‘I Have Always Dreamt of Participating in an Academic Mobility Programme’
Amal Saidov is a 2022 graduate of the Bachelor's programme 'Economics'. During his studies, Amal made the most of the opportunities available at HSE University: he participated in an academic mobility programme, spent a year in Spain, got transferred to a state-funded place, and participated in case championships and educational schools. This experience helped him to start a career in the Big Four, work in several countries, and continue his career path at B1 as a senior consultant in the Business Tax Advisory department. How does international experience influence one's approach to professional activities and task-solving? Why is networking important? How does one take the first step in building an international career? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the article.
— Your career path includes studies at HSE University-St Petersburg, participation in the mobility programme, a master's programme at the University of Navarra, and work in the Big Four. How did this experience influence your career and prepare you for your current position at the Business Tax Advisory at B1?
— My studies at HSE University-St Petersburg were a great basis for me. In 2021, I went on a mobility programme to the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, which significantly improved my language skills and my ability to communicate with people of different cultures. The group was international, which enriched my experience.
After that, I decided to continue my studies in the master's programme in banking management and financial regulation at the same university, but in Madrid. The programme is really intense: the studies last only a year, and the deadlines are strict. This helped me to improve my skills working with a large amount of information under tight deadlines.
During my studies, I developed my communicative skills and learnt to speak publicly and defend my point of view.
— Which of the key skills you gained during your studies and beyond have helped you in your current position? What is your typical working day like?
— Work in consulting is distinguished by variety and unpredictability. I don't have a strictly limited working day. Sometimes, you have several calls and work from 9 to 6 pm, and in this case, your working day ends at exactly 6 pm. But sometimes, I have to stay late in the office, overwork, and deal with projects.
As for skills, the experience of working on projects during my studies was especially valuable. At the university, we worked in teams a lot, which prepared me for interaction with colleagues and clients. Consulting is teamwork, and the ability to negotiate, understand the needs of others, distribute tasks, and find the right arguments to support your point of view are of great importance. It's also important to know how to create reports and presentations for clients.
I would like to single out participation in case championships. In the bachelor's programme, we had a team which actively took part in such case championships in the second and third years. At first, the results were quite modest, but gradually we started to get prizes. At one of the all-Russian championships, we came 13th and 14th.
— What project in your career has been the most significant, in your opinion?
— One of the most important was a project on the tax structuring of a major contract in Uzbekistan in 2022. Back then, I worked at EY when B1 was not yet in this market. The essence of the contract was a merger between one of the largest private banks with the leading ecosystem in the region. The project lasted for two months and included work in several jurisdictions—Russia, Uzbekistan, and Arab countries.
An interesting thing about the project is that I directly interacted with a director, avoiding the standard hierarchy. For me, it was recognition of my skills and the ability to work on my own in such a narrow format.
Moreover, I have also participated in large tax audits of oil refining companies. Within these projects, we identified significant tax risks which greatly influenced the tax positions of our clients.
— Is there a project from your student years that still sticks with you?
— One of the most memorable though unsuccessful projects was a start-up I decided to create in my second year. It was a display of youthful exuberance—a desire to try something new. I contacted a representative of a business incubator. I assembled a team of five students, including me: one first-year from an IT programme and three groupmates from my cohort. We distributed the tasks of creating a website, designing a layout, and analysing the market. Though now our efforts seem clumsy to me, back then, I believed that we were creating something significant.
The project lasted from October till May, and we prepared a report to present to our supervisors. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic started, and there was no point in implementing the ideas. Nevertheless, this experience was the first step for me in managing a team and showed the importance of communication and cooperation.
— You have worked in different countries. How has this international experience changed your approach to professional activities and task-solving?
— Now, I work in consulting in St Petersburg and Tashkent. There are no significant cultural differences between these cities, so the majority of employees in the Tashkent offices are Russian specialists who moved after EY’s withdrawal from Russia.
But the experience of studying in Madrid was different. They have a completely different approach to work and life. Spanish people treat the work-life balance very seriously: siestas are siestas, and weekends are time for rest. They are more relaxed and understand that work and studies are not the main priorities in life.
When I met my groupmates as a 22-year-old and told them about my work experience at EY and exchange studies, plenty of them were surprised by my achievements at this young age. This highlights the overachieving that is typical of our mentality. In Spain, people have a slower pace of life, which is evident in all aspects.
— Was that environment comfortable for you? Did you ever want to speed up the work pace?
— I felt pretty comfortable in the team because I realised that everyone had their own approach to work. So I never tried to retrain anyone. If I saw that I could improve the result, I took on part of the work, but I did it deliberately.
As I mentioned earlier, a relaxed approach to life and studies is common for them. The average age of students in my group was 26 or more, some of them were even 32–33. After graduation from the master's programme, lots of them started working as interns at the Big Four or other companies in the industry.
For me personally, it would be unforgivable to begin a career in an intern position at 26 and start from scratch. For them, it is perfectly normal. For instance, I had a groupmate from Ecuador. She was 29, and she already had eight years of working experience. Despite that, she decided to start her career at a small consulting firm as an intern and worked there for six months, starting her path again. There were many such cases.
— Why did you choose the University of Navarra for your mobility programme and master's programme afterwards? What challenges did you face?
— I have always dreamt of participating in an academic mobility programme. I knew that while you were young, you had to try new things: not only travelling as a tourist but also living a regular life in another country. When I applied for the mobility, the choice was between Vienna, Munich, and Pamplona. I accidentally missed the deadline for the other universities, which is why I ended up in Spain—and I have never regretted it.
I was very happy to enrol in a prestigious university in Spain where the students included members of the royal family and high-ranking officials. During the programme, I had courses related to business analysis under the supervision of professors from the Big Four. We regularly took part in case championships within the group and prepared presentations every week. One of the key subjects was the course 'Money, Banking, and Digital Finance' delivered by the dean of the local School of Economics and Business.
After the mobility programme, I started working at EY in St Petersburg, then transferred to the office in Tashkent. Only later did I think about a master's degree. My dream was to enrol in the programme in taxes at Tilburg University, which is famous for its courses. However, feeling burnt out because of the tax topic, I decided to change field and transferred from the tax department to the financial one at EY. Later, I enrolled in the University of Liverpool but learnt that there was a requirement to take prerequisite courses. Not willing to postpone my education for another year, I contacted the University of Navarra and successfully enrolled in the master's programme in Madrid.
— You've mentioned that in Europe people are not afraid to change their careers at 20, 40, or even 50. What do you think about it?
— Europe doesn't have the hard line that by 30 you have to reach a certain status. People are ready to learn and start from scratch at any age. But there is a nuance: plenty of those who get a second master's degree already have working experience in a related area.
Unlike those who change their field—for instance, medical workers who decide to move into economics or finance—my groupmates didn't go through such a radical change of area. They already have relevant education and working experience in the related fields. That's why I don't understand why a person with a good background and experience has to start from scratch.
Broadly speaking, they continue working in the same sphere but at the same time zero out their previous achievements. It seems weird: how can you ignore all your accumulated knowledge and skills?
— How did you manage to build relationships with international colleagues? Was it difficult because of the differences in mentality?
— My experience of mobility can be divided into two periods: 'before' and 'after'. When I participated in the exchange programme at the age of 19, it was 2021. The situation after COVID-19 was intense. It was difficult for me to find common ground both with groupmates and roommates in the dormitory where I lived. I had no friends, and my relationships were limited to studies. I mostly spent my free time alone.
By the end of the mobility programme, I happened to meet a groupmate from Kazakhstan. We became friends, but quite soon, the mobility programme came to an end and I returned to St Petersburg. Out of all those acquaintances, Adelia is the only one I still keep in touch with.
In the master's programme, two-and-a-half years later, the situation had changed. I had also changed over this time, and it was easier for me to find common ground with groupmates. I made friends with Dalton from the USA and Axel from Mexico. We travelled together to different cities and worked on projects, which brought us closer.
As for the locals, the Spanish are truly open to tourists: if you have any problems, they will always help you. However, when you start living in the country and come up against daily life, the Spanish may turn out to be quite reserved. To build genuine friendships, you have to make a lot of effort and spend some time to get closer to people.
I had no plan to make friends in Spain, but I just ended up finding common ground with lots of people. Some of them even invited me to visit them in their villages. We keep in touch, learn about each other's news, and plan travelling together.
When I was in Pamplona, people seemed more reserved. After reflecting on it, I decided that the main reason was age. In Pamplona, most students were 19–21 years old; they were still 'children', so it was more difficult to find common ground with them.
— A lot of 19–21-year-olds actively make acquaintances, but your experience was different. Why do you think that was? What changed at 24–26, and why is it easier to make friends now?
— It is an interesting philosophical question which concerns technologies of interaction between people. It's still a mystery to me, but I believe that everything comes down to life experience. In fact, life experience allows people to find things to talk about. For instance, now I have something to talk about with my groupmates, while during the mobility programme, we had completely different topics of discussion.
Common problems and concerns unite people in some way. During my mobility programme, which lasted four months, I didn't manage to become close friends with my groupmates. In contrast, in the master's programme, we spent a whole year together and went through various challenges: exams, trips, and projects.
We had a study trip to Paris after the first exam period, which also contributed to strengthening these ties. By staying together in the same hotel and participating in educational events, we became closer to each other.
Now I realise how important good networking is for your life. When you are young, this realisation doesn't come straight away.
— You highlight the importance of ties. What do you think is the core value of networking?
— In Spain, for example, you cannot really achieve anything without networking. In my master's programme, our professors were specialists from the Big Four, central banks, and large international organisations. It's not only about studies—it's an environment where you immediately find yourself in a professional community.
Opportunities often come not through standard interviews but via recommendations. If you are not in the network, your path into the industry might be harder. This is true not only of consulting but also other spheres—for instance, European supervisory authorities, such as the EBA (European Banking Authority).
— What is 'networking' to you?
— For me, networking is first of all a realisation that you can ask any question of anyone at any time. It means you have open and trusting relationships where no one ignores anyone else. You have good business connections, and your interests in your life and career coincide.
Networking also includes the possibility of mutual help. It means that you can help each other out with various issues either by offering professional advice or giving personal recommendations.
— Looking back, would you change anything?
— I wouldn't change a thing. If I had an opportunity to give myself advice, I would say: 'Act just how you feel, follow your heart, and everything will be fine'. I am sure that before the age of 30, when we're young and not burdened by commitments, we have a chance to make lots of mistakes and gain life experience.
The price of mistakes is much lower now than it will be in the future when we are more mindful adults with responsibilities to ourselves and others. It's important to use this period to experiment and try other things.
— You have travelled a lot. What things inspire you in new countries and cultures? How do these impressions influence your personal and professional development?
— Travelling is a valuable experience. It helps us to understand how other societies are structured and how people live in different parts of the world. In consulting, you work with clients from various countries, and knowing something about their culture can be useful in communication.
Besides, travelling teaches you to cope with the unexpected. For instance, I was once robbed in Barcelona—three people attacked me. Another time in Segovia, my groupmates and I got blocked by heavy snowfall in March; Spain wasn't ready for the snowfall, and there were traffic jams. And once in the airport in Madrid, they closed three out of four take-off runways because of rain. Our flight was delayed for an hour and a half. Such situations toughen you up.
— What would you recommend to students who want to build an international career but are afraid to take the first step?
— The most important thing is not to be afraid of changes or trying something new. The more you experiment, the better you understand what suits you.
It's important to understand your goals clearly: do you want to get a diploma or stay and work abroad? Depending on the answer, you can build your strategy. Some of my groupmates clearly knew that they wanted to stay in Europe, and they were working towards it. Others simply wanted to complete a master's programme and come back home—everyone had their own motivation.
I recommend the 'Five Whys' method—ask yourself questions to understand your genuine motives and identify what you want to achieve.
— What are you dreaming of right now?
— That's a really good question. I noticed that before graduating from a master's programme, many of us follow a pre-written scenario: finish school, pass exams, enrol in a bachelor's programme, pass exams, and participate in events and exchanges if possible. Then, find a good job and strive to get a master's degree if you are interested in it. But what happens next?
After completing your studies, you realise that no one tells you what to do further. At this moment, you have to start creating your own way and making decisions. I would like to highlight that what I am talking about is true not only for the next one or two years but also for a general view of your future.
I want to get a doctoral degree—I would like to develop not only in my career but also in the academic sphere. Though I don't know when and in which format it will happen, this dream is alive. Perhaps it appeared thanks to HSE University, where we worked a lot on research projects and got used to the academic environment from the first year.
Another dream is to travel even more than before and do it in different ways. I would like to take a road trip. I also strive to develop my career and deal with as many interesting projects as possible, especially in the sphere of international taxation. I really like this sphere—it's always interesting and full of opportunities.
Thus, my three main dreams are a doctoral degree, expanding my travel horizons, and developing a career in international taxation.
— Final question: What three words do you associate with HSE University-St Petersburg?
— They're my friends. Many of those with whom I studied at HSE University-St Petersburg became an important part of my network. We still support each other and keep in touch, even though we are in different countries.