Jon Shepherd

With his wife having previously lived in Western Australia, her parents planning a permanent move to Perth, and other family members having already settled here, Australia seemed a natural choice. “We thought with my wife’s parents moving, we should try and move closer to her family in Australia – if it didn’t work out, we could always move back to the UK”, Jon said.

But with the family now having permanent residency and recently buying a new home, the move has been a positive one – both personally and professionally.

Jon explored the potential of moving within his existing firm in the UK, but also didn’t want to limit his options. So he reached out to a recruiter who put him in touch with Grant Thornton.

After a several rounds of interviews, Jon “got a really good feel of the place”, which offered him an opportunity to try something different and work on larger entities than he’d previously been exposed to.

Jon said that moving with an 18-month-old son and a golden retriever was a big undertaking, but Grant Thornton were supportive throughout, making the move much easier.

“Grant Thornton sponsored my visa – which also included my wife and son – including the visa costs, as well as our flights. They handled the entire visa process which was really helpful.

“Our dog was an added complexity, with her having to go through the vaccinations at home, quarantine at this end and all the rest. It was a bit of extra pain in my wallet but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As for family life, Jon said the first couple of months had their challenges with a COVID lockdown, but everyone is happily settled into life in Perth now.

“With her family here, it was always going to be easier for my wife to settle in, but it’s great for my son as well. The Isle of Man is beautiful but it’s a small place in the middle of the Irish Sea – here in Perth, you’ve got the sun, outdoors in the summer and so many activities.

“And while Audit has its busier periods, generally there is a lot of balance. We work flexibly here so long as you're communicating it, you can juggle your hours to suit your lifestyle.

“If I wanted to start at 6am and then finish at 3pm so I could pick up my son from school, I could. Not that I’m starting at six very often!

“There’s a strong emphasis on team and you’re encouraged to hang out and get to know each other on a more personal level.  

“I think that certainly helps build the relationships and if you are struggling with something, you've got people here that will forego a couple of hours to help you out. So you're not struggling quite so much, and then you return the favour.”

Any surprises?

“Yeah, the beer fridges (for Friday drinks) – I don’t know if that’s an Australian thing or a Grant Thornton thing, but that did surprise me!

Jon’s advice for those considering a move is simple – “What have you got to lose?”

“You’ve only got one career, one life so if you’re thinking about it, just give it a try. You get to experience different environments, different cultures. I think it helps you grow personally, professionally, and you build international networks.

“I don't see much of a downside. Okay, maybe Australia’s a long distance from family, but there’s always FaceTime and at the end of the day, it's a day's flight to get home if you really need to. It's not the end of the world.”