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Friday 6th July 2012
Nisha Khiroya works as director, specialising in liability-driven investment, at F&C Investments. Here she recounts her past experience of moving to Mumbai and what she enjoyed so much about her overseas secondment
Explain what motivated you to seek employment overseas:
Working overseas had always been my dream. The excitement of a new country and culture, with the strong possibility of travelling and seeing new places were the main attractions. That said, it was also an important factor in finding the right job overseas from a career perspective.
How did you find the role you were doing?
I believe it was meant to be! An internal secondment opportunity came along and it was something that interested me; yet I was slightly nervous given that it was a 'head of ' position, taking on a lot more responsibility. I also needed to familiarise myself with life insurance model office mathematics, which I hadn't used in practice for many years. An informal chat with the department that was recruiting went very well, and incidentally, as I was flying on holiday to that part of the world, I decided to meet the team already in place in the company. While the office conditions were much more basic than what we are used to in the UK, other attractions about the country swung my decision in favour of this secondment.
What attracted you to India in particular?
Knowing the language and the culture practised in the country was a big advantage.
I didn't feel there would be any communication barrier or any sort of additional training that I would need to do my job well in India. Also, in my experience, the city of Mumbai is one of the safest. As a single woman, that was an important factor in my decision to move there. The warm weather, of course, was also one of the attractions, given that I generally struggle with the cold and dark winters in the UK.
What were the main challenges you faced when moving overseas?
At the time, there seemed to be lots of challenges, but now when I look back, I feel some were relatively minor. For example, sharing the company car with colleagues, all of us often going in different directions. Personally, I remember initial days of not having fresh pasteurised milk as a big issue!
In some parts of Mumbai, it is usual to get UHT milk or fresh milk that needs boiling before drinking.
There were many work-related challenges and I hadn't realised I would feel burnt out after just one year! I often had to work very long hours, with regular conference calls to the UK from 6pm till late and dinner meetings with consultants, and such like. I also had added non-actuarial responsibilities, such as managing accounts and expenses for the UK team sent out there. My biggest challenge was the constant revisiting of budgets to ensure that a project proved viable for our business and the partners we were teaming up with. Managing the interests of three parties in this project proved tricky and quite stressful at times.
Working overseas had always been my dream. The excitement of a new country and culture, with the strong possibility of travelling and seeing new places were the main attractions. That said, it was also an important factor in finding the right job overseas from a career perspective.
How did you find the role you were doing?
I believe it was meant to be! An internal secondment opportunity came along and it was something that interested me; yet I was slightly nervous given that it was a 'head of ' position, taking on a lot more responsibility. I also needed to familiarise myself with life insurance model office mathematics, which I hadn't used in practice for many years. An informal chat with the department that was recruiting went very well, and incidentally, as I was flying on holiday to that part of the world, I decided to meet the team already in place in the company. While the office conditions were much more basic than what we are used to in the UK, other attractions about the country swung my decision in favour of this secondment.
What attracted you to India in particular?
Knowing the language and the culture practised in the country was a big advantage.
I didn't feel there would be any communication barrier or any sort of additional training that I would need to do my job well in India. Also, in my experience, the city of Mumbai is one of the safest. As a single woman, that was an important factor in my decision to move there. The warm weather, of course, was also one of the attractions, given that I generally struggle with the cold and dark winters in the UK.
What were the main challenges you faced when moving overseas?
At the time, there seemed to be lots of challenges, but now when I look back, I feel some were relatively minor. For example, sharing the company car with colleagues, all of us often going in different directions. Personally, I remember initial days of not having fresh pasteurised milk as a big issue!
In some parts of Mumbai, it is usual to get UHT milk or fresh milk that needs boiling before drinking.
There were many work-related challenges and I hadn't realised I would feel burnt out after just one year! I often had to work very long hours, with regular conference calls to the UK from 6pm till late and dinner meetings with consultants, and such like. I also had added non-actuarial responsibilities, such as managing accounts and expenses for the UK team sent out there. My biggest challenge was the constant revisiting of budgets to ensure that a project proved viable for our business and the partners we were teaming up with. Managing the interests of three parties in this project proved tricky and quite stressful at times.
What were the main differences you found working overseas compared with the UK?
Given that I was seconded to a project that had to be completed within certain timescales, the work-life balance was relatively poor. However, there were times when the project came to a temporary halt, for example, when regulatory approval was sought for the new business we were proposing to carry out in the country. During such times, I managed to come back home to the UK or pursue my passion for travelling around India.
What was the best thing about where you worked?
It was only a 10-minute drive from where I stayed. This is the shortest trip to work in my entire working life so far.
And the worst?
Given that the office was in a relatively new suburb of Mumbai, there weren't many places we could go for a quick sandwich, stroll or shopping trip during lunch breaks.
What are the key attributes an actuary or actuarial student would need to work in your role?
A lot of patience, as things can take longer on average to come to fruition.
Excellent communication skills in English and preferably in the local language too.
Strong business sense in order to drive the project forward without getting bogged down in small matters arising on a regular basis.
Do you have any advice for others looking for overseas work?
In my view, working overseas, especially when you are still single and your relatives are self-sufficient, is one the best things to do in your working life. It gives you a fresh outlook in both your working and personal life. However, the job should be something you really want to do, so, before taking on anything, insist on a visit to the country and spending a few days there to see the work environment and lifestyle.
Accommodation is also very important - I would suggest going for serviced apartments so that the worry and tension of repairs, maintenance and even cooking is taken away during long working days.
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