By Marcus Coetzee, 13 December 2024
It is a chilly but rare clear day in Scotland as I sit down to write this reflection at one of my favourite cafés in Paisley. I’m entering my fourth year in the UK after emigrating from South Africa. I continue to make steady but slow progress in overcoming various challenges.
There is value in writing and sharing after-action reviews. You can read my previous end-of-year reflections from 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 which show how my career has evolved. Writing these reflections (and journaling most days) helps me to orient myself and reflect on how I must do things differently in the future. They might even help others to anticipate and avoid my mistakes.
While I had no big breakthroughs this year, I laid a good foundation for 2025.
What was going on around me this year?
There is a strong sense of recession in the third sector in the UK with expenses rising while budgets are being cut. The Covid crisis gave way to the cost of living crisis which has morphed into the [government] austerity crisis. Despite the change in political leadership, there seems little hope that circumstances will improve in the near future. I haven’t seen any solid plans that have reassured me. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
I’ve met several young couples planning to emigrate to Australia to enjoy more sun and economic opportunity which indicates some of this sentiment.
Nevertheless, I’m grateful and deeply appreciative for the opportunity to continue my life and career in the UK. I’m grateful for so many of the things around me. I still have a unique perspective and notice things that are invisible to most locals. A good example would be the relatively high levels of trust in Scotland and its manifestations everywhere I look. Another example is the vibrancy of the support system for the third sector.
At a more global level, forces like geopolitical instability and climate change have continued uninterrupted, as we’re all aware, but there’s no need to explore this in my reflection.
What did I do this year?
My working arrangements were much the same as the previous year. I worked on 15+ local projects with Community Enterprise in Scotland and 2 large economic-development projects with Imani Development in Africa. I learned much from both countries but different things, though it was sometimes difficult to swap between these contexts.
I have had less work than last year which is a mixed blessing. On one hand, I earned less than the previous year, but on the other hand, it helped me achieve a better work-life balance and provided time for a host of life admin that required my attention.
I only managed to write four articles (excluding this one) despite many first drafts of various ideas. I wrote about my productivity and knowledge management system that enabled me to stay relatively sane while managing many simultaneous projects across multiple continents. I shared my experiences and frustrations with hunting for jobs in the UK and how recruiters could improve their efforts. I reflected on the challenges of integrating into the UK so that people in similar situations could get more perspective on where they are in their journey. I also recently wrote about what charities and social enterprises in the UK might learn from their South African equivalents who have adapted to a far worse operating environment than exists here up North.
Where did I succeed?
I have been networking extensively and enjoyed numerous coffee chats with colleagues and others, though not as many as I would have liked since I’m a chatty extrovert. (I love the term ‘chatty’ which is apt and has a more distinctive and familiar meaning in the UK than in South Africa.)
These coffee chats provided more insight into the dynamics and currents beneath the surface within the third sector.
I’ve continued to learn about the socio-economic and environmental challenges in Scotland and more broadly in the UK. I’ve been most interested in economic history and how the economy has de-industrialized and centralised. I’m especially fascinated by village and town economies which I explore regularly on my excursions. I often speculate and read up on how they have changed over time – a topic I would explore if I ever decide to do a PhD. I am also encouraged by models like Community Wealth Building and the Wellbeing Economy but feel that these approaches haven’t yet gained traction among policymakers.
I’ve also learned about how so much of the environment was systematically destroyed for economic and recreational reasons over the past centuries. Scotland has surprisingly low levels of biodiversity despite its brand and abundant green spaces. Hence the current emphasis on rewilding.
I have continued to improve my knowledge and skills wherever I can. Fortunately, there are plenty of seminars and high-quality documentation that’s freely available. My colleagues have also been happy to advise me.
I’ve also continued to feel that I’m making a difference in the world which is critically important to me as it’s a core value. I’ve become fond of several organisations I’ve worked with and have recently been invited to their Christmas parties which has helped me feel included.
I was able to pace myself better than last year – something I’ve been consciously trying to do. My health and fitness have improved and I’m not burned out like I was last December. I’ve continued to spend six hours per week training in a strongman gym and have someone who manages my programme. I’ve also gone on many day trips, sometimes with local birdwatching and natural history societies, to explore Scottish nature and the countryside.
I received my British Citizenship this year – something I’m extremely grateful for, though the process was expensive and the bureaucracy laborious. In addition to helping me feel more secure and settled in the UK, this will help open more doors in my career since there were many times when I felt that my visa status had undermined my options.
Where did I struggle?
I struggled most with finding a suitable job in the UK since all my income is from short- and medium-term consulting assignments. While I’m grateful for my existing work, I want something more permanent where I can continue to have an impact. Finding this has been my main work-related challenge.
I’ve heard a few explanations for why this has been so difficult and frustrating. First, it has admittedly taken me three years to learn the local context, develop a rudimentary business network and regain much of my old confidence. Second, I’ve been told that it can take several years to break into the various in-groups in my sector where all the senior people have known each other for a long time. Third, I suspect that my experiences in Africa are viewed with hesitancy since they weren’t in the UK – the centre of the former empire. Finally, I believe companies are cautious about employing people with visas due to their perceived impermanence and fear of additional bureaucracy.
I am nevertheless optimistic and believe that my proactive efforts to expand my networks, improve my knowledge and skills, and build a brand will inevitably pay off. I have genuine hope that a suitable door will open when I’m ready for it.
Conclusion
I’ve made steady progress this year though the fruits are not yet visible. A lot of my time has been spent laying the groundwork for the next steps in my career.
Immigration is very hard but I have zero regrets about my decision to move countries. I occasionally speculate that I should have moved sooner but I think back to all the valuable and formative experiences I would have missed in Africa. Then I feel more content with my current choices.
For 2025, my goals are to find stable and engaging work, buy property in/near Paisley where I currently live, and continue to meet people and explore everything the UK has to offer.