6 Lessons Learned in S&C from Working Abroad

What were the biggest cultural adaptations you had to make when working abroad?

Josh

The Indian and to some extent Romanian culture are heavily influenced by social standing.  As a westerner I came with an automatically higher status which to me was really difficult to understand, the caste system is quite an abstract concept to me. I still struggle with this in Romania almost daily.

Accepting cultural differences is always interesting and fun to negotiate.  They can be pretty extreme and totally illogical to a westerner, but some things just are not important in other parts of the world and there is zero point in fighting an entire culture, you won’t win you’ll just lose your mind! Things like punctuality or how people drive, it used to drive me nuts, but I soon realised I can’t really control whether people turn up on time or drive like no one else is on the road. But I can control my reactions to these things.

James

While Romania is far removed from little old New Zealand culturally, our team was comprised of 50% foreign players. Many of the players were of island decent who I was used to working with in NZ. Our coach was South African and assistant Romanian coaches all spoke English. That was the easy part. In Romania, what’s on your contract is not necessarily what you’ll receive.

This is something I had never experienced before where an organisation can just cut pay because they aren’t happy with performances or because suddenly there’s “no money” so we are behind a couple of months pay. For me, that was the hardest adjustment and the hardest for all of the foreign players.

In terms of the sport itself, the Romanians love strength work. Being big and strong and dominating the set piece physically is their weapon and is often their main focus. Having come from a rugby culture where yes, strength is important, but skills are held in a higher regard, gave me a much different perspective with how things are done outside of NZ.

Due to the previous communist regime, there is still a mentality of being told what to do and not questioning it. There is also little sharing of knowledge between coaches. Trying to make changes to these cultural ways is not an easy task.

In USA, rugby is more of a niche sport as USA is dominated by Football. Since rugby was mainly amateur before heading over, it was like I had a fresh slate to implement what I wanted, and the players just soaked it up. They yearned for professionalism which made our jobs easier. The USA already has a good training culture. As in, players know and understand the importance of training and they like to put the work in.

When you work overseas in different countries, you’re often surrounded by foreign players and coaches which makes the transition smoother than if you were going into an environment no foreign players or coaches.

What did you learn as a person & coach from your experiences working abroad?

Josh

India changed my life. It was an incredible experience and it really is a magical place.  Human kindness costs nothing, a smile is worth more than any currency and sometimes saying yes to people, challenge and new experiences is great for the soul.

Romania cemented so many of the things I learnt in India, I feel now that people respond and react to what you put out. If you smile, laugh and are kind to people this is what you will receive in return regardless of country or culture. From this standpoint you really are in control of your own happiness if you can choose to have a greater number of positive interactions that negative ones.

James

At this point in my life, I learned that I love living and working abroad. While NZ is my home, I don’t see myself living back there unless the right opportunity came up.

Secondly, shit happens. Don’t expect a job to last forever. And promises made from employers virtually never come to fruition. If the team isn’t an established professional team, even contractual obligations may not be filled. It’s important to not get too excited about what you may be promised in the future of the job, it’s better to be ignored and if anything does happen, it’s a bonus.

What else did you learn as a coach from your experiences working abroad?

Josh

I want to say I learnt I started to learn the language quickly, but India has around 22 local languages which often are not even spoken state to state. So, I ended up scrapping that idea and focussed on the international language of smiling, laughing and hand gestures. A simple smile can change an entire atmosphere and remove all tension brought about from language barriers; it works well.

It was in Romania though that I learnt the real power of demonstration and walking people through step by step what you wanted. Organising groups of 60-100 without using anything but gestures, eye contact and demonstration is pretty tough to start with.

There were days whilst coaching a circuit where I would coach the whole session with only a handful of words and a ton of gestures.  Try it one day, go 10 minutes without saying a word with your athletes, you will learn a lot about your coaching. Oppositely, if you do want to test your communication, you could even remove sight from the equation and force yourself to communicate with words only.

Most importantly though, I learnt that people only know what they know, until you teach them.  I saw hundreds of athletes who had no clue what performance-based training, professionalism or body management was, no one had ever taught them.  So, we upskilled on that and used it as education for everyone.

James

Even if you are a foreigner in a new culture, trying to learn their ways and language goes a long way in earning respect and buy in from players and staff. They really do appreciate when they see you are making the effort to communicate in their way.

Every country has a different training culture and way of doing things. As a coach you want to put your stamp on it. However, things must change slowly, or you will get no change at all or potentially even push back.

What 3 lessons did you take away from your time working abroad?

Josh

1. Change takes time and not everyone moves at the same rate. Step back from the problem a bit and build yourself into the role, don’t rush or you’ll miss things and enjoy the ride less
2. Adapt or quit. Sometimes it’s not fun or pretty. But when it comes down to it in a lot of tough environments you only really have to choose between these 2 options
3. If you want to see problems in any environment, you will find them. Change your optic, it won’t change by simply changing environments.

James

1. Get everything in writing – promises and words mean nothing.
2. Keep your options open – just because you have a job, it doesn’t mean you should stop networking and talking to other coaches. As the saying goes, “there are two types of S&C coaches. Those who are looking for work, and those who are about to be looking for work.”
3. Have something on the side – working abroad can leave you vulnerable. More than likely, you’re dependent on a visa. If you’re let go from work, your visa is gone too meaning you have to leave the country on very short notice. You don’t have time to find another job or sort something out back in your home country.

What advice would you give to someone considering working abroad?

Josh

Do it. Do your research, plan effectively and then pack your bags! Life is for living, get out there and see what else is out there.

Just do your research well, save hard in the early days and have your back up plan in place encase it isn’t all you hoped it would be. Some roles are not what you thought they would be, but often you can shape and mould an experience into a positive one with the right mindset and approach.

James

Some of my responses could seem like a negative view of working abroad with all the uncertainty. But I can say without a doubt, if you have the opportunity, take it. You will develop yourself as a coach and person much more than staying and working in your home country.

The experiences and being able to travel on someone else’s dime are invaluable. You can always come back to your home country to work or settle in the future if that’s what you desire.

There are so many opportunities and people I’ve met that I never would’ve had the chance to which has led to more opportunities and great friendships… and even a marriage!