Life Changing Backpacking

Meet Allie Weiner from our Sydney office.

Like many people, Allie realised that she needed a bit of excitement and decided to pack her bags and have a round the world adventure. Venturing from Canada to New Zealand before arriving in Australia, Allie had only decided to spend 3 months backpacking. Find out what happened on her travels...

In April 2011, I planned a solo three months backpacking trip through New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. I quit my job in Montreal, Canada as a Market Research Analyst and boarded a one way flight to Auckland. Little did I know that this three months adventure would find me sitting at a desk of an international recruitment agency in Sydney, Australia.

After spending about 6 weeks travelling around New Zealand, my first stop in Australia was indeed Sydney. I spent the first little while worshipping the beach, doing short serving jobs at coffee shops and restaurants as well as enjoying the Australian lifestyle. Along the way, I met someone who suggested I get into recruitment. He said that my experience as a market research analyst and my outgoing personality would be a great fit for the recruitment world.

I was introduced to Morgan McKinley and I was warmly welcomed on the Risk & Compliance/Accounting & Finance desk. I had to quickly come up to speed with the relevant business terms and all the different areas of finance. It has been a great learning experience and I can say with confidence that I can source top talent in the market and give career advice to candidates in the financial services industry. As well, being Canadian, I had to learn in the office that it is no longer the washroom but the loo, it is not a sweater but a jumper and my friends are now my mates.

Long story short… I still have not made it to Thailand, as my 1 month stop in Australia has turned into 2 and a half years.