When I first came to Asia, a lot of my colleagues raised their eyebrows.
They didn’t say anything, but I knew they thought I’d gone mad.
Apart from the fact I was moving away from them [which was one of the main attractions to be honest], they were of the belief that Asia was the place where people who had failed in the West went to hide.
They even had a nickname for them, FILTH.
F ailed
I n
L ondon
T ry
H ong Kong
To be fair to them, they were not alone.
Even now, there are people sat in agencies all across Europe, Australia and the US that think if you work in Asia, you must be [1] shit [2] full of scam.
OK, so there was some truth to those opinions at one time – back in the 80’s and 90’s – however what these people have conveniently failed to acknowledge is there’s people full of shit and scam all over the place and proportionately, there’s possibly more in the West than Asia.
Fortunately, as the World becomes more open and Asia starts proving it’s talent and power, these prejudiced views are starting to change, however some of it is for not entirely positive reasons.
As you know, I’ve been in this region for quite a long time.
From a professional stand point, it has literally been one of the most frustratingly wonderful times of my life … however for all the struggles you have to endure to get something interesting ‘through the door’ – driven as much by cultural issues as it is the normal day-to-day nightmares of getting things approved – the opportunities I have been given to get involved with go well beyond anything I experienced in the UK or US.
I choose to be here.
I love the madness, the energy, the confusion and the change.
I know I’ll never truly understand the place but I want to feel I am doing something for it so I embrace the weird [from a Western perspective] rather than shun it.
The reason I say this is that since the economy has gone down the toilet, I have started getting more and more enquiries from people about working in Asia.
My response is always the same.
1/ Why are you interested in coming here?
2/ What do you know about working here?
3/ What do you know about the culture here?
While I don’t expect – and to be honest, wouldn’t believe – anyone who claims they know everything about the culture and industry, I also get very annoyed when I hear people respond with bland or blank answers.
In all seriousness, I’d prefer it if they said “I need a job, there aren’t any in the US/UK/Australia and so I’m considering Asia”.
I probably wouldn’t want to hire someone like that, but I’d at least respect their honesty.
If someone can’t be arsed doing a little bit of research before they look at coming here, then they don’t deserve to be here.
This is an amazing place.
It’s not an ‘also ran’, it’s the second bloody coming.
But potential counts for nothing so it needs people who want to be here.
People who want to learn and teach.
People who are prepared to let go of what they know and embrace what they find.
People who don’t always compare or make things ‘like home’, but want to take the good bits and make them bigger, better, bolder and stronger.
People who want to stay for more than their 2 year contract period – and not because they like the idea of lower tax or ex-pat wanker communities – but because they want to have a real adventure where they literally have to learn again.
People who are ready for frustration, annoyance, confusion and mindlessness and want to come out the other side.
I’m not trying to put people off working in Asia – far from it – and I appreciate everyone has to start from somewhere … but if you’re looking at this part of the World as a lifeline rather than the opportunity of a lifetime, then you’re better off trying somewhere else.