life from the point of view of an expat. The local also will not be able to communicate and answer questions in a way to make the transferee feel comfortable in their new surroundings. Many times, the orientation consultant will offer an invitation to a bar or a party for the transferee to meet other expats to help them understand life in Qingdao and to make them realize that there are many other expats who live here. This is another very important aspect that a local will never be able to do.