Emily is a jet-setting FP&A Manager traveling between the Philippines to Singapore
Emily smiles in front of the shops at Marina Bay Sands. Photo by Emily Chen.
I was born in and grew up in Shanghai, China. Although it is comfortable and sweet to stay close with family, it is also exciting to explore the world outside of home. After finishing high school in Shanghai, I decided to go to America for university.
I spent four lovely years in California and went to school at UC Berkeley, meeting many lifelong friends there. After graduation, I worked and lived in Chicago, Frankfurt, and in the end, I came to Singapore because of an internal company transfer.
How would you describe your expat life in Singapore?
I work as a Finance Manager (focusing on FP&A), so my weekdays are very similar to a regular office job. Recently, I am flying frequently between Singapore and Philippines for my business trips, and I sometimes stay in Manila over the weekend to explore the city and islands nearby.
Colleagues and Emily pose for a selfie in Manila. Photo by Emily Chen.
We know you fly back and forth from the Philippines and Singapore often—what are your best travel tips you’d like to share with us?
1. Get a credit card that waives transaction fee globally, and it’s a big plus if they have a bonus for travel points.
2. Sign up for the hotel and airline membership to accumulate all the points you have.
3. Bring some small personal things with you during your travel, such as something that reminds you of home and will bring you peace of mind.
Sharing a good meal after work. Photo by Emily Chen.
What have you learned from working with employees in the Philippines?
The team in Philippines is one of the most welcoming and positive teams I have ever worked with. Before going to Philippines, I was a bit worried if I will have language barrier or culture shock, but my worries are gone on the first day I met with the team—they are all very caring, supportive, and welcoming. Most of the Filipinos are very good at English, so there are almost zero communication problems. Although most of the time Filipinos are more comfortable talking in Tagalog, they will translate the topic for me in English if I get lost. I also didn’t experience any culture shock, maybe because Philippines has the influence of both Asian and Western cultures.
I also worked with other teams around the world, and all of them have their unique characters and cultures. Even within the same company, the team culture can be very differently depending on the country, leadership management, and teammates. My first tip would be: “Try to be open minded, listen and observe before voicing.”
It is not saying don’t voice your opinion, but it is good to have the open minded and try to understand other’s perspectives before forming your own opinion. Although from my own experiences, it is harder to say than do haha. We all have different culture we grew up and various past experiences that shape our values. But having the intention of observing and experiencing is the first step of working in a completely different culture/country.
The next tip is: “It is good to be resilient and face the challenge, but it is also important to remember to stop and take a rest.” Challenges and hardship amplifies 10 times when you are in a foreign country. Especially during the time you miss your friends and family but can’t give them a hug; when you don’t like the food you eat, and you miss your mom’s cooking so much; when you feel so lonely doing everything by yourself and the fomo feeling hitting rock high when you see the Instagram posts from friends back home hanging out. All of sudden you will start to question everything:
“What did I do to myself saying yes to this job? Why did I come to stupid place for work? What’s the purpose of my life?” I’ve been there. I also had times when I cried on my way to work but when I look back, these though time makes much more resilient, confident, and independent. And much more importantly, I will know that’s the sign of I am hitting my limit and I need to take a rest. It’s like building muscles—the best reps to build muscles are the ones you can still form, but feeling sore. And the worst ones happens when you don’t know your limit and just push too hard and get injuries. I have the experience of working abroad by myself and just completely burnt out. These are really hard time, and I don’t want anyone to go through it. So knowing the limit of yourself, build resilience, but also take care of yourself.
Photo by Emily Chen.
Advice for those who want a similar jet-setting job like yours
I think the first advice is “how to get a job that is very international and mobile” – It is much easier to be international and mobile when you work in an MNC. But now with the more flexible working set up and schedules, being a digital nomad can also let you travel international. But for the case of finding a job in a foreign country and relocate, I would say MNC is still an easier choice.
You need to be mentally prepared that at first life will be lonely and tough. The challenging and tough emotions you feel in a foreign country will amplify 10 times because you are not in a familiar environment.
Put yourself out there. Do informational 1:1s and get to know your team as people. Even better, you can be friends with them. (That’s a more controversial tip because I was told to not be friends with colleagues, to keep professional and be distant. I don’t agree with this.)
Ways to self care while travelling back and forth
I experienced a hardcore travel schedule for almost a month and a half. Because of my visa issue in Philippines, I can’t stay in PH for longer than 7 days. Every Sunday afternoon, I flew out to Manila and then flew back to SG every Friday midnight. The number one tip I will give for self care is to “keep a routine, try to eat cleaner and exercise.” Keeping a routine gives me a sense of things are still under control. Back then, I tried to stick to my 6 am routine: I would wake up at 6 am everyday, go to the gym for 1 hour, take a warm shower, have breakfast at hotel, and head to work. I tried to eat cleaner (although a lot of the time I can’t), and I feel much more energetic and light when I do this.
Other self care: because I was almost never at home and always stayed at the hotel, it was hard to feel peaceful and rested when I come back to hotel after work. I brought a candle that I usually lit at home with me, so when my hotel room smell like my home, I feel much more relaxed.
Last thoughts?
1. Be open minded about the culture.
2. It is hard to make new friends when you come to a completely foreign country, but keep putting yourself out there.
3. Call your family and friends back home frequently! They can be part of your strong support system during the tough moments.
I also have a podcast called Landed in Asia with my friends Jane Kim and Emily Fang. We three met in Singapore and talk about east west modernity, being millennial women living overseas, dating, and career tips.
