Returning home after the Big OE...

CPA Australia - 28 June 2007

You’ve lived the Kiwi and Aussie dream of travelling and working abroad. You’ve likely made some good cash, squirreled some away so when you return down under, the exchange rate will act in your favour and you have plenty of options on how best to make it work for you. At least that’s how you pictured it before you embarked on your ‘OE’.

For the majority of Antipodeans, it’s still like that. They move away to the bright lights of London, used to an existence revolving around making do and maximising fun on limited funds and communal living in dodgy student or post varsity flats. This allows for a smooth transition in the three to a bedroom, ‘dossers’ on floors and couches, and anything to save a quid living arrangements of the squats and flats you’re likely to encounter initially.

After a while though, as you gain more experience in your industry of choice and your market rate increases as a result, your income now has some padding to indulge your yearnings for a little more privacy and some of the offerings only cities of the largest scale can offer. You might as well do it while you can as the intention is always to return ‘home’, get on the property ladder, have 2.3 kids and live the balanced life often promoted as optimal living.

There is a lot to be said about living for the now! There are a lot of clichés referring to living once, not being able spend in heaven, only being young for a short time and the last thing you want is regrets for not making the most of the time you have spent in some of faster paced metropolitan centres. After all, making good money is only part of the reason to venture overseas. Experiencing the people, customs, food, and language differences are the basis for long lasting memories…favourable or otherwise. The flip side of all this big city indulgence can be unforeseen difficulties when repatriating back to familiar shores.

You’ve now decided that the timing is right for a return home. The financial goal you set yourself has been reached. You’re over the crowded and impersonal underground transport system. You’ve a hankering for the beer back home (it’s never the same elsewhere), and there maybe some family pressure to play a more active part back home. A date is set, the farewell parties see you reminisce on one of the most exciting periods of your life, and you return home emboldened with new skills and looking for a new platform to display them.

After the first month of arrival back home, there is quite often a crash in the positivity stakes as due to variety of circumstances, doubt can creep in. The first month is generally a honeymoon period as you catch up with friends and family who are always keen to hear your stories. Following that however, the reality of your decision begins to take hold and all of a sudden you’re missing what you have just left.

It can take some adjustment to the slower pace of life, particularly in New Zealand. Even the commercial hubs of Auckland and Wellington are a step behind Sydney for pace which follows the likes of London, Paris and New York for example. It’s not a snobbery thing, just an unconscious adaptation you made while going about your life. You will adapt back again but the transition is likely to be harder and possibly longer. Reasons for this are a little unclear but we can speculate.

Generally, the hours of work are longer in the professional sectors of Europe. Time tends to fly by when you’re busy but if you have a few extra hours that are not bound by work obligations, some find it very hard to fill, particularly in winter. Going to the pub with your colleagues after work is the norm in places like the UK, and while it certainly happens in NZ and Australia, our love affair with the car as the primary means of commuting means it is less prevalent or limited to one day per week, such as a Friday. So unless you have interests or commitments outside of work to keep yourself occupied, there can be some difficulties dealing with less expectation that you need to be at your desk. This is probably the easiest one to get over… I would think.

It pays to carefully consider how the experience you have gained overseas can be utilised in smaller markets. Specialisation often occurs in companies of massive scale – particularly the financial services sector, that just don’t have any value outside of UK or Europe. The ability to transfer this experience is severely limiting. In New Zealand for example, there still is the “number eight fencing wire” mentality where overseas experience is still highly valued but more in a generalist or broad nature. Better to have had a number of roles exposing yourself to a number of systems or practices than taking on the title of ‘guru’ in something with limited appeal outside of the international hubs. This can obviously cause a lot of frustration as you find your once high earning skill in need of re-training… if you’re committed to living in Australia or NZ. You’ve been successful once so it’s likely you will again but there could be some down time or loss of income potential while you re-train or gain experience in other areas.

Salary expectation is a hoary old chestnut when it comes to ex-pats returning home. Being prepared for it and accepting it are two different things. It’s easy for people to talk about not making comparisons or looking at exchange rates but it’s human nature if you’ve been used to earning pounds, to make the conversion when being offered a role in dollars. No easy answer here. Roles are only worth so much in whatever market you’re in so do the best you can in getting the best deal you can and forget about it. Try and remember that there are often relativity issues within teams, or your boss may be on less than what you are coveting salary wise. Nothing will give you ulcers quicker than dwelling on what your salary converts to in pounds – it’s not apples with apples so think about how close you are to having a cold beer under a Pohutukawa by the sea, after work while it is still light!

Leaving the commute behind is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions of a return down under. It might be a little less in duration but it is still part of the standard working week. Scores of commuters sit stony faced in their choice of transport mode, be it in Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington or Auckland, with Auckland probably the worst of the down under commute experiences. The public transport system in this city is woefully inadequate and only now is it being taken seriously but with local body politics set to stifle the speed in which it can be improved. There are many choke points on the main arterials and motorways where accidents can cause trip times to triple. Having said that, the upside is you’re never more than 25 minutes from a beach, have access to regular international shows, exhibitions and sporting events, so a trade off is inevitable.

Ex-pats returning home will do so for a number of varying reasons. Some will repatriate very easily and others will endure pangs of regret or moments of major remorse about their decision. Knowing about some of the pitfalls is sure to help but it won’t necessarily make the acclimatisation easier. Remember the drivers that bought you home and decide if your quality of life outweighs anything you perceive as ‘missing’. New Zealanders and Australians have a quality of life that is the envy of most nations and there is no doubt that if you are good at what you do, can interact with people on a respectful and personal level, your ability to succeed and enjoy the benefits associated equates to a lifestyle of comfort.

At Global, we won’t be able to re-create the open jawed, wild eyed moments you get when experiencing international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Nor will we be able to promise the 50 quid an hour you were earning at Goldman Sachs; but we will provide you with free, honest advice on job opportunities within New Zealand and Australia’s top companies.