Working Abroad Q&A: Each week, Irish Times Abroad meets an Irish person working in an interesting job overseas. This week, Aoife Carry from Dublin on working as an artistic director on large circus shows in Macau.
When did you leave Ireland, and what were your reasons for leaving?
I originally left Ireland in 1988 when my family moved to Scotland. I spent every summer holiday back at home and officially moved back in 2009 when I married a man from Tipp. We left again in 2014 when we ran away with the circus and moved to Macau.
Tell us about your career there.
My career in Macau is crazy, I have been given so many opportunities that just don’t exist back at home, or if they did, I did not have access to them. I work on large scale resident circus shows, and create bespoke performances for high profile events.
What does your day-to-day work involve?
There is no such think as an average day. Generally my work involves managing an artistic team (artists, coaches, physiotherapists, stage managers and a wardrobe team). I am currently working in a corporate environment, and have to balance this with the circus/theatrical side of work as an artistic director. I spend more time in meetings or behind a desk than in the rehearsal room.
An average day starts at 6.30am when I get up and get the kids up. I take them to school for 8.15am and head into work. A normal day is around 9.5 hours, but on event days this can go way up.
A standard week is 48 hours, but I’m yet to meet someone who has worked one of these for more than two weeks in a row. I get home when I’m finished working. We are very lucky that childcare in Macau is affordable and we have a wonderful woman who takes care of our children when they finish school and we are still working.
Do the Irish fit in well there?
Of course, we fit in everywhere! The only thing that takes a little more time to settle is our sarcasm. It took my Macanese colleagues a little while to realise that it was just my sense of humour.
Macau is interesting, it's a densely populated little island that has the feel of a village
What is it like living in Macau?
Macau is interesting, it’s a densely populated little island that has the feel of a village. You know a lot of people, and within your own social circle everyone knows everything. It can become a bit too much at times, so luckily Hong Kong is close (it’s like going to the city for the day). Macau is an amazing hub for travelling to other South East Asian countries, and we have been really lucky to do a lot of travelling as a family.
Are there any particular challenges you face in your work?
Language would be the most obvious one. I have been very lucky that English has been the working language in the two companies I have worked for. Cantonese and Portuguese are the two official languages in Macau, so sometimes it is difficult to find official information in English. I am so lucky to work with some amazing Macanese people who help me out with translations when required.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career abroad?
Go after the job you want, not necessarily the location. Don’t be put off by language, or lack thereof. I had no interest in ever visiting Asia, when all my friends were backpacking around Southeast Asia, I was off in South America.
When I first arrived in Asia it was because we were moving here. It was daunting and scary and exciting, but Asia has quickly gotten under my skin and I adore it here.
Are there any other Irish people in your business/social circles?
There are about 50 Irish in total in Macau (my family being four of them). Our current Consul General for Macau and Hong Kong, Peter Ryan, is an amazing man. He has done a great job at bringing the Irish together, and introduced me to the core Irish group who have been in Macau for a long time.
The obligatory Irish bars are owned by a few of them, so our nights out usually start or end up there.
What is it like living there in terms of accommodation, transport, social life and so on?
Accommodation is primarily apartment living, and by Asian standards they are pretty big. However, we do not have ovens in the apartments and I really miss that. We have a hob and we bought a countertop toaster oven, but it’s not the same as a big cooker.
The public transport is amazing, it is cheap and very frequent, it just tends to get quite crowded.
The social life is good. We work pretty anti-social hours ,so none of the bars or restaurants are too busy. Macau has a large number of Michelin-starred restaurants and really good street food, so you can always find something you are in the mood for.
As with any foreign country the supermarkets are different, and because Macau is a small country all of its food is imported which can make some things very expensive. Cost of living is relative, the salaries are good, the taxes are low but rent is high and food is very high.
Where do you see your future?
We are really enjoying the circus lifestyle, and hoping that opportunities will come up where we can continue to travel and work together as a family.
Is there anything you miss about living and working in Ireland?
I miss driving, you can get anywhere in Macau in about 20 minutes, I miss getting in the car and driving for two or three hours.
I miss being able to go into a shop and explain, in detail, what I need, and not relying on Google translate (all the while panicking that the thing I’m emphatically saying I need is not something completely inappropriate or rude)
I miss the supermarket deli counter.
I miss our family.
