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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 14th
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
