Home or away?

Commerce has become increasingly globalised over the past 100 years. This means the world’s workforce has become mobile, and many highly skilled professionals work in a variety of different countries over the course of their careers. 

The accounting profession sits at the very heart of global trade and industry, and it is common for accountants to move and work in other markets. Accountants who qualified in the UK are highly sought after in different financial centres, with large numbers of British expats working in cities like New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. Working overseas can provide a great opportunity for career development, and encourage professionals to gain new experiences. 

 It is also fairly common for accountants at larger firms to spend time practicing in overseas offices, which is often encouraged by secondment programmes.  PwC, for example, runs a comprehensive ‘international challenge’ programme designed to expose accountants to different markets and working practices. 

In our latest salary survey we decided to ask accountants which overseas countries they would be most interested in working in. Australia emerged as the most popular destination, with 30% of accountants saying they would consider relocating Down Under. This was followed by the US (29%), Canada (17%), and New Zealand (14%) – showing that accountants are most interested in working in markets where they speak the language. There was also some enthusiasm to work somewhere a little more adventurous however, with 13% expressing interest in Singapore and 9% in the Cayman Islands.