New Office, New Start - New York

Originally Posted on LinkedIn - October 2015

GCS America is up and running - and it's been a great start. Alistair Pickering has now joined me and we're beginning to recruit local talent. We've already made contract and full time placements and the market is living up to our predictions and analysis as we continue to grow our American network.

Coming from England, one of the things that has surprised me is just how common it is for people from Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and other areas outside New York, to commute in to NYC or New Jersey for their job, staying away from home Monday to Friday. Obviously it does happen in the UK, but from my experience nowhere near as much as I have seen so far in the USA.

Business progress aside, the more we see of New York, the more we love it - from the amazing local delis for lunch to the numerous sporting events happening what seems like every day of the week. And of course there is the subway. Once you know how to use it, it’s definitely a lot simpler than London’s tube network and the air conditioning is a luxury!

This is not to say that finding our feet in the USA hasn't been without its challenges.

Whilst getting a social security number was reasonably straightforward, the catch 22 situation between getting a bank account and an apartment was hugely frustrating. Without a bank account, you can't get an apartment. Without an address, you can't get a bank account.

Getting through this minefield is time consuming - for a country whose history is steeped in immigrant workers, I assumed a smoother process to help those with the appropriate Visa to hit the ground running. And don’t get me started on banks! I have been a Santander customer in the UK for 12 years, but that didn’t make any difference as apparently there is no affiliation between the two. So much for international finance!

I am pleased to say that all these small issues have now been ironed out and both Ally and I have absolutely loved the start to our new careers (and lives!) in New York City. Looking out of the window and seeing the Statue of Liberty really does drive home the fact that we're in the "land of opportunity" - it's hugely motivating and still incredibly exciting.