Bring On The Expert
Meet Paul Crawley, one of the new breed of young professionals arriving on Samui.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Samui has been attracting new residents for a long time. However, the dynamics of those new arrivals has begun to change from the original groups of people who first settled here.
Initially, the vast majority of the foreign people living on the island fell into a few small categories. Some came to work in the hospitality industry, and most of these were seasoned professionals with extensive international experience; another group included those seeking a new lifestyle and a totally new career in tourist-related industries, such as diving or owning a bar; and the next biggest group were people who were moving to the island to retire and not work at all.
Now the island is attracting a different kind of arrival which reflects the growth and potential development. Young professional people who are seeking to continue their chosen career path here on Samui.
And Paul Crawley is a classic example of this new breed. He’s now working as a valuable member of the legal team at DFDL Crawshaws. But, rather than coming to the island having practised law for many years in another place and arriving here with the intention of ending his career in a pleasant environment, Paul is fairly recently qualified and has all the ambition expected of someone starting out on their career path.
Originally from Gateshead, in the UK, Paul qualified from Sunderland University with a law degree and followed this with a legal practice course at Northumbria University. He started his training contract with a respected legal firm in Newcastle in 2006 and, as part of his training, he has worked in various specific areas of law, such as civil litigation, residential and commercial property, wills and estates and personal injury.
He finally qualified as a lawyer in February 2008 and this was to be a very important year for him, both professionally and personally. Paul married Danielle in the July and came to Samui on honeymoon. The destination had been well chosen. Firstly, Paul and Daniel had visited South East Asia on several previous holidays; mainly because Danielle is a teacher and the climate in this part of the world worked well with the school holiday periods in the UK.
he honeymoon, he made enquiries with some Thai law firms and had arranged some interviews during his stay.
The first interview was with a large well known Thai firm and resulted in a job offer in Bangkok. The second interview was at DFDL Crawshaws and the offered job provided the opportunity to live and work on Samui. He returned to the island and started working in October and by December Danielle had joined him. The year 2008 is unlikely to be one they’ll ever forget.
Paul sees Samui as a place of rapid growth and he felt that the career opportunities here would be as good as anywhere. And, of course, there’s the added bonus of living on a tropical island destination. After working here for a while now he knows that he’s made the right choice. Bangkok is a hectic metropolis from which he could see no easy escape. In contrast, Samui has a slower pace, great surroundings and an atmosphere that makes it easy to enjoy the time when he’s not working.
Foreigners can’t actually practice law in Thailand but the vast majority of clients at DFDL Crawshaws are foreign nationals either living or seeking to live on the island. Paul is an integral part of the team and his legal background makes him the perfect person to liaise, mediate and facilitate communication between clients and the Thai lawyers.
Paul explains that, when you look closely, the laws in Thailand are not too different to those in the UK; the biggest difference is the obvious language barrier. Paul’s decision to bring his skills, drive and ambition to Samui were not purely work-related. He is a keen sportsman and enjoys playing football and golf, and he also enjoys watching boxing. From a viewing perspective Samui is ideal. He’s an avid Sunderland United supporter and, as such, he can get to see all their games on the TV, at least for as long as they remain in the Premier League! Samui also provides the opportunity for him to see and enjoy Thai boxing whenever he wants.
From a more participatory point of view he can play golf on his days off and he has been instrumental in organising a DFDL Crawshaws 5-a-side football team which competes in the local league. And, despite his modesty, he’s getting a reputation as a decent player.
To promote football on the island he recently arranged an 11-a-side international match with a Samui team playing against the Hong Kong Mobsters. It ended in a narrow defeat for the home team but there‘ll hopefully be a return match sometime in the future.
Paul has a very likeable personality; he’s relaxed, friendly and approachable. He’s also keen to work hard and provide a professional service. He fits extremely well into the office which he describes as being like one big family. This is an atmosphere that comes across to clients and it’s always refreshing when everyone in a company seems happy to be at work.
Paul and his wife Danielle are an example to other young professional couples, and are they are proof that Samui can provide potential life-long career options. They certainly intend to have a future here and will stay on the island as long as they continue to be happy.
They’re ensuring this by using Samui as a hub to visit other places in the region. Krabi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma and Singapore have already been visited during their time living on the island and this Christmas will see them return to the UK for the first time.
Being called an expert may seem a bit premature for someone so early into their chosen career path. However, with someone like Paul, all of the training and knowledge he has is fresh and, when combined with his drive, motivation and desire to achieve success, this makes him a very valuable asset to the company in particular and to the island in general.
If Samui is to have a prosperous future then it needs to attract people of all ages, from all backgrounds and at all stages of their career development. It’s a big indication that the island is moving in the right direction if it can attract people like Paul who sees Samui as an ideal opportunity to develop his own career, work experience and skills.
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