Steph Liu spent four months on secondment in Australia before returning to London – and quickly realised she wasn’t finished with Australia.


Starting her career with Grant Thornton in the UK almost 10 years ago, Steph first came to Australia shortly after she gained her chartered accountancy qualification, for a short-term secondment in our Brisbane office.

GTAL_2022_steph_500x500px.pngAfter six months back in London, Steph applied for an 18-month secondment to Sydney, commencing in July 2017. And she’s been in Sydney ever since.

“It was only meant to be temporary, but it’s become more of a permanent move”, Steph said.

“The biggest surprise was that I liked it so much. I thought it would be one of those life experiences that you just do – tick a box, try it out, and then go home.

“But I'm still here and that’s down to Grant Thornton making me feel comfortable, helping me settle in and setting me up to be able to find my own accommodation, develop my own friendship groups outside of work…and now I've got a whole life here.

“Grant Thornton put me in touch with former and current secondees and they were really helpful, particularly with things like what areas to live in.

“So now I feel a kind of personal duty to share some of my experiences and pay it forward. I think that'd be my top tip – seek out those who have travelled the same path and ask questions.”

“Grant Thornton put me in touch with former and current secondees and they were really helpful, particularly with things like what areas to live in."

Steph said that Grant Thornton made moving to Australia much easier, as they’ve been through the process so many times with others.

“They kind of project manage it and let you know when they need something from you, like documentation, to keep things moving. It’s one less thing to worry about when you're already nervous about moving to another country.

“It’s kind of a safety net, which is nice to have.

Having now been in Sydney for five years and a Senior Manager in the audit team, Steph says she has stayed because she believes it’s a better environment for her – in and out of the office.

“Why I’ve stayed is the people. Our jobs are sometimes not glamorous, but it's the people that I work with, the camaraderie. Everyone is quite young, including the Partners – so it's a fun, exciting environment to work in.

“Grant Thornton has also been very supportive in terms of my career progression and making sure I'm achieving my personal milestones. They've shown genuine care, and I'm not sure that other organisations would have made that type of investment in me.”

“Why I’ve stayed is the people. Our jobs are sometimes not glamorous, but it's the people that I work with, the camaraderie. Everyone is quite young, including the Partners – so it's a fun, exciting environment to work in."

During the COVID lockdown in 2021, Steph had to return to the UK for family reasons. It had been two years since she’d last visited and she said it came at a time where she was starting to think about whether she would stay Australia permanently or move home.

With Grant Thornton’s support, Steph was able to take an extended trip and be with her family, while still being able to work.

“I worked with my department to make sure that I was able to work abroad, so I could fulfill my time commitments and manage the teams.

“Grant Thornton was really supportive with that. And, you know, it wasn't easy to get used to the time zones, but once you get into routine, it's actually fine.

“After the initial week of just getting into the swing of things and understanding when I catch up with the Australian teams, when's best to sort of do those calls, I was able to set a timetable.

“So I would wake up early and work 5.30am to midday, and then get on with the rest of my day, see family, that sort of thing. And then do another hour or so at night, just to check in with my teams because that was the beginning of the Australian working day.

“In the end that allowed me to spend about two and a half months with my family, which I think I needed to do for my personal wellbeing, and I’m grateful for that.

“I worked with my department to make sure that I was able to work abroad, so I could fulfill my time commitments and manage the teams."

One thing that her visit home helped Steph confirm, was the Australia was the place she wanted to be.

“It was good that I had the experience at home because it made me realise that Australia is more suited to me.

“Professionally I have had opportunities to work in different industries and with different types of clients that I don’t think I would have gotten if I’d stayed in the UK. I’ve learned to work with different teams, different approaches, and different environments, and that’s helped me realise that I prefer working on private clients, where in the UK I was working on public sector clients.

“I've already got my Australian residency and should get my citizenship this year.

“So that's where I'm at right now, and I’m really happy and content with that.”

“Professionally I have had opportunities to work in different industries and with different types of clients that I don’t think I would have gotten if I’d stayed in the UK."

Find out more about working at Grant Thornton Australia