A career in recruitment can be rewarding in many different ways, but can it help you see the world? The unstoppable rise of the cloud market in the US is helping many of our consultants live out their dreams of traveling, while earning uncapped commission in one of the fastest-growing tech markets anywhere on the planet.

Gartner has forecast 17.5 percent growth for the cloud market in 2019, and predicted it to increase almost three times as quickly as overall IT services between now and 2022. With companies in the States moving their operations to the cloud en masse, the demand for our services to find quality candidates is rising rapidly.

Shane Masterson is one of a number of consultants who have moved to the US to take advantage of this, and has seen his career blossom since making the switch. His global adventure began when he joined Frank Recruitment Group as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant back in 2014. Fresh from graduating from his masters at Newcastle University, Shane had already moved once from his home in Westmeath, Ireland, when he spotted a job ad for Nigel Frank that offered him the chance to achieve his dream of traveling the world.

“I always wanted to relocate. I remember telling my interviewer that I didn’t see myself staying in Newcastle longer than two years,” Shane says. “I knew right away that this was a company that was offering an opportunity to grow and progress if I worked hard, and that has definitely been the case.”

Although he had a slow start as a trainee, taking almost four months to make his first placement, he then hit his stride and was promoted to Principal Consultant within his first year, before making the move to London. “I loved Newcastle,” he says, “but it was time to move and I still had aspirations to travel beyond just the UK. So even moving to London felt like the next rung on the ladder.”

Once in London, Shane worked his way up to Team Leader and within a year had been asked if he’d be interested in moving further afield and working towards further promotions. “That was a real driver for me. I knew the opportunities would be there, so I made sure I was ready for when they arose and was totally focused on that.”

When Frank Recruitment Group’s New York office was looking for a new Business Manager, Shane was offered the chance to move to the Big Apple permanently. “The cloud market here was really taking off, so we needed to build out a team as quickly as possible. We had to find a blueprint for how to do that, while taking advantage of the opportunities available to us as a business.”

Was it difficult to adjust on a practical level? “Not at all,” he says, “although I would warn people to adjust their expectations a little. The cost of living is the biggest thing, Manhattan is an expensive place. So be aware that your accommodation is going to be modest, but you’re living the dream. The other thing is that our colleagues here were incredibly supportive and helped make it a real home from home.”

“I always joke that we were sort of guinea pigs for the relocation service when we moved across. Myself and my colleagues Josh Tweedie and Alex Walker joined the business at a time when the program was in its early stages, but it all went smoothly—we got great support in terms of setting up the visa and the interview process.”

With more and more people making the transatlantic transition since then, Shane has also been able to play an advisory role in helping others settle, too. From tips on the best places to live to different sports and social clubs you can join, every American office contains folk who’ve made the move and are willing to offer support based on their own experiences.

So many people have made the transatlantic switch that we now have our own in-house relocation team, who offer a bespoke service to individuals interested in making the move. Their tailored approach means that you can control exactly what you wish to, but if the thought of applying for visas and arranging accommodation is intimidating, you’ll have a point of contact supporting you, who understands exactly what you’ll need.

“I think as a business we’ve definitely benefited from the relocation service. Obviously we’re pretty strong on culture here anyway, but we’ve got a lot of experience in helping make sure someone settles in properly. I always say that a plane ride back to the UK is only five hours, but I can’t think of anyone who’s bought a one-way ticket home because they didn’t like it here!”

And best of all? The hours may be long, but Shane readily admits he’s in the best place in the world to make up for that. “People talk about having a work-life balance, and I get that this job can make that difficult, but let’s be honest; the things you can see and do from here are infinite. You can do virtually anything at any time of the day. Then there’s the rest of the country to explore should you ever get bored of New York!”

During his time in the US, Shane has seen his cloud team grow from just two people while Frank Recruitment Group’s cloud business has also grown to over 200 in that same time, with ambitions to double that in the future.

“The market here is ripe, and the headcount will rise. If anyone was thinking of making the move, I’d say do it. I could place four or five people here in the blink of an eye and it wouldn’t get in the way of anyone else’s route to progression. That’s how big it is here, the market is tenfold what we’re used to back home. Everything is bigger. We need more people and it’s such an easy transition that I’d say anyone with ambition to see the world should consider it.”

With more opportunities becoming available to cope with increasing demand for our services, Shane is a shining example of what can be achieved for those seeking a professional environment full of potential. His hard work has seen him rise from Trainee Consultant to Business Manager within five years, and Shane’s journey doesn’t stop here. His ambition is set to be rewarded with further promotion in the next 12 months—and, of course, he gets to continue living his dream in the heart of the city that never sleeps.