GOING GLOBAL
Name: Julia Morris
Moved to: Singapore
How did you go about finding
work abroad?
I was lucky enough to be transferred to
Singapore by the company I was work-
ing for in London. They knew that I was
keen to work abroad and when they
decided to open an office out here they
offered me the chance to help set it up.
lia
a
Has there been a downside to working abroad?
The biggest difficulty I’ve faced is that I was made redundant last
ourism Austr
September. Being 6,000 miles away from home made a difficult situa-
© T
tion even harder as I didn’t have much of a support network out here.
There is no culture of temping in Singapore, many companies prefer
to employ Singaporeans or Permanent Residents and you need an
Name: Zoe Smith
Employment Pass from the Ministry of Manpower in order to work Moved to: Adelaide, Australia
here, and mine was linked to my previous job.
How did you go about finding
What have been the benefits of making the decision to work abroad?
work abroad? I contacted Hays Globalink in London
I was in a rut when I was in London and that certainly isn’t the case in early 2008 to advise them of our
now. Moving abroad has been a great adventure. I love the cultural mix plans to emigrate following the submis-
in Singapore. Even the difficulties I’ve had since arriving here have sion of our visa application in
been beneficial, in hindsight, as I’m now more self-reliant. Also, I think December 2007, and I was asked to con-
that when I do return to the UK I’ll have a new appreciation for it. tact them again as soon as our visas
were granted. They carried out a tele-
How has your life changed since working abroad? phone interview with me and contacted be r
“
My skills seem to
ecognised more
I’m much calmer; my stress levels have plummeted. I work longer two of my former work references.
in Australia and my
hours than I did in London, but the rest of my life is much easier. Once these checks were complete, they
salary is greater
Everything in Singapore is geared to convenience. The buses and MRT contacted the Adelaide office and
(tube) are cheap and run on time, the shops stay open late, you can get arranged an appointment for me to
than my previous
things delivered on a Saturday without paying extra, shop assistants meet in their offices in December 2008. salary in the UK
are helpful, the city is immaculately clean and virtually crime-free.
”
Life here isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty effortless. Has there been a downside to
working abroad?
Do you have any advice for people considering No, quite the opposite in fact. My skills seem to be recognised more
working abroad? in Australia and my salary is greater than my pay was in the UK. It’s
Do it, but bear in mind that starting from scratch is hard and you need the best decision we ever made and we haven’t looked back since.
to be pretty resilient at times. Inevitably there are moments when you’ll
feel homesick and wish you were back at home. Throw yourself into What have been the benefits of making the decision to
things, accept every invitation and don’t give into temptation and flop in work abroad?
front of the TV when you get home from work. It takes a while, but grad- The opportunity to experience a different culture and lifestyle, to
ually you settle into a new life and make new friends. At that point you’ll meet new people and have a better quality of life. We love working and
feel that you’ve really achieved something. And if, for any reason, things socialising with the Aussies!
don’t work out, it isn’t the end of the world. At least you gave it a go!
How has your life changed since working abroad?
I am more relaxed and have been able to enjoy more of the outdoor
life. I enjoy meeting up with colleagues and have been able to get
involved in projects within the community.
Have you experienced any cultural or language barriers
in your job?
No, everyone speaks my lingo, even if they don’t always understand
some of my English expressions!
Do you have any advice for people considering
working abroad?
It’s very important to find out as much as you can about the country
you’re going to work in before you make the decision to emigrate. We
visited Australia twice and bought lots of books and carried out lots of
research on the internet. It’s well worth getting in touch with a spe-
cialist recruiter, such as Hays Globalink, to start the job search.
E
www.executivepa.com » Feb/Mar 2010 » 39
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