If there are two things we love at PKF Smith Cooper, they are travel and… work? So being able to help facilitate for others to enjoy a week working abroad, without taking additional annual leave, and in conjunction with our international colleagues around the world - we’re happy! The latest PKF SC team member to take advantage of our One Week More scheme was Natasha Care (Audit, Birmingham) who travelled all the way to sunny Australia. Read more about her experience below.

Please can you introduce yourself

I am Natasha Care, I work in the Birmingham Audit team. I have been at PKF SC for just over 2 years.

What inspired you to visit Australia?

The reason that I made the trip to Brisbane was to visit my friend who emigrated there. This was the first time I had seen her since University.

How did the work culture in the Australian PKF office differ from your home office?

The work culture was similar to the UK. The main difference I noticed is that they have more formal dress codes and partners all had their own offices.

Did you have the chance to explore any local attractions or landmarks? Which ones were your favourite?

Whilst I was away, I explored around Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunny Coast, Sydney and the Whitsundays. In the evenings after work, I enjoyed going to a range of rooftop bars and restaurants. I saw some great views of the city skyline. I was able to make the most of evening swims in my friend’s rooftop pool too.

What’s one memorable experience you had outside of work while in Australia?

It is hard to decide the highlight for me it would be between: seeing the Great Barrier Reef from above or having the view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from my hotel room, but there were many amazing things that I saw. Seeing wild kangaroos was also pretty cool.

Do you have any other places you’d like to visit on your bucket list?

There’s nowhere in particular that I would like to go to. I would love to do some more city breaks across Europe as there’s so many places I haven’t been.

Finally, would you recommend this experience to other team members? Why or why not?

100%! I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it. It was great to extend my trip and to see what it is like to work abroad. (The only downside is having to pack the laptop in the suitcase - they are surprisingly very heavy!).