Moving abroad for the first time entails a huge challenge.

In choosing to relocate to one of the Islands, you face the test not only of joining a new employer (with new colleagues, clients, reporting and regulatory requirements) but also of the personal social upheaval entailed in leaving your friends and family behind as you set off for a fresh start.

For some, this poses an insurmountable obstacle and they will fail at the first hurdle: never taking the time to seriously consider if such a move would be for their own long-term good.

Others will fail at the second hurdle: promising to look into it at a later time but never actually getting around to applying. Others may not make it because they fail the interview process; others still because they don’t have the courage to take up an offer that’s been made.

[You can read about my own experience here.]

I recall vividly my first few months in Bermuda. I transferred from a London satellite office to join one of the Big Four accounting firms. Immediately I arrived, I felt in the thick of it: being shown around the office, touring the Island, meeting new people, starting the search for a place to rent, visiting clients, buying a scooter (and diving gear!), embarking on in-depth training programmes on financial services… and not forgetting those inaugural rum cocktails on the beach at sunset.

Everything was different to my life at home and, whilst I felt unsettled to start, I also now felt elated, knowing that I was making the right move and stretching my professional wings. Not for me sitting in the same old office for years post-qualification, working on the same clients and moving up half a notch each year.

The recognition that you are on the right track at first comes from within. In as short a time as 6 months, I knew that I was in a completely different league to the newly-qualified ACA who had arrived in Bermuda just the previous autumn. My knowledge and confidence soared, and it was only a matter of time before this was noticed:I got my reward with promotion and (tax-free) pay rises.

The fact was this: I had been transformed into an internationally experienced chartered accountant with both FS and US reporting experience, rather than remaining a newly-qualified auditor from a provincial office back at home albeit with potential. My possibilities now seemed endless. And they were.

See also: How I Made the Decision to Work Abroad

Does the prospect of improved earnings interest you? If you are a lawyer or chartered accountant and interested in working in the Bermuda/Caribbean region, visit our jobs portal to see the latest vacancies. Our site also includes a downloadable All You Need to Know guide which will tell you everything you need to know about living and working offshore.