Brianneé McGrath moved from South Africa to Dublin with EY Financial Services as an Assurance Senior in the banking and capital markets sector. She was promoted to assistant manager in October 2017, and became a manager in October 2018. Read her story here.
I used to look at photos of Ireland and thought how stunning it looked and that I would definitely go there on holiday one day. It never crossed my mind that “one day” would turn into “every day” and “holiday” would turn into “home”. It is amazing how quickly your whole life can change.
Three years ago I was working at another big 4 firm in Johannesburg, when I got a call from a recruiter with the opportunity to relocate to Ireland and join EY Financial Services in Dublin. Interviews done and I got the job – but still I wasn’t convinced. I started researching and found that Dublin is a global hub for fund administration, aircraft leasing, insurance and a range of wholesale banking activities. It started to look more inviting and I decided to try it out. Nothing to lose.
I joined EY Financial Services in Dublin on 17 April 2016 as a senior and have not looked back since. The ‘nothing to lose’ turned into ‘everything to gain’ and 3 years later, after a few promotions, I’m now a manager in the practice. The people I work with have been supportive from day one and understand my career motivation and ambition. This really helped in making me feel welcome and appreciated on a day to day basis.
On the flip side, when you make a move like this you also need to consider your personal life and the impact such a big change will have on you. I wouldn’t lie and say that I don’t miss family and weekly braais living here, but there’s other things that make up for it. My quality of life is definitely better. I really enjoy the fact that I have the freedom to walk outside without worrying about my safety. I can go out with friends at night and know that I can get home safely. The public transport also really adds to the experience. I don’t have a car but with buses, trams and trains running all over, you really don’t need one.
If you are considering a career change, there are so many opportunities at EY Financial Services Ireland. Have a look at our current assurance vacancies here and if you have a question, just get in touch and I’ll be happy to help.
