The move of a lifetime to the UAE!

In 2013 Think Global Recruitment assisted Leroi in gaining a new job in a Big Four firm in the UAE, roughly 3,883 miles away from his original location in Pretoria, South Africa. I got in touch with Leroi to find out more about his experience.

Leroi worked for five years in one of the Big 4 firms in Pretoria, just outside Johannesburg. This was enough time to lead him to the conclusion that he was ready to move overseas to explore ‘new opportunities and gain new experiences’, something that he had always wanted to do and the timing couldn't have been better.

Leroi was quite open to moving anywhere, some of the options he listed were: Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Europe. Though, his preference was the Middle East because his wife had previously lived and worked there as a teacher, meaning, she would find it quite easy to join him and gain employment there.

When Leroi applied for a job that we had advertised online, one of Think Global Recruitment’s international experts got in touch with him. "They spent a considerable amount of time finding out what I was looking for in a move and all about my experience". Our consultant then agreed an action plan and a list of companies that he would contact to identify where the most suitable positions would be and which of them would be most interested in his vast experience in internal audit, risk and advisory.  Through this approach his consultant promptly secured him an interview with a Big Four firm in the UAE. His first choice location!

On the 14^th of April 2013, Leroi was offered a job in Abu Dhabi, he moved in mid July. We asked him what he felt was the most helpful thing that Think Global Recruitment did throughout the process- 'you looked after me really well and were really informative. I was very happy with the service. It is great to have someone to take care of the administration side of things which made the whole process much easier. There was always someone to answer your questions and give you support and peace of mind.'

The different culture was, at times, ‘quite difficult’ in a business sense and Leroi said, ‘there will always be an uncertainty on a personal level when you move far away’, however, after a few months his wife joined him on his new adventure and they settled very quickly in their new home. At present, Leroi sees the cultural differences as a highlight of his location.

Following our chat, we are happy to conclude that Leroi is thoroughly enjoying his time in Abu Dhabi and feels that the move has benefited him in many ways, he has a lot of ‘new connections’ and has ‘broadened his horizons’.  We strongly believe that the life experience and career progression that you can gain from living and working overseas is endless.

Leroi’s advice to anyone who is considering an international move:

• ‘Do your research so that you have a bit of an idea of what to expect’
• ‘Try to get hold of people who have done the move before and get their opinion’
• ‘It’s hard to know what to expect until the day that you get there, you should try to understand the pros and cons before you move’ 

We couldn't agree more!

By Emma Maloy, Marketing Assistant