RSS feedsIt’s often the case that big life-changing events happen at the same time, and this is certainly the case for Jon. This month he officially starts a new role within ConocoPhillips that will see him upping sticks and relocating his family to another country. All this at a time when his wife is expecting another baby.
Jon is to become a negotiator in Stavanger, Norway for the US energy giant, a city he describes as ‘the Aberdeen of Norway, but more picturesque’.
‘I’ll be out there for at least two to three years,’ says Jon. ‘I wanted to have the experience of an expat move and I’ve been talking to my manager about it since October last year. It’s a long drawn out process, you can’t just be shoehorned in and you have to get there on merit.’
Stavanger is the fourth largest city in Norway, yet has a population of only around 117,000. It is also the centre of the country’s oil operations. Not surprisingly, ConocoPhillips has a significant presence there. Unlike many other oil towns, however, it has managed to avoid being over industrialised and Jon says that the nearby fjords will be nice places to go walking with the family.
Stavanger is also this year’s joint European Capital of Culture along with Liverpool, so Jon shouldn’t be short of things to do while he is there.
Of the move Jon says: ‘I’m excited, the quality of life over there is high, the work-life balance will be better and there are lots of outdoors activities. I’ll just have to get use to the colder weather and the longer hours of darkness in winter.’
The job itself, negotiator, is something Jon has been working towards for a while now, but it will take him completely out of the realm of accountancy. His financial skills will no doubt come in useful in future negotiations, but his ICAS training will have little direct relevance to the work he does.
So, it seems like the ideal time for YP and Jon to part company as he sets sail on the rest of his career as a non-accounting accountant. Bon Voyage Jon!
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