One of the joys of youth is freedom. Freedom to exist, choose your path and enjoy what the world offers.

Travelling while working is one of those experiences that can enrich you in many meaningful ways: fostering personal growth, inspiring you to reach new heights and, the best part, discovering a new you!

While away from the confines of your desk, you can experience a new culture, cuisine and foreign lands. But what about a job that takes you everywhere? That's why some accountants took on this calling. The very nature of the accounting profession is one of travel. From Cape Town to Cairo, we can enhance your value.

Since 2022, we have embarked on a mission to provide outsourced audit services to our fellow international audit firms. Two of our trainee auditors/accountants Shabnum Hassim and Khofhid Govender recently had the opportunity to meet our client in the Netherlands, Visser & Visser.

For both of them, this was their first time in the Netherlands. It was a culture shock and a wonderful experience.

"Very clean: Loads of windmills, and the cubed buildings were very cool. Rotterdam is very modern post-WW2. I thought to myself 'everyone here is so tall'!" said Khofhid.

"The architecture was stunning. Getting lost in such an old city is easy and difficult," said Shabnum.

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Since 2023, Shabnum and Khofhid have been working remotely with Visser and Visser. Roughly a year later, they are finally meeting our clients in person.

"Audit is audit - in the sense that we follow the exact same standard and procedures. But the way they get to those procedures is different to us." Khofhid

"We have been working with them for a year, so my methods are theirs. I will be applying more risk-based techniques in my work."

Knowing more about the competition involves comparing apples and oranges and determining who's better in the audit game.

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"The difference in scale is important. In the Netherlands, audit practioners are more efficient but that is often because their budgets allow for such efficiencies," said Khofhid.

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After working with Visser & Visser for a year, Shabnum and Khofhid finally had an opportunity to meet the people they had been working with online.

"They are not just a person on the screen. We got to know them in person and on a more personal level, not just on Microsoft Teams, where we discussed work.

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"Spending time with the Visser and Visser team outside of work allowed us to experience their true personalities," said Shabnum.

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Khofhid and Shabnum say that if you are faced with the opportunity to go on a trip like this, take it, no questions asked.

"It takes away any blinders you might have had before. You realise that as South Africans, we are a small fish in this big pond," said Khofhid.

"Professionally, this trip opened many doors. Holisitically, not just work wise or personally, this kind of travel allowed us to experience what is life like on the otherside," said Shabnum.

Do you love that work and travel life? Learn more about our outsourced audit services and job opportunities at Accensis, Chartered Accountants and registered auditors.

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