Evaldas's Story: Moving to Mongolia and getting back into big business!

It's not everyday you hear about someone moving to Mongolia but last year Think Global Recruitment assisted Evaldas in making the move from Lithuania to the country's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Evaldas previously had spent a total of five years as Senior Manager working for EY in Kazakhstan and a further two and a half years as Audit Director at Deloitte before becoming self employed as a Financial Consultant. After working independently with small businesses for three years, Evaldas came to the realization that he missed big business and the high profile clientele.

After contacting Think Global Recruitment to explore his options working overseas and after speaking with one of our consultants, was offered the opportunity to work for EY in Mongolia. After living and working in neighboring Kazakhstan for a number of years, Evaldas was already familiar with the  Mongolian culture and fluent in Russian and therefore knew what to expect upon moving. This combined with the irresistible offer to work alongside prominent clients such as Central Bank, State Bank and leading mining companies lead to Evaldas accepting the role.

Life in Mongolia
 

Evaldas describes the move as a very positive one, stating that he ‘received great support from both EY and Think Global Recruitment’. He further characterizes Think Global Recruitment as ‘highly professional’ and decribes the transition from Lithuania to Mongolia as smooth and controlled.

Moving with his wife in December 2015, Evaldas spent only a week searching for flats before coming across the perfect apartment in the center of Ulaanbaatar, within walking distance of the office, restaurants and shops. Initially he was concerned with the timing of the move as winters in Mongolia can drop below -25 degrees Celsius. The move further coincided with the busy season for mining companies, however due to previous experience and expertise, Evaldas was already familiar with EY methodologies and the audit role so move was smooth. With the support of both EY and Think Global Recruitment, he describes feeling ‘fully supported throughout the move’. Evaldas was also surprised to discover that many native Mongolians were fluent in Russian and that there were many Lithuanian expatriates living in the city.

The Role
 

Now in his new audit role Evaldas is working with the Central Bank of Mongolia, the largest state bank and the largest mining companies in the country. He enjoys the exposure and describes being well respected within his industry. Providing advice to senior managers, he is already saving the company vast amounts of money and has already had extremely positive performance reviews. Furthermore, the role provides exciting opportunities to work within Asia and to build relationships with China and Hong Kong through work with clients.

 

Main advantages of working overseas.
 

 

Firstly Evaldas emphasizes the importance of learning and experiencing different cultures; ‘You can move from one location to another more easily and can adapt to other cultures quickly, which is a very good personal trait’. Secondly; ‘from a company perspective, multinational employers will look for international experience’.

There are many benefits to being an expatriate including higher salaries and excellent financial packages ‘My company pay for my apartment in the center of the city so my living conditions are ideal for both myself and my family’.

Additionally, ‘working in an international outward facing firm in Mongolia allows the opportunity to spread further into companies in the Asia region such as Hong Kong and China. Opportunities you would not get working in a smaller firm’. Evaldas states; ‘when I moved from Lithuania to Kazakhstan, I was working with huge international clients, however if you are working in a small market or if you are a small member of a bigger team, that you just don’t get those opportunities’.

Finally, he says that ‘moving out of your comport zone allows you to develop new friendships and relationships through meeting new business contacts.’

‘My advice would be to not be afraid and to try new things, and if you do, you shall succeed.’

Our service
 

‘The company was very professional, I wanted to move to a bigger firm and a role with either EY or Deloitte. Think Global Recruitment provided lots of options and opportunities and consultant put me in touch with EY’s Mongolian partner and we got along very well and now I am living here.’

‘I also received excellent aftercare support from one of your consultants which I really appreciated as it made the move a lot easier.’

We would like to wish Evaldas all the best in his new role. 

Dave’s Story: Conquering the fear of the unknown!

Think Global Recruitment helped David make the move from Zimbabwe to Perth, Australia in 2007 where he still lives today managing his own accountancy business. We recently caught up with him to find out about his experience and any advice he would offer to others.

How did you feel before the move?

 “At that stage it was really just a fear of the unknown. I’d never lived away from home so I didn’t know how it would turn out. I had it in my head that I was just going to make the move overseas and see how it goes. I knew that it was going to be unchartered territory”.

How long did it take to settle in?

“It took six months to a year to really settle in. You find yourself calling home frequently at the start. You then get to experience the new culture, new people and meet new friends.”

With multicultural societies like Perth you have such a vast range of nationalities. There is such an acceptance of cultures that makes it very easy to fit in quickly”.

So with so many cities in Australia why from why did you choose to settle in Perth?

“I’ve been to visit other places like Sydney and Melbourne but I’ve found that those cities are too busy for me.  I really enjoy the lifestyle here and have built up a good client base for my business."

And what about the professional experience?
 

 “Having had previous Big Four experience it was building upon what I had learnt already. I was working with clients in oil and gas, the work was demanding but it did meet expectations. The professional ethics on the work side lived up to expectations”.

And the biggest benefit?
 

“Career progression- The sky is the limit depending on what someone wants to do. If someone wants to start their own business in the future, it would be really worth doing!

Even if somebody wanted to go into commerce, the companies here are bigger and you can get exposure to their main head offices”.

Advice to other accountants think of making the move?

 "If someone isn’t sure, give it six months and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work there’s no harm in trying, it’s definitely worth it. I would really encourage people to go out there and see how they get on”.

How did Think Global Recruitment assist you ?

 

“A mate of mine gave me your contact details and when I called up the lady she asked me which country I want to go to, I said, 'Australia, then Canada and maybe the US'. A few days later she comes back and says ‘I’ve got an opportunity for a Big Four firm in Australia, and then she talked me through the process. She was really good and when I got the job she helped with the onboarding process.  Even a few months later she called up just to check how I was doing and sent me a Think Global souvenir”.
 

What would you say are the advantages of applying for a job through Think Global Recruitment?

“The guidance that you give, the preparation…you would ring up before the interview, after the interview, finding out how it has gone and following up with it with the employer as well.
Highly recommended.”

 

It's fantastic for us hearing people's stories after we have worked with them. From all of us at Think Global Recruitment would wish like to wish Dave and his family the very best for the future!

If this story has inspired you and you would like to hear more please get in touch by emailing pmcloughlin@thinkgr.com

 

 

Chantal’s Story – From Audit Senior in South Africa to Senior Director at NASDAQ Sydney

Chantal started out her training in audit with EY in South Africa. It was there that Think Global Recruitment assisted her to secure a dream move to Sydney Australia, where her career has gone from strength to strength. Our Managing Director caught up with her in Sydney.  This is her story.

My Story

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa, I decided it was time to move overseas in search of better opportunities. I had a young baby at the time and was wanting to find somewhere with more stability. Luckily, I was used to moving around South Africa and had learnt to adapt to change easily. Sydney seemed like the ideal choice.

Think Global Recruitment found me a position as an Audit Senior for PKF in Sydney.  They made sure that I was prepared for my new location and offered me continuous support after I arrived. As PKF was a smaller firm I gained very valuable experience.  I was promoted twice in the three and a half years I was there. The best thing about the firm was the people I worked with. I even met my best friend there.  In comparison to a Big Four firm, they felt different, more dynamic and much closer to the people. I worked with so many different clients, in a Big Four firm it would have been just one type of client.

"In comparison to a Big Four firm, they felt different, more dynamic and much closer to the people."

I finally left PKF because I wanted a change from audit. I moved into industry but the first role I took wasn’t as good as I had expected and it was not as challenging as I thought it would be. 

After just over a year I decided to move to NASDAQ for a more challenging, global role.  I now head up the finance division for Asia Pacific, look after a number of different countries and manage a large team.  The team consists of people based across various Asia Pacific countries.   I report to my remote manager based in Stockholm. My job has taken me all over the world to places that include Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Sweden and New York.

The lifestyle is excellent in Sydney and it's great being able to walk home safely at 10pm, something that you would not do back home. The move has changed my life.

My Advice

 The Value of CA Firm Experience

I believe that having CA firm experience is invaluable when making the move into industry. There is a lot of transferable knowledge available within a CA firm. You can draw on it for information about a region.  Tax, accounting processes and requirements are different.  The business world is very diverse across the globe, even western societies like Sweden and US are different.

"Even if you are taking a step back don't be afraid to, within six months you could be promoted up."

 Managing Job Expectations

It’s important to have realistic expectations. If you decide to make the move to another country don’t expect to walk into a position higher than the one you have been in.  There is a lot to learn.  However, even if you are taking a step back then don’t be afraid to, within six months you could be promoted up.  Stick it out.

New Surroundings

If you are seeking a move to any location you should speak to people who have lived there. It is difficult to know your way around the suburbs and if you stay in a place that isn’t that nice the transition is more difficult, so try and be close to work.  However don’t let that put you off.  I believe you should make the decision to move and just do it, don’t think twice on what you might miss out on! You are likely to feel home sick at some point but after a year it will all be alright. You may not have all the luxuries of home, but give up a little luxury in some areas and you will gain in others.

"I believe you should make the decision to move and just do it, don’t think twice about what you might miss out on!"

Think Global Recruitment

The best thing about Think Global Recruitment was the support through the entire job process and continuous support after. Setting up a new life in another country can be stressful, so this assistance can be extremely important.

If this story has inspired you then please share it and help those who may be considering making the move abroad. For any further enquiries please contact pmcloughlin@thinkgr.com.