Sophie Kim CA, Manager, Audit & Assurance, PKF Australia

‘You’ll need more than just surf shorts’

It’s been very hot here today but if you think you’re coming to Melbourne for sun, sea and sand, think again. The climate is unpredictable and it can be cool and damp. You’ll need more than just surf shorts in Melbourne, and you definitely need a coat in winter.

But for culture, nightlife and sport, it’s a great place to be. It’s a really busy city – very ‘go, go, go’. If you come out here without a job, don’t worry – you’ll probably get one tomorrow, and they’ll ask you to start the day after, as there is a need for chartered accountants in Australia. Yet the work-life balance across the country is amazing. And there’s a wonderful morning culture here, ­with lots of people going out early for a walk or a coffee.

It’s obviously a long way from where I grew up, in Cumbernauld. At that time, my thought process was, “What’s a job that will make me a decent living and give me a chance to travel?” I had a family friend who lived all over the world and she was an accountant, so I thought “that’s for me”.

I studied accounting and finance at the University of Strathclyde, and began working in audit – reluctantly at first, as I didn’t enjoy audit at uni, and had a banking graduate job lined up. But then I changed tack at the last minute and decided that, if I wanted to become a CA, audit was the best way because of the diverse experience it offers.

While I was training at a mid-tier Scottish accounting firm in Glasgow, I thought about a move into industry but wanted to try working overseas, and so it made sense to stick with audit. Having a CA qualification opens up some great options. After moving to Melbourne and working with people with different types of qualifications, I now appreciate the level of rigour that ICAS brings you. I’m grateful I took this route because the exams set you up really well to apply your knowledge, think critically and solve problems.  

My family has a South Korean background, so I initially looked for opportunities there and in Singapore. But both countries are harder to get into if you don’t have strong local connections. A recruiter then offered to put my CV out to some firms in Australia. It had never been on my radar but I thought: why not?

“I had a family friend who lived all over the world and she was an accountant, so I thought ’that’s for me’”

Sophie Kim CA

That led to accepting an offer to work with a firm in Darwin on Australia’s north coast. I knew little about Australia and almost nothing about Darwin. When I got off the plane, I was hit by this dry, tropical heat – and it’s like that all year round. I met some great people and enjoyed my time there, but I’ve always had the spirit of seizing opportunities as they come up.

That’s where the Scottish connections kicked in. I knew someone from Glasgow who had moved to a recruitment role in Melbourne and I messaged her. She put me in touch with her boss, who is also from Scotland. She then spoke to the Scottish partner of an accountancy firm here in Melbourne. I was invited along for what I thought was an informal chat, but it was really an interview and I was offered the job.

I love the company I work for here and the people I work with. There’s always a lot happening in terms of innovation, change and pushing forward – and it’s a really young team.

Together with Amy, I’ve also recently taken the opportunity to become the ICAS Ambassador for Melbourne. I really enjoy building connections, and helping others to do the same. The ICAS community in Melbourne is thriving. We have around 95 CAs in the city – one of the biggest networks ICAS has outside the UK.

Having never expected to work in Melbourne, I have an open mind about the future, including the possibility of taking time out to do something completely different. One of the advantages of the CA qualification is that, whatever you end up doing there’s always a route back into a profession. It has a certain level of job security, regardless of how the economy is faring.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll live in a beach shack for a while, or work in a coffee shop. If you like good coffee, you haven’t truly experienced it until you’ve been to Melbourne. I kept hearing about it and thought it can’t be that good. Then I arrived, went to a coffee shop and was like “wow!”

Amy Cairns CA, Audit Senior, EY

“I’ve had a blast so far – there’s always something to do”

It all started in Fiji. As a student, I spent three weeks there working as a volunteer for an educational charity. When it came to an end, I thought I can’t come all the way down here and not go to Australia. So I went to Sydney on my own for five days. I remember sitting outside the Opera House and looking out across the harbour when I saw the EY building. This was at a point when I was considering who I was going to apply to work for – and I thought “this feels like a sign”.

I then got a trainee role with EY in Glasgow in 2021 and have been with the firm ever since. Part of the attraction was EY’s reputation for providing opportunities to work overseas and, after qualifying as a CA in October 2024, I moved to the Melbourne office for a two-year secondment in June 2025.

I know someone who works in the tax department of the Melbourne office, so we had a call before I moved to discuss what it’s like to live and work here. And I’ve had a blast so far. There’s always something to do. The British Lions were here last year, and then there was the Ashes test series and Formula 1 racing – it’s non-stop. The culture is pretty similar to the UK, even if the weather is all over the place. Today was my first 40°C day and it felt like being inside an oven.

I’m originally from Prestwick, and growing up I was a bit of a maths geek. But when I went along to an open-day maths lecture at the University of Glasgow, I didn’t like it. It was very theoretical, but what I love about maths is applying it to real-life situations. Then I went to an accounting lecture and realised it was for me.

“I don’t know what the future holds, which is both exciting and a little bit scary. But I’m just enjoying my job and happy to see where things go”

Amy Cairns CA

While I was at university, they talked about the different routes you could take into accountancy. But for me, becoming a CA was really important. The ICAS route was always my first choice.

Like Sophie, I’ve focused on audit so far. I like working with a variety of clients and getting to see how different businesses work. As with the UK, the economy in Australia is going through a challenging time but it’s very industry specific. Some are booming while others, such as parts of retail, are struggling. And obviously, I’m lucky to work in practice, so it’s a stable business in a pretty secure profession, which I’m very grateful for.

As things stand, I’m due to be here until June 2027. When people ask if I’d like to stay longer, I genuinely don’t know. I really like living here, but obviously my family’s back home in Scotland, which is a big factor. So I don’t know what the future holds, which is both exciting and a little bit scary. But at the moment, I’m just enjoying my job and happy to see where things go.

Sophie and I are holding our first networking event as ICAS Ambassadors for Melbourne in March, and I truly encourage people to come along. It will be informal, good fun and a great chance to meet people.

Get in touch with our Australia Ambassadors