Working abroad is a great way to experience a different culture and enhance your CV — but make sure you do your homework before jetting off, says Alison Burgin
There have been some great opportunities abroad for British legal professionals for a while now, but the number of lawyers who are willing to broaden their horizons has risen noticeably in recent months. Law firms are faring better than a lot of industries in the downturn, but the overall state of the economy has given many reason to take the first exploratory steps into a career overseas.
However, is relocating abroad right now really the shrewdest move? The danger is that recent dramatic economic events encourage lawyers to rush into a move without making sure the new role suits them.
Certain things need to be right: basic salary, the accompanying benefits and — crucially — the opportunity to accelerate your career and find exciting and challenging work. As with any career move, the motives behind the change will dictate its success. Time spent overseas can prove extremely advantageous, but only if an employee is doing it for the right reasons.
Lifestyle and culture
Aside from escaping the credit crunch, the main motives for lawyers looking for a job overseas are the quality of work on offer and the opportunities for career advancement. Another factor in a move abroad — be it within private practice or in-house — is lifestyle change. This is a major reason behind relocation, with some of the most popular destinations at my firm, Badenoch & Clark, being
For employees looking for a more extreme change in culture and lifestyle — and perhaps a boost in pay — a ‘hardship posting’ is a further option. These tend to crop up more for in-house practitioners than for private practice lawyers.
Mining and oil companies offer such opportunities, with offices often tucked away in corners of the world that wouldn’t be first on most people’s lists of vacation destinations.
Financial rewards
Employers usually recognise the sacrifices that are made when someone chooses a ‘hardship posting’ by offering attractive pay packages. This generally means an ‘ex-pat’ salary (paid in sterling), which includes all accommodation and travel costs.
Typically, pay will be equivalent to a UK-level salary, but a tax-free bonus of up to 50% is sometimes offered on top of this to compensate for cultural differences.
While base salaries on offer in
Only recently, one of the magic circle increased its basic salaries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 15%. Salaries in the UAE have been rising to come into line with
However, the financial reward is not given purely out of generosity — the cultural differences experienced by
Moving back
For those who find the going a bit too tough and want to return back to the
This has proved quite an effective way of ensuring people see out their contracts. Lawyers should be careful to look beyond the potential financial rewards and think about the effects of any lifestyle and cultural changes before making such a move. Equally, employers need to weigh up the need to ensure that assignments are completed with the potential effects of forcing a lawyer to remain in a place where they are unhappy.
Transferable skills
What needs to be evaluated is the relevance of the posting to the
Ideally lawyers would normally stay in a role overseas for 24-36 months. This gives enough time to gain vital experience without making the return more challenging because of a lack of
An overseas position can add great weight to a lawyer’s career, but employers must make employees aware of the challenges as well as the benefits. Knowledge of all tax, cultural and financial eventualities are key to making sure things run smoothly.
Alison Burgin is executive director of the legal division at Badenoch & Clark.
