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moreI’m from RSM in Auckland, New Zealand, and in 2017 I was offered the opportunity to go on a secondment to the RSM office in Cape Town to work in the audit department. The secondment was over a period of 3 and a half months, concluding at Christmas time.
Cape Town is such a unique and beautiful place. I managed to go see the amazing and impressive views from the top of Lions Head Mountain and Table Mountain 3 days after I arrived. I was fortunate enough to find a place to live in one of Cape Town’s most distinct neighbourhoods, Bo Kaap, an area rich in history with vividly painted low-roofed houses strung along narrow cobbled streets. It is one of the most photographed sections of the city. Living in the city bowl was perfect for me. I was within walking distance to many neat places, such as the Waterfront, which I often liked to visit on my weekends.
It was very daunting and challenging for me to come to a foreign country on my own from the other side of the world and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It took two long flights, a total of almost 26 hours of flying. However, I was warmly welcomed by the team at the RSM Cape Town office. I found that the audit team is a similar size to the one in my home office in Auckland. I especially enjoyed the social events and spending time with many of my fellow colleagues outside of the office. They made my experience a very memorable one and helped me adapt and feel at home very quickly. My work routine soon become a very pleasant one. I enjoyed the opportunity to work on different clients and, as the office in Cape Town uses the same RSM methodology as my home office, I was able to adapt very quickly to the way they do their audits.
I managed to do much sightseeing on my weekends and have many highlights. I went wine-tasting at various wine farms in Constantia and was invited to a couple of braais, something I’ve learnt the South Africans love. I travelled to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western point of the African continent. It is a stunning place. I also really liked seeing the penguins at Boulders Beach. I, of course had to go on a safari, so I went to Aquila as it was not too far out of Cape Town. It was a fantastic day. One of the last things I did was shark cage diving in Gansbaai. I got face to face with a couple of great white sharks, which was incredible. I got to know the city very well and it really felt like home by the end of my secondment.
Before I knew it the time had flown by and it was time for me to return home. I will never forget my amazing experience in Cape Town and the people I met and worked with. Thanks to RSM I have greatly developed professionally, as well as on a personal level. I hope the secondment has contributed to forging relationships across the RSM network.
Rachel Watson
Audit Supervisor, CA(ANZ), Auckland
