Most foreign students I know have chosen to return and work in their home countries after graduation. But recently, I had a new roommate who decided to stay in the UK after his college study and work in Amazon as a software engineer. Being curious why he chose a path different from the others, I decided to interview him about why he stayed and his experience working in a foreign country.
Q: Where are you from? Why did you choose to stay in the UK after graduation instead of returning to your home country?
A: I’m from China. Though China’s tech industry is developing rapidly, it has been criticized that my companies had put high pressure on their employers. So I chose to stay in the UK as the companies here provide flexible work styles with work-life balance, giving competitive compensations.
Q: Why did you choose to work in Amazon?
A: Amazon is one of the biggest companies all over the world. I have used it a lot in my college years. I joined it because it is an excellent opportunity to meet and work with the most experienced engineers in Amazon.
Q: What is the work style in Amazon like? How is it different from other companies? Do you enjoy it?
A: In Amazon, we work in a small group of around 10 people. Each team discusses ideas for new projects or decides on the best approach to solving a problem with the help of our peculiar leadership principles(https://www.amazon.jobs/en-gb/principles). This work style gives me more freedom to explore different ideas and chances of growth.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I enjoy cooking very much. So I always cook my dinner at home when I am not busy, and I also love to share my cooking with my friends. Besides cooking, I also like playing video games and watching movies in my spare time. As mentioned previously, the work-life balance in Amazon gives me a lot of opportunities to enjoy my hobbies, which is a significant reason that I choose to work in it.
Q: Did you encounter difficulties when working in a different country?
A: So I had studied for four years in the UK before I joined Amazon, and language shouldn’t be a big problem for me. I have lots of things to learn when I am onboarding the team. My group members always help me with great patience when I have questions to ask. Thanks to them, I have not met any problems that I cannot solve yet.