Good day to you my professional perfectionists, 

As you know I recently moved to Australia and I am so happy that after a month of searching I finally found a job in my professional field. A fortnight in and wow it’s been an eye opener 😀 For this weeks post I am going to reveal my findings of working in an office environment away from home. 

Fast forward back to the day of my interview and I remember making sure my dress was perfectly pressed and my hair just right before I left the house that morning. I had already google mapped the office location so knew it would take me around 30 minutes to get there by car but I gave myself an hour. I did not want that unexpected traffic jam or fender bender to prevent me from getting there on time. The two managers who interviewed me were so welcoming and friendly – I knew immediately that I would love to get the job 😀

I heard back that very afternoon that I was due to start in a few days and yes I definitely did do a little squeal of delight. Ha. I remember walking into the office in my black fitted shift dress and nude Louboutin heels on my first day and my new colleagues looked at my shoes and were like wow those are high. I didn’t even think twice when I got dressed that morning but I soon learned that with the amount of walking around and on our feet work we do every day, they may not have been the most practical attire. Having worked in the corporate world for over a decade I am just so used to my uniform of a smart dress and heels and even though I still maintain that here, I am definitely one of the exceptions in my team.

(All images courtesy of google)

Another new experience I’ve learned is the art of public transport in Brisbane. The buses truly are faultless and I love how they have their own unique lane (no traffic woohoo) and they are really reliable. The Go card system is very much like my trusty Oyster card in London and although I still have to anxiously watch every station when the bus stops to make sure I do not miss my one, I am still amazed by its effective simplicity daily. 

Another aspect that has been a real learning curve is forgetting that I sound unique. I am still shocked when people do a double take upon hearing my British accent. It’s incredible to think I am speaking the same language but still can sound so different. Although we live in a multi cultural society, I think we still are secretly surprised when we hear a colloquialism that is not that of the country we are in. 

With many companies becoming multinational, office moves overseas is becoming the norm. I am sure many of you have worked in various locations at one time or another so can hopefully relate to what I have experienced during my early months of living in Australia. There are always challenges and steep learning curves especially in the first few months but my advice would be to perservere. I promise it gets easier over time and you to will soon start feeling like a local even if you still do not sound like one. 

Until next time, take care

Keya x