Careers

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Investment Analyst, Investment Consulting, UK Amanda is currently enjoying a secondment in our London office. "The opportunity to work overseas also appealed to me."

Q.     What was it about Watson Wyatt that appealed to you?

A.   I actually thought I would end up working somewhere else in finance until I had my first interview with Watson Wyatt. During that first meeting I could tell that Watson Wyatt was a good match for me both in terms of the type of work I would do and the culture.  It sounded like interesting work with a good fun group of people.  There was also a real focus on having a work/life balance.  The opportunity to work for a global company also appealed as I was keen to gain overseas experience.

Q.     What did you study in Uni and how did it prepare you for working at Watson Wyatt?

A.      I completed Bachelor of Commerce degree at Sydney University and then completed a final year of Honours in Finance.  I then went on to do my CFA and found Watson Wyatt's study support to be very generous.

Q.     How long have you worked at Watson Wyatt?

A.      I have worked at Watson Wyatt for 3 years.  I started as a graduate in the Sydney office in 2006. Then two and a half years later I moved to the London office on secondment.  It was quite easy to organise the secondment.  I asked my boss at the start of 2008 if I could go and he was immediately supportive.  So, following discussions with some key people in London about the types of opportunities that were available, I was on my way.  Watson Wyatt supported my relocation and, before I knew it, I was sitting on a plane on my way to London!  I've not been disappointed. 

Q.     Describe your experience of working in the London office.

A.    I wanted to work overseas as I thought it was a good opportunity, professionally and personally, to live somewhere else for a couple of years. London was the stand out for me for a few reasons.  For a start, the culture would be similar enough to Sydney so I can communicate with people etc, but different enough for it to be a meaningful experience.  Watson Wyatt is quite a lot bigger over here and it's great to see how this works and to also get a better feel for global markets.  I would be also interested to work in New York but the travelling opportunities from London are amazing and I love to go away on weekends.

I am now working in the client consulting team for Defined Benefit Pension Plans. The culture is similar to what I have been used to in Australia — people work hard but not at the exclusion of having a life.  I've been struck by the similarity in culture between employees in UK and Australia, although there are some differences.  It's taken me a while to get used to the lingo in London and I've faced some challenges I never faced whilst in Sydney, e.g. not being able to get to work because of snow!