“If you are second-guessing moving to the Cayman Islands with a career in accounting, don’t. Make a move already!”

Planning the Move

Once I’d gotten the exams out of the way (I passed the first time, by the way!) I’d already started thinking about what I wanted to do at the end of my three years working for a mid-tier audit firm in the UK. The idea of working abroad for a period appealed strongly as I’d missed out on having a GAP year between the end of University and entering the working world.

I began researching countries that my newly minted CA certificate could take me. My prerequisites were strictly English-speaking countries as I had no natural grasp of any other language. That ruled out much of Europe and Asia. Next was choosing somewhere always warm, safe and somewhere I could use my hard-earned CA qualification.

After, I was left with a choice of Australia, Dubai, California, the Cayman Islands, and Bermuda. After long hours of narrowing my options, I finally chose Cayman and Bermuda.

Cayman and Bermuda seemed to become more perfect as I looked into them. Many audit firms were actively recruiting individuals with my background to do precisely what I had been trained to do for the last three years. I was able to expand my career while being on an extended paid exotic vacation. Yes, please!

So far, my audit experience had been within the manufacturing sector in the UK, but I was starting to lean more towards working in the financial services sector. How would I make the change? The Cayman Islands and Bermuda made it possible to make the switch.

Job Searching with CML

In May of 2011, the friendly staff at CML, who I have since gotten to know personally (it’s very easy to make friends here, by the way), arranged interviews with two audit firms; one in Bermuda and one in Cayman. I was excited.

I had two over-the-phone interviews with both audit companies where the interviewers explained what a two-year contract would entail. I must say, both companies sounded great. Both would give me the exposure to the financial services sector that I wanted, the salary was better than in the UK (and it would all be tax-free), and they would handle the relocation cost. Additionally, I would be part of a large team of auditors. It all made me more eager to get the ball rolling. Moving seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Fortunately, I was offered both audit positions. I want to say that I went through some mental agony in deciding which company to accept. Still, in reality, it was a close call because although there were more beaches in Bermuda, the temperature of the water in the Caymans was warmer. So, I made the decision – I was going to take the Audit job in the Cayman Islands!

Moving to the Cayman Islands

In September 2011, it was ready to board a direct British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Grand Cayman. To this day, I am still gob-smacked by the aerial view of my paradise home in the Caribbean for the next two years. Surprisingly, I was amongst two others who shared the same flight from the UK (they had become some of my best friends and housemates, incidentally).

We were deposited at the Sunshine Suites, the last three arrivals of the group of 19 other auditors who made up the September 2011 intake. Twenty-two excited auditors from all over the world (UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, Malaysia, and Argentina, to be exact) aged between 23 and 28, newly arrived in paradise, with five days of fully paid free time. After dumping my bags, I first headed for the nearest beach bar (which happened to be across the road) with my newfound friends. We were clearly the luckiest 22 people in the world!

We started work the following Monday with an orientation session and breakfast, introducing us to the partners and senior managers. One of the first things I noticed was that a lot of the senior people in the firm were younger than I was used to seeing, and strangest of all, they seemed to have a sense of humour!

Beginning my New Audit Job

Week one focused on technical training. We were given an overview of useful audit skills and financial services sectors that we would become experts on; Hedge funds, Insurance, and SPVs. By the end of the week, I was chock full of information on funds, Insurance, SPVs, Anti-Money Laundering, IT security, Audit Methodology etc. Despite working, our days were still sociable, and there was still time to catch some of the fading rays on the beach or by the pool after a day at the office to rehash our days.

After week one, I searched for an apartment to share with my new buddies. Luckily, we came across a lovely apartment in South Sound. It was a 5-minute drive to work, complete with a beach, swimming pool and tennis court, at a price we could afford. As the apartment was immediately available, we decided to sacrifice the outstanding free accommodation provided by the firm, wave goodbye to our group of friends and strike out on our own in the real world.

We were all booked on a 12 month audit schedule, which entailed working with different managers on different types of companies. My manager gave me my first assignment and was briefed on the company I was to audit. My manager explained everything easily, and they trusted me to take responsibility for the entire audit file. I was responsible for planning, executing, delivering, and managing client relationships and stakeholders.

From September to December, I was very much involved in audit planning for the busy season, which falls from January to July each year. It was an excellent easy way to break into the work and start to build an understanding of the hedge fund and insurance sector. The 2011 intake was also sent on technical courses in October and November hosted by the Cayman Island Society of Professional Accountants (CISPA).

Enjoying Life in Cayman

In my spare time, I joined a 5-a-side football team and played tennis for the first time in 10 years. I tried a flag football season for the very first time, earned my diving certification, and learnt to paddleboard – it’s more complicated than it looks! I’ve also had the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world and travel to the USA, Cuba, Honduras and Costa Rica.

At the firm, there are lots of opportunities to get involved with new initiatives and projects, and I was good at volunteering, whether for the social committee or to help roll out a new internal IT system, and I was rewarded for my efforts with a promotion one year after joining the audit firm.

I have been lucky in many ways to have had this opportunity, especially now that the end of my two-year contract is in sight. To my surprise, I have really enjoyed the audit work in Insurance, where I may specialize. I hope to be able to get a secondment with one of my insurance clients this summer which should help me confirm whether this is the direction I want my career to take.

Join the Audit Industry

My relocation and audit experience has been a dream come true! Thanks to the CML team, I couldn’t have asked for a better country and company to work for. Are you looking to become an audit?

CML Offshore Recruitment will make your job search, recruitment and relocation process easy if you want to move to the Cayman Islands. For more information on relocating to the island, please contact them at info@cml.ky.