Javier Rosales, 28, associate in the operations practice, McKinsey & Co

I completed my MBA at Judge Business School in Cambridge in September, and I’m now working in London for McKinsey. My background is industrial engineering. I was born and raised in Venezuela and worked for Procter & Gamble for five years before doing an MBA. Although I considered programmes elsewhere, I found what I was looking for in the UK: a one-year MBA programme; classes of fewer than 100 people; and a high proportion, 90 per cent, of international students. The UK is an attractive place to work. It offers a nice combination of history, diversity and, in the City of London, a prosperous financial centre. That encourages international graduates to stay here.

Joni Sairanen, 32, senior product manager, Lloyds TSB

I’m from Finland, did my masters degree in Sweden and then I came to the UK, starting work in the travel industry. I’ve been working here for four years and with Lloyds TSB for six months, managing the overdraft lending portfolio. The job market here is vibrant, whereas in Finland it is very narrow. To move even within the same industry is difficult and for a complete career change you would need good connections. I have an English girlfriend and I don’t see us ever living in Finland because I think it’s easier for me to adapt to English culture. However, it’s only a two-hour flight home so we can always go there on holiday and for the thing I miss most – the sauna.

Muhannad Abu Samha, 32, recruitment consultant, EPCglobal

I worked in the tourism industry in Jordan for seven years before moving to London and doing an MBA. I’ve been working with EPCglobal for about 15 months, recruiting project managers, construction managers and senior staff for the construction and oil and gas business in the UK and overseas. Working here is different from back home. Jordan is a uniform country: the culture, the colour, the language, everything is the same. In the UK, especially London, there’s a great diversity of cultures and languages. I miss the food back home and all my family being together. However, I am married to an English lady and we have a daughter. We’re enjoying life and plan to stay here for good.

Kara Westhusing, 36, marketing director, Microsoft

The holidays here have taken some adjusting to. I’m from Seattle and people in the US don’t typically take long holidays in the summer. However, it’s something that I’ve grown to really appreciate. I’ve now been here for two and a half years. I miss friends, family and funny things, such as Tex Mex food, which is sometimes hard to get over here, but I’m living in a great location so I’ve had lots of people wanting to come to visit. I also really enjoy the proximity to continental Europe and the opportunity to travel. I had set a target of two to three years to be here, but there’s a great buzz about London right now and it's a great market to be part of.

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