I’ve gained insights to conclude that working abroad offers clear and distinct benefits, no matter where you go.
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash
It’s been two years now since I started working in a country different than my own. My story is typical of a Philippines’ Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who gained between 3-5 years of local experience, then decided to experience international life as a global accountant. What did I do differently? Instead of joining colleagues who worked in more popular destinations, I decided to venture by myself in a less popular country.
As I reflect on two years past, I’ve gained insights to conclude that working abroad offers clear and distinct benefits, no matter where you go. But before I dive into the details, let’s recall the existing migration reality.
A game with no clear rules
In prior years, people thought of working abroad as a black box. The box exists, but you don’t quite know what it contains. We don’t have many success stories. Even if we do, our fellow professionals prefer to keep silent. Thus, work abroad became a playing field where no clear rules exist. It’s either you get recruited, or you don’t. Maybe luck is a factor, and maybe, it isn’t.
A social stigma also surrounds people who have worked in a different country. Recently, as part of my effort to hone cultural intelligence and tolerance, I started exploring some films where the plot revolves around the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) experience. I used to detest our local movies because these movies have predictable plotlines. But for once, I forced myself through A Faraway Land, Barcelona, and Hello, Love, Goodbye.
Enduring the cheesy clichés, I finished the movie Barcelona. In one of the scenes, the main character announced that she wanted to find an office job because she has a Psychology degree. Her fellow Filipinos eating at the same table looked at each other and revealed the hard truth. Each of them also has degrees but ended up as a house cleaner.
One of them said (English-translated), “I’m a graduate of Accounting, but when I got here, I was a house cleaner, a waiter.”
That scene stuck for several reasons. None in my family worked abroad before. I am the first. I had a distant view of the OFW experience from watching local shows and from reading. Popular media made me understand that OFWs have to lower their expectations and swallow their pride whenever they work abroad.
Here is part of the reason. Our country was historically known for sending cooks, construction workers, domestic helpers, and even women looking for potential husbands. I’ve encountered people who assume that you got your work by doing any of these things first because it’s the reality of their experience.
Work abroad or stay in the country?
“You lose your identity when you work abroad,” elders also warned me. I grew up in a traditional community where people possess a negative bias about working abroad. You can’t blame these people.
The popular culture embedded in us this stereotypical image. A Filipino-American teenager returns to her provincial home with non-black colored hair, an American accent, and a disrespectful attitude toward local ways and customs. That teenager will forever be an outcast. Thus, I did not imagine bringing myself outside the country because I’m afraid of losing myself.
When I studied at university, I heard different stories from OFWs who started temporary secondments. Their stories also leave you the impression that an international experience is a privilege or a reward for taking the future firm partner or company leader path. Living and working abroad entails a different kind of skillset that supplements your leadership style.
Our original biases, environmental biases, and preconceptions made us hesitant to try the international experience. We fear suffering the same fate that previous OFWs suffered. We do not know how to make the most out of our international experience, because we think the opportunity can be gone at any time.
Thus, Filipino accountants remain indecisive. Work abroad or stay in the country? Is it the right path? What can you do to make the most out of the international experience?
Let’s acknowledge that discrimination, prejudice, and social biases exist. These things will not vanish instantly.
But fear not. I did not write this to provoke or pass judgment. At one point, I felt I had to write about it for selfish reasons. I used all these insights to empower myself to think differently and to acquire empathy from understanding the struggles of others. I aimed to gain pride in a profession I have long since denied. I wanted to find the courage to survive in a world of no clear rules. I hope you will find the same empowerment later on.
Climbing the ladder, crossing to private companies, or jumping countries
Before the pandemic, Filipino accounting students needed to pass the CPA licensure board exam before working in an audit practice. Working in large audit firms is equivalent to prestige and immense learning, notwithstanding the long work hours and low benefits.
In private industries outside audit firms, the CPA title gains you leverage. People get promoted faster when they have the CPA title. People also trust you more with their business.
Throughout the years, people believe that the CPA track is a journey of climbing ladders. It’s either you practice your title, or you don’t. Not maximizing the use of your CPA title when you have worked hard to earn it is not smart and even impractical. Thus, fresh accounting graduates would spend their early years working in audit, tax, risk, or financial advisory so that they can earn the experience that would lead to any of these outcomes:
- Climb up the ladder to be able to sign audit opinion yourself
- Gain enough experience so that you can open your private practice
- Gain enough experience enabling you to cross to private industry and gain lofty, high-paying finance positions (e.g. Internal Audit Manager or Chief Finance Officer).
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Let's spill the beans
Since the pandemic happened, people reflected on their careers more than usual. Those who got stuck are those who have always thought that their way is the best. In reality, the job market is in constant evolution. If you refuse to acknowledge that, you will fail to keep pace.
Now, information equates to power. Younger generations of aspiring accountants have ready access to the internet and information that can fuel their decision-making. I call it spilling the beans, an English idiom for letting out the truth.
- What has changed?
- What have I observed?
- What did I gain from talking to colleagues in different countries?
Here are some spilled beans.
The world became more open to the idea of crossing borders. The lack of talent in a specific location means companies have to find talent elsewhere. You’ll notice that companies retain their talent when they are better at protecting them by giving them a space to be well, grow their career, and find meaning and purpose in their work.
You’ll notice too that people who are more tolerant to change and new ways of working are those who have worked with different nationalities and cultures. That’s why big companies, audit firms included, now heavily promote diversity and inclusion. People realize that welcoming different perspectives lead to better collaboration.
How do you fit?
The biggest challenge of working abroad is integration. Integration is the ability to adapt to the culture, ways, and language of the country where you work. What does that mean in practice?
In practice, this is what happens. People native to that country might be reluctant to bring newcomers to their ways. This is not a matter of pure reluctance but of not being aware that they are closing off themselves. Perception matters too. When you perceive that engaging in a new relationship will not be beneficial, you will not do so.
If you’re that newcomer, this is what it means for you. You’re there to bring your unique point of view. But you’re not the only one. You’re also there to engage with people who have their unique points of view. Your values shift and align depending on how much you crave social acceptance.
Does working abroad really lead to a loss of identity? In some ways, yes. You become different from who you are before embarking on that journey. You are responsible for shaping your transformation, whether good or bad. You also have to embrace that change instead of resisting it.
How to make the most out of your international experience
A year ago, on a bus ride full of OFWs returning to their provinces, I gained something precious. One of our fellow passengers was suffering from nausea. I gave her my Vicks (a menthol-based vaporub). She gave me back her story. The other passengers near my seat exchanged stories too.
Laughter, fun, and optimism reigned while the bus bounced along the highway. Sleep eluded us. Everyone was too excited for home. It was Christmas eve, after all.
Some of them have not been home for years and years. They talked excitedly about vacations they are taking, about their new homes, about the sons and daughters waiting.
I listened and asked questions because I got curious and because my story was an exception. My OFW experience went differently because the CPA profession enabled me to work in an international company with good benefits and a tolerant culture. My fellow passengers on that bus were not as well-positioned.
Here’s what I noticed. My fellow OFWs beamed with happiness whenever they tell me how fond they are of the children they were taking care of. These children are not their kids by blood, of course. But they’re happy and to them, their job is most precious. From this encounter, I learned that you can find fulfillment in every kind of work. You just have to know where to look.
Arthur C. Brooks, an author and happiness guru, wrote that one of the goals worth pursuing at work is “service to others—the sense that your job is making the world a better place”. It makes so much sense. Both giving and receiving leads to happiness. If you don’t receive, whether it’s money, knowledge, time or something else, you have none to give. You end up unhappy.
Whether you’re in it for the short term or the long run, you can find fulfillment and happiness from working abroad too. Here are some lessons I learned along the way that enable me to make the most out of my international experience:
- Engage, meet, and talk with people who are different than you.
- When you talk with people, listen with positive intent.
- Respect the culture and the ways of the place where you live and work. Note the best practices and let them enhance your cultural understanding.
- When you return to your home country, share the best practices where it makes sense to do so.
- Do not forget the local customs and tradition that shaped your mindset and positive behaviors.
- Keep an open and curious mind—always.
Photo by Ben Duchac on Unsplash
Final Food for Thought
Some food for thought:
- What if we can create an opportunity to upskill underemployed foreign workers?
- What if we can eliminate our biases and give every person an equal opportunity to prove themselves?
- What if local companies can create a strategy to incentivize accountants who stay while at the same time giving them access to the international experience?
Finally, I wrote this not to criticize, but to empower. We’ve heard so many negative stories and discouragement around the international experience. Let’s start pushing the positive stories forward.
I wrote this because I believe in educating my fellow millennials and gen Z professionals about the importance of expanding their worldview.
Adopting a global mindset is a critical skill to hone. That means being open to the ideas of others. That means taking into account different perspectives. That means seeking ways to understand and be understood. That means choosing to be uncomfortable from time to time.
Let’s make it part of our international experience to listen to the stories of courage, taking risks, fortitude, and resilience. Let us be proud of each other’s accomplishments, whether in a small corner of the world or a more popular one.
We are not just becoming better CPAs by doing so. We also transform the way we look at our profession, and we help boost the pride of accountants of the future.
Which part resonated to you the most?
Feel free to leave a comment.
P.S. Are you an accountant or auditor experiencing the busy season for the first time in a new country? You might encounter challenges around protecting your well-being and navigating the changing work expectations. If this is your challenge, subscribe to our newsletter, Busy Season Journals, where you get to receive tips and tricks on how to navigate your international experience.
