Wish you were here...

Project manager Paul Mackintosh is one of the growing army of project managers plying their trade overseas. He is working for Balfour Beatty on a 280km long, £46.5m power transmission project in Indonesia, for state subsidiary PLN. It’s a two year public private partnership scheme to supply power to the whole of the Java region and is due to finish in April 2003, but he is returning to the UK later this month.

What do you enjoy about working overseas?
I’ve seen a lot of different countries, cultures and religions and gained a lot of understanding about how different countries operate. I’ve also got a broader idea about contracting in general. I’ve played a positive role in the development of other countries and helped to build that nation. It’s a good feeling. This my second tour of Indonesia, so I’ve seen the country develop and it’s good to know I’ve played a part in that.

Has it helped your career?
It certainly hasn’t done it any harm. It gives you the chance to gain the type of experience you simply couldn’t gain from working in the UK, and it gives a lot of variety to your career. It’s another string to your bow, and something that makes you stand out from others that haven’t done it.

What are the differences between working in Indonesia and the UK?
Its a completely different environment. The management style is a lot more informal than the UK, though you have to work very hard at building relationships. Indonesian culture relies on trust, people telling the truth, and not trying to pull a fast one! In Britain you may meet a client a couple of times, then go away to work on the project and not see them again. In Indonesia you have to work very hard to gain the trust of the client and meet them many times before they have confidence in you. But once you have established a good relationship, everything flows smoothly from it. And because I’ve been here before I’m used to the way it works.

The hours worked here are longer than the UK. A six-day week is the norm. But we don’t have any problems with a labour shortage as there is in Britain. There is an abundance of labour here. We employ mainly local labour, which is encouraged by the client, and if we need any specialist skills that aren’t available, we bring them in from the UK.

The management here is predominately from the UK, though we have one Australian construction manager and we work very closely with Balfour Beatty’s local office.

Go abroad with an open mind, And stay flexible

Paul Mackintosh

What are your tips for working abroad?
Go there with an open mind and be keen. If you go with set ideas it can be very dangerous. You need to be enthusiastic, a team player and be prepared to be flexible. If you set low expectations and work very hard at creating a happy team, you’ll get on well. If you don’t have a happy team, you won’t have a happy project.

You must always be respectful to the culture you are in. Don’t break the rules and traditions of that society. If you respect the culture, you will get respect from the local people who you work with and will become integrated into the society to some extent.

Do you miss the UK?
Definitely yes. I don’t usually take my family with me when I work overseas because I prefer to visit them every three months and spend quality time with them. Some of the environments I’ve worked in wouldn’t be suitable for them. So I miss them a lot while I’m away. But I go away for a year or two then spend a year or two in the UK, so I’m not away all the time. I do miss a decent pint of John Smiths, though!

What’s next for you?
I’m returning to the UK in mid-November, and staying in the international side of the business, but more in business development than project management.