Don's Story: Old MacDonald has a farm- one man's life-changing move to Zambia

 

Don MacDonald, a man we assisted to move over 15 years ago, initially set out to live and work in Zambia on a two year contract, but after six months of living and working in Lusaka, his family decided that they were enjoying it so much that they wanted to stay. Recently we caught up with him to see how he has been getting on. Don thanks our Managing Director, Abigail, and Think Global Recruitment, (who he jokes are entirely to blame!). He says his experience exceeded his expectations far more than he could ever have expected.  He has lived in Lusaka ever since, working and running his charity 'Old MacDonald’s Farm'  with his wife Christine. 

So how exactly did Don discover the opportunity to work in Zambia?

“I was working in the Scottish government’s finance department when I came across a Think Global Recruitment advert for opportunities in Africa that would end up changing my life forever"

“During my lunch hour one day I rang up Abigail. In a quick turnaround between meeting Abigail at Christmas and by the first week of January, I had  been offered an interview in London with Deloitte where was offered a role in Lusaka”.

What is Don doing now?

Don is now working as the Managing Director of the airline service company, Zega Limited. Before working for Zega he discovered first hand just how many opportunities there are whilst working abroad.

“About eighteen months into my two year contract I was doing an insolvency review on Zambian Airways and found it had some problems. Three months later the chairman of the airline joked with me and said 'why don’t you try running it?' and that’s how I became the chief executive of a national airline!”

 

 Don grew the airline over the next four years, turning it around from making a loss to making a profit, which was a particular standout moment in his fascinating career.

“Having visited and being exposed to Africa before allowed us to settle in pretty quickly, especially due to it being an English speaking country with a lot of English people”. Don had no concerns before making his international move. “Everything that you might need could be found in the capital city and with great international schools for both of my daughters we had no problems”.

So what does Don think are the advantages of moving overseas?

“The opportunity to advance your career quickly. Within a short space of time, I became the CEO of an airline and you can move faster up the ladder than back home. And of course, the weather is so much better over here”.

What advice would Don give to accountants that are thinking about working overseas?

“Go for it! I’m glad every day I did it. You only live once and it is definitely worth going for. There are huge benefits to the experience and it's important to remember you don't have to commit life where ever you go."

During his fifteen years in Zambia, Don and his wife looked to give back to the community which embraced them so warmly, which is when they decided to start up Old MacDonald's Farm.

Old MacDonald’s Farm

 

One day back in 2001, Don and Christine began helping street kids, inviting them in every Sunday for a shower, a home cooked meal and to get some clean clothes. Noticing that there we so many street kids in the local community, they felt something needed to be done to help. Little did they know that their family would extend when an ill young boy became a permanent part of their family and soon enrolled in the nearby school. Old MacDonald’s Farm was born and has since combined several projects on the same site, allowing the opportunity to house more kids in Old MacDonald’s Children’s Home; educating them on lots of matters from conservation farming methods to providing schooling from the on-site school. Over the years their family has been growing and growing with the addition of more young boys staying with them and at one point they had 40 extra children!

After listening to Don's story it's hard not to be impressed by all that he has achieved. All of us here at Think Global Recruitment would like to wish him the very best for future and that the next 15 years are just as interesting!

 If you would like to find out more about the work of Old MacDonald’s Farm you can visit their website here: http://www.omfzambia.com

 

THINK Charity

Here at Think Global Recruitment, we take corporate social responsibility very seriously.  With a vision of improving lives, we are always looking for ways to help others.

This year, we have already sponsored a number of events and last month, six, brave members of our team took part in a 135ft abseil off Murrayfield Stadium.  It was a great day and with a target of £600, they managed to raise £790.50 for the Stroke Association.  That is 132% of the original target and all for a fantastic cause!  Here's a photo of our team suited and booted in their abseil gear - hair nets included!

Over the next year (we have all split up into small teams) we are hoping to raise £2,500 for a charity called B1G1.  This is a micro-finance charity that supports people starting their own business.  It operates in many countries around the world and we have already donated enough money to provide 240 days of education support to disadvantaged children in Zimbabwe, hired a rickshaw for a month for 30 drivers in India, provided a lady in India with a sewing machine to set up a tailoring business and provided 1 life education program to a disadvantaged person in South Africa.  We will be running a number of events to raise money and more than likely take part in some silly activities (like climbing the dizzying heights of Edinburgh's rugby stadium and jumping off)...

We are really hoping to make a difference and improve some more lives this year so wish us luck!!

Think Global Recruitment - Improving Lives Annual Survey

"International Experience makes me a Citizen of the World"

Each year, Think Global Recruitment conducts primary research in the form of an overseas survey to analyse the experiences of each accountant that they assist in their overseas move.  This year, over 100 participants took part in the survey and the aim of this report is to present; what is motivating international moves, the best elements of international moves and further interesting comments that participants have shared.

The survey was completed anonymously but participants were asked to state where they moved from and where they moved to.  Countries included; Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, New Zealand, the UK and Channel Islands.

Why move overseas?

When asked, "what is the main factor that prompted your desire to work overseas", the vast majority of participants claimed that work experience, followed closely by lifestyle was their biggest reason for the move.

Other reasons that were given included: moving to somewhere more family friendly, experience another culture, close proximity to other countries, learn a new language and improved weather.

Interestingly, only 12.93% were motivated to make the move because of money.

"Besides the work experience, visit beautiful places and increase culture"

The response to the question, "what was the best thing about the move?" indicated that lifestyle (36.54%) and work experience (25.96%) were the two most highly rated aspects of working and living overseas.  A significant drop to 14.42% brings money in as the third most populous answer. Other answers included; "a mix of lifestyle, money, culture and change" and "a better living level".

Living and working overseas gives enhanced access to travel and the opportunity to visit countries that might normally be difficult or out of reach.  One participant said, in reference to the positive aspects of their time overseas, "ability to travel to several European countries'.  Using Europe as an example, flights are reasonably priced and most countries can be visited with a short journey.  For someone who has lived in the USA all of their life, they may not get the opportunity to explore Europe because cost and travel time can make it quite difficult.

"Quicker progression overseas means that when you return, it is a higher level than you would have achieved had you stayed in your original location"

An extraordinary 85.29% of participants agreed that working overseas helps with long-term career development.  Only 1.96% of participants claimed that working overseas may not help long-term career development.

An almost even amount of participants agreed on each of the three following statements:

• International experience is increasingly sought after in management positions (32.43%)
• International experience shows that I am adaptable to change (30.81%)
• International experience makes you a more rounded person (31.89%)

When the participants were asked if they would consider taking another role in their (new) location 75.73% said yes, 4.85% said no, 13.59% said they were unsure and finally 5.83% said other answers such as, "I would love to work in a different location to gain more working experience and experience another culture" and "I am planning to make this my permanent home.".

Following on from these statistics, the participants were asked if they believe that they made the right decision to move to their new location when they did.  A phenomenal result of 87.25% of participants claimed that they did make the right decision to move.  Only, 0.98% said that they did not, 6.86% said they were unsure and 4.9% gave other answers such as; "Could have moved here many years sooner".

Overall, it is clear that the biggest motivating factors for moving overseas are work experience and lifestyle.  This strongly reflects Think Global Recruitment's vision of Improving Lives.  Living and working overseas not only enhances world, cultural and personal experience but it is hugely recognised as a desirable feature when going through a recruitment process.  Working overseas gives massive exposure to different working environments and proves to employers that their candidates are independent and willing to go the extra mile.  It is fantastic to be able to report that so many people believe that they made the right decision in moving overseas.

Further Information:

The participants were asked if there was anything else they would like to add.  Here are just a few of the comments that were made:

"Just do it!"

"If you are given the opportunity to relocate, take it. It is rewarding and character building."

"It's always a plus to gain international experience"

"Move forward always"

"The decision to move was to gain the work experience, very happy that I did"

"Move to Australia has been very positive for the following reasons:

• Financially much better off
• Necessity to work overtime is an irregular occurrence more often than not
• If you have a strong educational background, chances are your job prospects should be superior 
• Quality of life is much better, great weather, cost of living much lower "

"It's really great to live and work here in the UK because of the working lifestyle, hospitable people and healthy environment to live in. I must say I am delighted to have worked with Think Global Recruitment during the employment process."

"Relocation definitely helped my career progression. The international experience gained is invaluable. In addition, I was able to identify best practice and applied it on my engagements subsequently. On a personal level, the work-life balance and the financial part was way above my expectations."

"It has been a great learning experience for many aspects, well recommended."

"The greatest part about working in a new place is seeing how others work, approach problems and develop solutions."

"The world is so big that you find opportunities almost everywhere, if you are really keen to make it. The important this is that you must be ready to design your life and then you can start to look after the new location. So basically, the first question is 'What do I want?', then the second one is: 'Where can I find it?' That's it."

"Cultural diversity is really a gain / enrichment in personal development."

"Think Global Recruitment are the best people in helping professionals relocate and start new careers internationally"

"It's great to have exposure to other cultures and diversity is an awesome experience" 

"It is an incredible experience. The time zones and distance to travel home were one of the downsides. But travel opportunities were in abundance, it was awesome making friends from across the globe and I certainly expanded my work experience and skills."