Perfect Perth

I ended up working in Perth through family connections. I heard more and more about Perth and decided I should see the place first-hand so my wife and I spent a week here. We both fell in love with it.

I completed the migration forms and let my partner at Davis Langdon in London know that I wanted to move to Australia and possibly work in the Perth office of Davis Langdon. When an internal opportunity arose in May 2005, I took it.

Adapting was a real culture shock. You would think Australia and the UK are very similar; after all we drive on the same side of the road. But I have found values to be very different, especially in Perth. It’s on the west coast of Australia with only 1.2m people living in the city. It’s more like a large village than a state capital city, especially after having lived in London. Here the pace of life is that bit slower, just enough to catch your breath on the weekends.

The perks of living and working in Perth are a clean environment with a painless commute. Getting around is far easier as there’s less traffic. For example, there’s usually no need to book restaurants, no rush hour. People are friendly, the majority immediately trust you and consider you a friend whereas in London I found people cautious and defensive. There’s a real sense of community here.

My office window looks across the beautiful Swan River. Palm trees line the shores and I’ve even seen a pod of dolphins swimming in the river

My wife and I were fortunate enough to be offered jobs that reflected the positions we had in the UK and I’m lucky that being an RICS member affords me membership of the AIQS, the Australian equivalent, so I didn’t have to retrain to get the job.

My office window looks across the beautiful Swan River. Palm trees line the shores and I’ve even seen a pod of dolphins swimming in the river. The skyline is a mixture of 8-12 storey residential towers and low-density rise. It’s quite different to the London chimney-pot view.

We have 12 in this office, including four Brits. I came from an office of almost 450 staff, so the lines of communication are a lot more direct.

The UK construction industry could learn a lot from Australia as far as the trades are concerned. Nearly all tradespeople have to hold some sort of formal trade qualification. The construction industry isn’t something you “just fall into” because you haven’t chosen a particular career path at school. It’s a career in itself. In fact trade workers are seen as highly skilled in a desirable profession. Apprenticeships still exist in the mainstream trades and formal qualifications are the norm. The chance of employing a ‘cowboy’ is slim.

The UK construction industry could learn a lot from Australia as far as the trades are concerned

Of course, I do miss home. I miss family, friends and colleagues. But you have to come to terms with it. Perth is the world’s most isolated city and can certainly feel that way during periods of homesickness. But that’s the sacrifice of moving abroad. At least when guests visit they stay with you for three weeks to a month, although that can be a blessing or a curse, depending on which family members stay with you.

We haven’t been back since we moved here, but we have a trip planned this September. We’ll have been away almost 17 months by then. I think it’s best to not return too soon after your arrival. You must give yourself time to adapt rather than continually make comparisons.

My advice to those tempted to work abroad would be to consider it seriously. Living abroad is not the same as being on holiday. Take time to investigate the whole thing, plan it thoroughly, but most importantly believe in yourself. I have found the only real thing stopping people from going abroad is themselves. Why shouldn’t you give it a go? Believe me, once you do it, it changes your outlook on life for the better.