Moving to a new country for a job can be tough, but it helps when your company makes the transition easier on you.
Anyone who has relocated for work can understand how hard it is. Having to adjust to a whole new workplace and culture as well as having to navigate around a new country can be daunting.
But, for the right move, it can be worth it, particularly when your colleagues make your new life so much easier.
Marc Benedicter is an enterprise account executive at Slack. He moved to Ireland three years ago from Germany. Here, he tells us about his experience.
Where are you from?
I am from Lindau in Germany. Lindau is an island in the Lake of Constance. It’s close to the Austrian border and it only takes 15 minutes to get to Switzerland, so everything is very close by. You have a lot of mountains around you, which is great for skiing in winter.
How long have you been in Ireland?
The first time I was here, I was 18 and worked at a bed-and-breakfast for six months.
The second time I came here was from 2008 to 2010 for my first working experience in Oracle.
I came back for a third time in September 2014, and I have been here since then. In total, I have spent five-and-a-half years in Dublin, Ireland.
What prompted your decision to move here?
The people. Irish people are the friendliest in the world!
Also, to improve my English and to have an international experience in one of the biggest tech cities in Europe with a very interesting market.
What’s your role in Slack?
I am an enterprise account executive, responsible for our enterprise customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I am responsible for building up the German-speaking market and I am the main point of contact for all our customers and prospects.
I’m also responsible for being the first point of contact and for building up a relationship with the customer, and helping them create a business case to implement or extend their Slack footprint.
Doing this means I coordinate with a range of different business lines such as marketing, customer success, solution engineering, customer experience or legal.
How would you describe your working environment?
It is brilliant. Since day one, I have gotten the best support from all people around me; starting with the recruitment team, and also from my first line manager and all my colleagues in the company.
My start date was directly at Slack HQ in San Francisco. It was a great opportunity to get to know all important stakeholders in the company and to also get to know all other new starts around the globe.
What do you like most about your job?
The people, working environment and the unique market opportunity of our company. Culture is very important in Slack, and people really believe in our values of Slack, which are empathy, courtesy, craftsmanship, solidarity, playfulness and thriving.
Everybody is very supportive of each other and helping each other out. When it comes to the professional relationship with our customers, we want to understand their needs and deliver the best solution and support for them.
We want to have a long-term relationship with our partners, and our approach allows us to do that.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
For me, not at all. Of course, little things are a bit different but, in general, it is pretty easy, especially because both countries (Germany and Ireland) are in the EU.
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
That it does not rain as much as everybody told me before I moved here.
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
My colleagues are very helpful and supportive regarding challenges in the job, but also if there are questions outside of work.
The company organises culture-focused events; for example, providing German food for lunch. The company offers a lot of benefits inside and outside of work, which help me to integrate into life in Dublin.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
The people and the international environment, which is very welcoming to people from all around the world. My girlfriend, for example, is French and our daughter, who was born recently, is now officially Irish!
Want to work at Slack? Check out the Slack Careers page for current vacancies.
