Top Five Secondment Questions
As expected, when I tell people I am moving to the U.K., they have many questions. Since I had to tell a lot of people about it across work, former school mates, and family about it, it was apparent everyone had essentially the same questions. By same questions, I really mean beyond the usual, “what, where, when, and for how long” questions. Therefore, before beginning a big international move, please be prepared to answer the following - either verbally or written - about your life.Beginning with the runner ups! These are the questions I heard frequently, but not enough to have a standard boilerplate answer.
- When should I come visit?
- Obviously, I want everyone to come visit! That should go without saying and my home will always be open to others. However, when everyone says this to me, I just stared at them with a blank stare as if they expect me to coordinate between 2-4 schedules over a period of 24 months. Yes, I will work with you, but no, I will not plan your holiday.
- How did you get it moved up?
- I received this question mainly from those who knew I was suppose to go in September and then “magically” it was moved to 1 August. I am extremely blessed to have managers who care about my career development and happiness. It also helped my project that was scheduled to end late July was moved to late June; thus, enabling my schedule to be very light considering the future workload. I also am on one job (General Electric) so I did not have to worry about going onto another and having to finish that one.
- Why MK?
- Surprisingly, this is not one that most people asked. I expected more people to ask this since I do have a reputation for traveling everywhere and I chose a little town on the suburbs of London. Well, to be quite frank, it is all about the connections and the people I knew in the office. There is a manager in that office who rotated to Birmingham, US, and recently rotated back there in fall 2016. From there, she initiated the process and really helped us figure out the next steps. I chose UK over New Zealand, Australia, and Italy for a few reasons. The main reason is they still speak English, although it will be quite different. Another factor is it is only a 6-10 hour flight for most of my family and friends (on the Eastern seaboard) to visit! I know I can convince people to come for a visit if it is a 6 hour flight versus a 21 hour flight. Finally, the other reason is I already knew someone there and another KPMG manager had completed a rotation there and loved it.
Now, finally, for the top five!Number Five - What country are you going to first?Being a self described travel junkie, this question came up fairly quickly. As of this moment, the first country will be….*drumroll please*….. France! Big surprise to anyone who knows me ;). Although I spent a month in France in 2014 and a week in 2009, it still holds a dear place in my heart. There is nothing better than waking up, walking to the closest bakery, and ordering everything. Besides that, it is such a beautiful country. Next in October, we will be going to a mysterious location (Mary Frances does not know yet), but it will be warm and sunny!! Wrapping up 2017, we want to go to the Christmas markets in either Austria or Germany! To be determined!*BONUS* Usually a follow-up to the above question was what are your overall travel plans?We definitely have a list of 20+ countries for our two years and it will be difficult, but I believe in us! It basically covers every country in Europe while some countries in Africa. I want to hit at least 20 countries and hit my milestone of 6 out of 7 continents by the time I am 25!Number Four - I bet you're making a ton of money over there, right?Yes, I actually got this question ALOT. Usually, money is a taboo topic in the South, but people really wanted to know. The short answer is NO. Not one bit. We will be taking a substantial paycut to live near one of the most expensive cities in the world. Do not ask me how we will manage the budget, but it will be a challenge since we are both accustomed to a certain lifestyle…Number Three - What type of work are you doing over there?Mainly, I got this question from everyone who does not work at KPMG. Understandably, most people do not know what we actually do for a living. Combine that with the fact I will be living in a foreign country just complicates things. We both will be doing the same job description as the US. For your information, we are auditors at KPMG. To simplify it, we take the financial statements of private and public companies and make sure the balances are correct. The only difference is our title is now “Assistant Manager,” but that is just how they call the title. Same responsibilities, just different country!Number Two - How many bags are you taking?This is a question I often asked myself and even debated until the morning of my flight! It is very strange and somewhat relieving to know that my worldly possessions - the things that mean the most to me - will fit into 4 bags. Obviously, mementos and souvenirs are awesome and I do enjoy looking at them from time to time. They just do not pass the “fire drill” or “how badly do I want to literally carry this to the UK” tests. I have one large rolling suitcase at 61 pounds, one duffel bag at 50 pounds, one carry-on size suitcase at 37 pounds, and a backpack at 15 pounds. Most of it is clothes with shoes, GoPro, electronics, and medicines making up the oddly shaped things that made it difficult to pack! At home, I still have many boxes with clothes, souvenirs, and other life things.Number One - Do you have a place to live?Without a shadow of a doubt, this question has been asked EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It is understandable since it is a major factor in, you know, living in the U.K. No, KPMG is not that cool and doesn’t provide a permanent place to live. They do provide a minimum two weeks with an option of up to four weeks. After that, I am on my own….Hopefully this answers most of the questions! If you have any specific questions, let us know!