Working in the Middle East

Life in the Middle East

The CMAE and its Management Development Programme is globally renowned. The resulting qualifications are now used as part of the recruiting process when clubs around the world are seeking out the best of the best. In this White Paper, Michael Braidwood CCM and Rhys Beecher CCM explain the joys of working in the Middle east, as well as examining the world of repatriation back to the UK.

Working in the Middle East is extremely desirable for club industry professionals from the UK and Europe. The opportunity to work at 5 star developed clubs, be part of large teams and to take on additional responsibility sits high on the agenda of most people ’ s personal development plans. Not to mention the 360 days a year of sunshine and nice tax-free packages!

With an attractive professional opportunity and lifestyle within vision, many an industry professional will jump at the chance to work in such an environment, but what about repatriation when that time comes?

It’ softenbeensaidthatworkingintheMiddleEast is a single person ’ s prerogative? We wouldn ’t necessarily agree with this with, as many having been successful here with families; but as the cost of education rises faster than the rates of pay it makes it more and more difficult a lifestyle to sustain. This in addition to long hours, demanding jobs and owners makes family life challenging.

Typically, it is family that makes you want to make the move back. Depending on the point in time within your career, but certainly, children getting to secondaryschoolage,grandparentsmissingthem,establishing roots within the UK, Europe all sit high in the consideration listing.

However, moving back to a job in the UK or Europe can be as difficult as landing a job in the Middle East in the first place. There is typically locally available talent, that can be recruited quicker and more well known to the hiring club, so the questions

become….

What can candidates with Middle East experience offer and why should they be shortlisted?

If you are shortlisted, what skills can you bring to the table that provide a USP over the local candidate?

Therecruitmentprocessiseithercoveredbyareputable recruitment company, who work in conjunctionwiththecluboriscarriedoutdirectlybytheclub. In both cases there is limited knowledge of how the clubs are run in the Middle East, the level of expertise in the region and the day to day challenges the club operators overcome. This leaves the candidate asking, how can I show my value?

To the club industry professionals ’ advantage many of the recruiters have visited the Middle East and have experienced some of the clubs firsthand, so that is very helpful. But whilst convincing the recruiters of your value may be one challenge, the mountain to climb is the clubs interview panel!

Michael Braidwood CCM Rhys Beecher CCM

For this article we approach three leading golf recruitment companies and asked them to give us someoftheirandtheirclientsopinionsoncandidates from the Middle East. On the other side, we approached four other club industry professionals who have made the transition and repatriated having first established themselves within the Middle East market.

The purpose of the article is to give guidance to club industry professionals on what to focus on when seeking a move back and where they need to strengthen their knowledge.

First, let’ s start with the recruiters:

1. What do you think when you receive an application from someone working in the Middle East?

The positive answers included that the candidate will be well trained and understands 5-star service and that they are well versed on policies and procedures.

On the negative side the logistics of interviews are challenging and zoom just does not cut it, others are concerned about the slow pace of UK clubs, the politics or is the candidate using it as a steppingstone to something bigger? If the candidate wants

‘home ’ where exactly is ‘home ’ oristheclubrecruitingjustasteppingstoneto getting back to the real roots?

Finally, candidates are often viewed as ‘ not being like us ’ which can make it a hard sell, some clubs just cannot see how someone operating a 5* commercial club in the Middle East can transfer their skill set to a ‘ smaller ’ UK operation.

2. What are the usual rejections to someone working in the Middle East?

The main ones boil down to money… how can the candidate operate with such small budgets or can the club meet the candidate ’ s salary expectations?

The next common concern is dealing with club committees, typically made up of volunteers. Very few clubs understand the governance structures of the clubs in the Middle East. Some recruiters just feel Middle East candidates are not savvy enough to deal with private member club committees.

3. What strengths / USPs do Middle East candidates offer?

There is an overarching view that Middle East candidates understand service better and have stronger

hospitality credentials. If a club in the UK is proprietaryorasaprivateclubwanttobealittlemorecommercial, then again Middle East candidates are viewed as strong commercial operators who are used to working under pressure.

Many Middle East candidates have experience of managing larger teams, which often results in being directly involved with training and development, so the ideas / structure of how they can deliver training and development programmes (at quality level) to a smaller team unit is also viewed advantageously.

ThefactthatMiddleEastcandidateshavepursued a career abroad show they are committed to the industry and that international experience brings with it a better knowledge of different cultures.

Most Middle East candidates invest in their own personal development which scores highly with recruiters and interview panels alike. In addition by traveling their industry networks will have grown which is another marginal gain.

4. Any areas where you feel Middle East candidate could strengthen?

A better understanding of the positions and clubs they are applying for proved to be the main factor. Thiscomesdowntoaworkingknowledgeoftheclub in conjunction with outlining skills with handling committees or boards.

Moreresearchisrequiredtoenabletheapplication to be tailored to the specific club. In addition, staying abreast with UK club trends, read up to date UK based industry reports. Also worthwhile for candidates to occasionally keep up to date with www.gov.uk so they are up to date on legislation, especially around the labour laws.

Finally, candor is critical. Career ambitions, as well as geographical preference will be important information for the club.

5. How do clubs respond when you put a Middle East based candidate forward?

Can they really work with the size of budget we have here? They are used to millions of resources!

How long will they stay with us before they demonstrate their drive and move on?

Canwereallyappointsomeonewehaven ’tmet?In the absence of the candidate not traveling for the interview.

Howlongisthisprocessgoingtogooniftheyhave to move this distance to start work?

Are these people constantly on the move, what’ s next for them?

We won ’t be able to match this persons salary coming from that region – not for long anyway!

However, some recruiters are confident that their clients trust their judgement to put the right candidates in front of them and a lot of clubs enjoy the opportunity to meet UK candidates who have worked over seas.

6. Have you placed any Middle East candidates back in UK / Europe and what impressed the club?

Yes, the recruiters have placed candidates back in UK / Europe, the candidates were successful as they still showed a strong understanding of the UK culture. The candidates tend to be highly adaptable.

Others were seen to be able to drive service and quality of product which were two key skills learnt in the Middle East. This was especially relevant to clubs that hosted international tourists.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Candidates from the Middle East have in general strong technical skills but many lack the human skills employers are looking for. They also need to learn how to interview better, and the importance of making a personal impact. Clubs want to see personality and charisma…. someone who can be the face of the Club. They need to be exceptional communicators and be able to communicate up and down.

One recruiter added the Middle East based guys score highly in their opinion but suffer from the same “fight risk” label attached to all overseas candidates. Theywouldrecommendtocandidatestodowhatever they can to tell a story – why am I over here – why do I want home – what’ s the big plan – how has this prepared me for the next step – what is that step – why is it important – how does this fit in with my non work life plans - how can I turn my CV in to a human story.

Theoverarchingoutcomesuggeststheabilitytoput theclubs ’ nervesateaseandimportantlygo ‘ aboveand beyond’ to display your commitment to the club. >

Moving back to the UK

What happens for those of us who decide we need – or want – to repatriate? Michael Braidwood CCM and Rhys Beecher CCM ask fellow industry professionals, what made them what to return and how did the repatriation – in this case the UK – pan out.

1. What was the primary motivator in returning to the UK?

As outlined earlier, family is a key motivator in repatriation. There is certainly a case of, if the grass is green, why look for anything greener! Having said that,familybecomesabiggerfactor.Aschildren,parents and grandparents get older, the desire, need and in some cases responsibility to move back home increases.

The second, but lesser reason is a desire to work within the private club sector. Whilst those who have worked in the private club market for their entire careers might idolize the freedom of working for an owner. Those working for ownership groups might also desire a move to the private club market. Why? Typically, ownership groups are very financially driven. Bottom line is the determination of whether you keep your job or not, with member and guest experience diminishing over time. We often think, wouldn ’t it be nice having a board who are full invested in the club and its members wellbeing.

2. What were the main hurdles or challenges you faced in securing a role in the UK?

This question unearthed some common responses. Interestingly the responses provide a snap-shot into the mindset of the those sitting on the interview panels and ultimately the decision makers.

Primarily (and more expectedly), the ‘fear of the unknown ’ ranked high in the list. How can you hire a candidate, with no connections to the area, who is unknown to the membership? There is often a more local candidate, where, even if the membership does notknowthecandidatepersonally;theyhavecertainly played the course and sampled the fruits of his/her labor!

Thesecondchallengeistheassumptionofthecandidate ’ s club due to bigger picture assumptions of the region. Big Budget, large teams, and plenty of people todelegate tasks to. How cansucha personmanage a more streamlined budget? Are they willing to get theirhandsdirty?Howwilltheyhandlethepoliticsof members and committees? For those of us who have experienced senior management roles in the Middle East, it is very difficult to listen to these comments without erupting into laughter! But the reality is, they are not familiar and therefore don ’t understand. It is the candidate ’ s job to convince them otherwise.

Tertiary and maybe less expected challenges includealackofconnectiontotheclubandlocalarea. Sometimes as expatriates, we become accustomed to finding a new club and developing new connections. With exploration comes a knowledge of the area and speaking to members and guest, as well as staff members will help ascertain the club’ s history. Interviewing clubs however are nervous about those with less local knowledge.

The interview process is a topic that requires its own consideration and came up in all discussions. Can you put your best foot forward via a Zoom or Teams call? Maybe, but will the interview panel feel the same way? The consensus on this topic is to go the extra 3000 miles and attend the interview in person. Expensive, yes, but the benefits could outweigh the logistics and expense. This extra step not only allows you to interview on the same playing field as your rival candidates but will not go unnoticed by the interviewing panel.

Displaying an unquestioned level of commitment to the role, turns the negative into a positive. A candidate travelling a few hours by car or public transport, doesn ’t quiet appear as astounding as a candidate who flew in 3000miles just for a 1-hour interview. The second and equally important benefit to this action, is gaining a feel or sense for the club you are applying to. Whilst securing a role is important, candidatesforgetthataninterviewisatwo-wayprocess. The interviewer is assessing your suitability, but likewise the interviewee is assessing the club’ s fittingness.

3. Did you feel there was any knowledge shortage on your side, that you needed to catch up on to succeed?

The reality is a lot of the industry professional skillset is derived through experience. Understanding the chasm between the various golfing markets is important when considering repatriating.

During our discussion legislative concerns ranked highly. Brushing up on the hot topics of your intended country could be essential to success within your role. Likewise, with only proprietary clubs in the Middle East, many candidates expressed a nervousness to privatemembersclubs.Thistopicisinterestingandcould require a paper all to itself! Ultimately, we all report to someone! Steering committees could provide challenging, but is this more or less challenging than managingupwardstoownerships?Ownerswhooftenhave very little working knowledge of the club, its employees and focus primarily on bottom line.

4. What was the primary skillset that you felt you brought to the team given the ME experience you have?

One would argue that this is the most important question and something candidates need to be very aware of when applying for roles back home! Much like an extended educational experience, new skills have been developed which should provide a USP over the local candidate. Whether this is the case or not, focusing on the strengths and skills that you bring to the table has to be the topic of discussion.

Service standards is an area that came up during discussion and more commonly accepted that service standards in the Middle East and Asia are higher than those in Europe and the UK. This is a sweeping assumption; however, a fair argument could be made the justify it. Whether its service standards, project management experience or diversity in operating models, the strengths gained should be front and center when analyzing what you bring to the table.

It becomes apparent when considering the responses from fellow industry professionals, that their knowledge and skills were not in question, but overcoming the perceived chasm between a UK club and a Middle East club, is somewhat of a challenge!

Candidates have potentially developed their careers within the Middle East and as new and equally important factors (such as family) enter the equation, the desire to move home increases.

In conclusion, both expatriating and repatriating requires a demonstration of the skills required to meet the environment demands. In many instances candidates can feel pressured to demonstrate skills that may not be their key strengths. Is this the right approach?

The goal with any interview or presentation is to demonstrate what ‘ you ’ want the panel to see. What skills, life experience and attributes can be brought to a role, that didn ’t exist before you. It is without question that weaknesses will exist. But isn ’t this true of any candidate, who has started a new role in any industry? How often does a candidate walk in with all the answers and fully developed aptitude to complete the role?

For a candidate seeking to secure a position in the Middle East, there is often rigorous interview processes and likewise, a repatriating industry professionalmustunderstandthattheclubneedstobesure theincomingcandidatecansuittheenvironmentand clubandassuch,thiswouldbethetoptipswhenconsidering repatriating from your Middle East role:

1. Do your homework

Itisnotenoughtocreateyourcoverletter,updatethe old curriculum vitae and send it off into the wilderness! There is some background work that should be completed. This could include, completing market research that could help provide some contacts. Is there anyone in your networks that can help with some research on your behalf? Ultimately you need someone on the inside pushing your agenda.

2. Go the extra mile

Therealityoftherecruitmentprocessbeingtheclubs want to see the goods before they buy! This means, that whilst mediums such as Zoom, and Teams are fantastic communication platforms. Your chances of beingrecruitedincreasebybeingthereinperson!Not only does this show your commitment to the club and role but allows the interviewing panel to get a better sense of you as a person. This can help, especially when you might not have the right connections to act as internal references.

3. Focus on what you will bring

If you are going to convince an interview panel to look past the known candidate from the local area. Youneedto ‘ wow ’thepanelwithwhatyouwillbring! What new set of skills and attributes will your Middle East experience enhance that is lesser found in the local area.

4. Be humble

The

‘Big Mudir ’ approach doesn ’t reflect well. A certain amount of humility is required and whilst the clubiskeentoknowyourskills,thereisapprehension when it comes to big budgets, large projects and sizeable teams.

5. It’s not a steppingstone

If you have been fortunate to move around during your Middle East adventure, your commitment could be in question with repatriation roles. A club needs to know that by taking a chance on an international experienced candidate that they are not being used as a steppingstone to other roles. This could be done through looking at 5yr plans for the role and painting the picture of a longer-term commitment.

Good luck !