This past week I returned from Africa and learned some very insightful information on doing business in Africa. We had the privilege of hearing from someone who currently works at PWC in South Africa. He also worked at a PWC location in the US so he was able to educate us on the differences between working in the two different offices. He informed us that while the work could be very similar, the work-life balance was not. Africans value their hobbies and families above all else, so this means that working until late hours in the night is not a common practice in South Africa. Due to this cultural difference, the big four locations differ from those in the United States.?
This difference was valuable to learn, if you are someone who wants to work at the big four abroad, you must be prepared to experience differences after you have worked here in the US. If you are someone who strives to live abroad while also working at the big four, you could look into the work-life balances that different countries maintain, and find a country abroad that best matches your needs.?
Another notable thing that I learned while abroad, is the different types of clients that you could be working with. For example, if you are a student working in Houston, you likely would have clients who are involved in the oil industry; but if you are working in South Africa, an example client could be safaris. These two clients would provide for a totally different work environment as the oil industry focuses on profit, and the safaris are very passionate about animal conservation.?
In conclusion, this trip to Africa was very insightful on how maintaining a position in the big four abroad could be very different, and these differences could be exactly what a student that is about to start their career should be aware of.?