Our 30,000th member, Richard Akpan, trained with KPMG in Dublin and is now embarking on a move to Edinburgh to take up a new role in a new city. We caught up with him to find out about his preparations and feelings about this adventure.
Can you tell us a little about how the circumstances of your move came up?
Besides my summer in Berkeley/San Francisco on a J-1 visa back in 2016, I’ve lived in Dublin for as long as I remember. While I do love home, I’ve always been keen to live abroad as a professional. Further afield is a lot more uncertain with Covid-19, but mainland UK offers something different that is still close to home.
Myself and my girlfriend (who is also a Chartered Accountant) were between choosing London and Edinburgh to move to. What drew us to Edinburgh was that it was a smaller city where you can walk to everywhere, combined with both of us having family and friends scattered across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, led us to believe that it would be an easier city to settle in.
The timing works out nicely with me finishing up with KPMG as a Chartered Accountant and looking towards the next steps of my career.
What about the proposition made it a "yes"?
There definitely were a number of factors.
I visited Edinburgh a few months ago and instantly fell in love with the city. I had visited when I was a child, but the feasibility of it as a potential place to relocate to was lost on my five year old self. What I like about Edinburgh is that while the Old Town is in the heart of the city centre, it doesn’t feel like a city centre. It has a really homely feel to it.
Edinburgh was ranked the second biggest predominantly English speaking financial services centre in Europe in 2020, so there were a lot of suitable roles for both myself and my girlfriend to apply to.
Edinburgh is also a big rugby city – a sport of which I am an avid fan and incredibly average player of. I intend on joining a club when I move over in order to keep fit and get to know new people. A trip to Murrayfield is definitely on the bucket list.
The cost of renting is a lot more reasonable in Edinburgh. The housing market in Dublin is a nightmare, as anyone from my generation will tell you. The current rent I’m paying in Dublin for a one-bedroom in Ranelagh would get me a two-bedroom apartment in Edinburgh’s city centre, so there is a lot more bang for your buck.
The people there are very friendly. I find that the Scottish and the Irish have a very similar sense of humour too.
What are you particularly excited about?
I’m particularly looking forward to the change of scene. There’s so much that goes on in Edinburgh – such as the Fringe Festival in August and Christmas markets. I certainly envisage myself doing a lot of hosting with friends and family using visiting me as an excuse for a holiday! I am really looking forward to discovering a new city.
What are you nervous about?
I’m definitely nervous about starting my new role and making friends over there, but definitely in an excited way. It will very much have a "first day of school" feel to it – going from being very much settled in Dublin to a complete change in Edinburgh.
I’ll be moving to a new city and a new apartment, starting a new job in a new company and joining a new club. There will be a lot of new firsts and there will be plenty of things to be nervous about along the way but I am looking forward to throwing myself into it.
Now that you're ready to go, what have you learned along the way that might have helped you to know in advance?
I would definitely make sure that if you’re looking to move abroad, to make sure that you start the job hunting process with a few months to go. A lot of employers may require a notice period that is as long as three months, so that is definitely a timeline to factor in. A lot of companies are also inundated with applications to roles and can be slow to respond, so make sure to apply to a few roles that you are interested in and allow for a few weeks to progress to the next stage.
Make sure to confirm with your employer whether you are required to also become a member of their local accountancy body. Chartered Accountants Ireland is part of an international network so you should be able to maintain your membership at home as well as being a membership abroad, but it is definitely something to consider.
I remember reading a publication from Barden that was sent out alongside an Accountancy Ireland magazine back in late-2019. On their moving abroad section, they said “only apply to a job abroad if you would apply to the same role if you weren’t moving.” I can’t stress how important that advice has been when job hunting. It meant I spent time reflecting on what direction I want my career to go and applying to suitable roles to get me there.
Make sure that you have the right to work in the country you are hoping to move to. As Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area agreement with the UK, Irish nationals are automatically entitled with a right to work in the UK. It’s also good to have an idea about the National Insurance number – the UK equivalent of the PPS number. This can take some time to receive but it is good to look into it ahead of moving.
It probably goes without saying but I would heavily recommend spending some time in the city you would like to move to if at all feasible, just to make sure that the city is a good fit for you personally.
What will you miss most about home?
My family and friends. I’ve made a promise to my mum to visit home every 6-8 weeks! A flight back home is quicker than most people’s morning commutes, so I can at least make it back home on a regular basis and quite easily as well!
Richard Akpan was admitted to membership in June 2021, becoming the Institute's 30,000th member.
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