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 UOW graduate, Rebecca Hoskin, has been living in Dubai for the past 18 months, and is currently working for The Executive Council to the Government of Dubai. The Executive Council is the centre of Government in Dubai, supporting His Highness Sheik Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Councils to establish a world class Government in Dubai. Rebecca's role is with Government Strategic HR, a specialist team who focus on developing HR programmes which are rolled out to approximately 20 Government Departments, employing around 70,000 people.
Rebecca is working on initiatives such as defining the job roles and skills needed within Dubai Government in order to achieve the aggressive levels of growth and change required within the Emirate. Her other projects include introducing part time employment into Dubai Government for the first time and establishing the Learning and Development policies and processes for the Government.
Rebecca's office is in Emirates Towers in the financial centre of Dubai. She is living in an apartment in The Greens, which is a small community near Emirates Hills Golf Course, where she saw Tiger Woods playing earlier this year. The Greens is just inland from the Palm Jumeirah, the first of the offshore islands developed in Dubai and near Mall of the Emirates which is where the indoor ski slope is located. The pool in the apartment building is used all year round, and in summer has to be cooled, so that people can still swim in it, otherwise it would be like a warm bath.
When you were studying at UOW, did you always know that you wanted to work overseas?
I have wanted to travel since I was a teenager. When I was in high school, I used to work in a photo lab, developing other peoples holiday photos. I had the chance to look at all these amazing places in the world and it made me want to see it for myself.
After I graduated I realized that I had the opportunity to combine growing my career, with travel. I worked hard for a couple of years in Sydney trying to get as much experience as I could that would transfer overseas, particularly working on clients who would be recognized internationally. This gave me a great basis for finding work in HR consulting in London.
Did you go to London on a working holiday, or did you apply for the job with PricewaterhouseCoopers before you left for London?
Moving to London was the easiest way to establish a base overseas, and has the obvious benefit of being so close to Europe. I applied for a Highly Skilled Migrant Visa before I left Australia, which allowed me to work full time in the UK for up to 5 years, with the option to stay on afterward. I applied for the job with PricewaterhouseCoopers when I arrived in London, which would not have been possible had I only been on a working holiday visa.
I originally moved to Dubai on secondment with PricewaterhouseCoopers, so there was no need to worry about visas and applying for jobs. It is possible however to just arrive in Dubai and look for work on a visit visa.
Why did you decide to work in the HR area?
Before I began studying at University, I worked in the hospitality industry for some time. It really gave me the chance to see first hand that the way people are managed and treated at work can make a difference to customer satisfaction and how well the business performs. When I did decide to return to University, it was the first year University of Wollongong was offering the Human Resource Management major, and it seemed like an obvious choice.
Why did you want to work overseas?
I wanted to travel and see the world, but I also didn’t want to give up what I had already achieved in my career. Working overseas means I don’t have to forsake career progression for travel, which is the constant dilemma for people who love to travel.
What do you see as the benefits of progressing your career overseas?
Working in London allowed me to progress my career by working on HR consulting projects that were much larger in scale than I would have been exposed to in Australia. The size of the projects I was working on was much larger (both financially and also in impact) than they had been in Australia. As London is such an economic hub for Europe it also meant that I was working on consulting projects in Europe, in fact I spent six months working in Switzerland before I came to Dubai.
In Dubai I have had the chance to rapidly progress my career as the market is not as developed as it is in Europe. The content of my work can be different, as organizations here are mostly looking for help either in setting up their HR practices, or refining the ones they have in order to bring them up to international standards.
The population of Dubai is comprised largely of expatriates and this means that the workforce is highly diversified. It is common for all members of a team at work to be from different countries. I work with people from all parts of the Middle East, Asia and some from as far away as South America. I cannot think of another place in the world where you would be working with people from such different backgrounds.
Arabic is the official language of Dubai Government, so I also have the chance to try to learn another language.
What do you see as the personal benefits of working and living overseas?
The biggest benefit has been the amount of travel that I have been able to do. I have had the chance to visit places I would never have thought of visiting when I left Australia, such as Jordan, Oman and the Maldives.
Living in a place like Dubai, you really do have your world opened up for you. I have learned so much about working with people from different cultures, how Australians are perceived by others and also that there are a lot of misconceptions about the Middle East. In Dubai you can learn so much from even your taxi driver, who is likely to speak about 5 languages – 4 more than me!
Living overseas, giving up the support networks that you have at home, can be extremely daunting. You really learn so much about your own strength of character from dealing with all the obstacles that are thrown at you.
What advice would you give to fellow alumni who are thinking of working overseas?
While there is a lot to be said for doing your ground-work sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith and make it happen. I had never been to London before I left Australia to work there and to be honest, had I seen the city in the depths of a cold, grey winter, I am not sure I would have had the courage to make the move. I also read all the books you could possibly read about working in the Middle East and nothing prepares you for these cultural differences until you actually face them yourself.
If you really want it, just go for it – sooner rather than later.
What are the challenges of working overseas?
In order to do this you really do need an unwavering desire to travel and experience life outside Australia. Inevitably you will be faced with tough situations, like when a member of your family is sick back home, or there are celebrations which you feel like you are missing out on.
For me, being away has only strengthened my relationships, because for those who are truly important to you, you can always find ways to keep in touch and be there for each other.
Living in the Middle East is more challenging than living in the UK, as it takes some time to get used to the very different culture both socially and at work. Dubai is quite western in many ways, there are shopping malls and bars in hotels, but it is still a Muslim country with very different laws and expectations which need to be respected.
For instance, during Ramadan, fasting is very much adhered to and you should not drink or eat at work during the day. Also couples cannot holds hands in public and outside of Dubai women in particular need to be more conservative in their dress.
I also miss Australian food terribly. I love to have Australian barbeques when I get the chance to go home, and I always stock up on supplies of Salt and Vinegar chips!
Has working overseas been everything you thought it would be?
Yes of course. I have had exposure I would never have dreamed of when I was back in Australia. Although I certainly didn’t imagine I would end up sitting around a boardroom in Dubai, being the only western woman and non-arabic speaker!
How long do you plan to stay in Dubai for?
I have learned that it is impossible to plan such things. I originally planned to do a one year secondment out here, but one year goes by very quickly. I think I will stay here for another year or two and then hopefully go back to London, or somewhere else in the world depending on the job and travel opportunities available.
What are your goals and ambitions for the future?
My main goal in living and working overseas is to get to New York. I have always been attracted to the fast pace of the city and wouldn’t care if I had to live in a closet just to experience the excitement of being there.
I just want my life to be full of adventures and experiences, wherever in the world that might take me.
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