Ben has recently joined the My Departure Lounge team as an International Consultant in our Sydney office.

He comes from an International Recruitment background where he has spent the past few years helping qualified Chartered Accountants find the right roles overseas, including South Africans moving to Australia.

Recently he visited South Africa where he attended this year’s Cape Town Winterschool and the Durban Chartered Accountants Ball. Marketing Manager Julie Schoneveld recently caught up with Ben to talk about his trip.

Julie: You recently returned from a My Departure Lounge recruitment drive in South Africa…how was it?

Ben: Absolutely awesome!! I attended 3 black tie events while I was over there and got to meet about 450 soon to be qualified Chartered Accountants. It was great to be able to meet so many people face to face.

Julie: Sounds like you were busy - was it all work and no play?

Ben: No, I was able to travel around both Durban and Cape Town where I went on a Safari, visited a Zulu village, Quad biked through the wilderness and relaxed in natural hot pools at a health spa!! South Africa is one of the places I have always wanted to visit and the My Departure Lounge team know the country so well, so it was great to travel to them.

Julie: After visiting South Africa, how do you think it compares to Australia?

Ben: The two countries enjoy many similarities including the warmer Southern Hemisphere climate. The people are very friendly and have a good sense of humour – much like the average Aussie. I can now understand why so many South Africans make the move over here and settle in straight away.

Julie: So having now been to South Africa, do you think you’ll go back again?

Ben: I’m actually going back in September to interview candidates interested in moving to Australia. This time I’ll be heading to Johannesburg, so I’ll get to see a bit more of South Africa.

Julie: Before moving to Australia, you lived and worked in New Zealand. How was that experience and what motivated you to move to Australia?

Ben: New Zealand was fantastic. I’m originally from the UK and wanted to trade in the long cold days for a warmer, more laid back lifestyle. I’d just seen the Lord of the Rings films that were shot in New Zealand and loved the scenery so decided that’s where I was going to go. My intentions were to be there for about a year, but I became so settled that it ended up being 3 ½ years. This time last year, I was given the opportunity to move to Australia. Being someone who loves to travel, I jumped at the chance. Sydney is such a fantastic place, with a great culture and mix of people - I’ve never looked back. Where ever I end up next I’ll always look upon my time in New Zealand and Australia as some of the best days of my life!!

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