Michele in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

In 2008 I was offered the opportunity to transfer to Ulanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, to work for an exploration drilling company. The lure of a change of scenery and the opportunity to work in a very challenging role were major reasons for accepting. 

Other great testimonials from overseas:

• Caribbean
• Indonesia
• Mozambique
• South Africa
• New Zealand

Q&A: What to expect when moving overseas

Mongolia has a population of 2.7 million, half of which live in the capital of Ulanbaatar, and the locals are very friendly and hospitable. I have now lived here for the past 18 months and am so surprised by the resources that are here: food (with lots of western goods available, particularly from European countries sold in very modern supermarkets); great fresh markets selling a good range of vegetables, fruit and meat; many western-style restaurants ranging from Italian, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean ... and the list goes on.

Summer time, most people vacate to the vast countryside for outdoor walks, horseriding, fishing and camping.  Winter time is cold but there are lots of fun snow sports to participate in. There is also a large expat community here, due to the developing mining industry - mainly Russians, Canadians and Australians.

Ever worked and/or lived overseas for an international mining company? We'd love to hear your story!