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The Big Apple is a hugely popular destination for UK accountants seeking a secondment, especially if they are looking ahead to a career in financial services. And who can blame them? Manhattan has an unrivalled reputation as the place to be - a city that never sleeps, with a hectic pace to match. It's the sort of place where you can wander around bookshops until the early hours of the morning, see a film at 1.00am and bar hop all night long.
It may have lost its crown as the top world financial centre to London, but it is still one of the big hitters and has an allure few can resist. 'It's fantastic here,' says Grieg Taylor, who works for Deloitte's forensic and dispute services department. 'You really can get anything, anytime, anywhere. It's a cosmopolitan city,' he enthuses - a real melting pot. Grieg moved across the Atlantic with his wife, after a life-changing experience on the BT Global Challenge - a round-the-world yacht race - convinced him his future lay overseas. He is enjoying his time so much that he isn't convinced he will be returning to the UK any time soon. He believes his experiences will give him an advantage if and when he returns, especially in roles that require a strong knowledge of the US market. The problem with such an appealing destination is that competition for placements is fierce. It'll be the same when you arrive, as you'll be working with some of the sharpest, most hard-working accountants in the business.
This, some argue, is no bad thing. 'Operating in established, sophisticated financial centres, where there is intense competition among accounting firms, demands levels of performance that help develop a secondee's technical abilities,' says Grant Thornton's Stephen Weatherseed.
Like Grieg, though, some never want to leave. Living and working in Manhattan is incredibly appealing, even for die-hard Brits. The mix of cultures, nightlife and entertainment, plus the general buzz of the place, are irresistible to many - when they do get time out of the office, that is. New Yorkers work long hours and get two weeks of paid holiday as standard. So, those looking for a quiet lifestyle need not apply.
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