A day in the life of an onshore PRO - Part Two

Meet Leande and Abrie – two of our amazing onshore PROs, who are currently in Indiana, USA 

Being an onshore PRO is an experience like no other! It completely moves you out of your comfort zone and – if you are open to new opportunities and change – it will be the adventure of your life! 

A typical workday for Leande and Abrie 

There is flexibility in our workday, and we have found a structure that works for both of us. Typically, we wake up at 6:30 am to get to work by 7:45 to clear out any admin before 8. After that, we power through the day until 7:30 pm – with a quick 30-minute lunch break and a speedy dinner in-between. We try and get as many hours as possible into the week by Friday (at least 10.5 per day) so that we can leave earlier on Fridays to have more time to take in the country. We also aim to fit in some exercise when we get home at 8, and we are usually in bed early after winding down and relaxing.  

Work events are a way to learn about your team and the culture 

Learning as an onshore PRO doesn’t just happen in the office! 

When we first went out with the BKD partners, we had a shrimp cocktail for the first time! We’ve also experienced college basketball with one of the partners, and we were taken out to a pinball arena by the company as well. The way of life and events are diverse and interesting – and are definitely a way to learn more about your team and the culture of the country where you are based.  

Tips that we have learned that will help other PROs 

People are very helpful, and you quickly get into the way that everyone works. The terminology can definitely be different – like SALY means Same As Last Year – but it is easy to catch on. If they mention “passing something on” – it means that they will hand it to the next person without working on it; and “journals” actually mean every transaction in the GL, manual journals and transactions during the year.  

Our weekend adventures in Indiana 

The small, quaint towns in Indiana are amazing. We love finding local restaurants to have a coffee or a bite to eat, and our favourite towns so far are Madison and Carmel. We had so much fun at the oldest bar in Madison – where the locals noticed our accent and we had the best conversations with them! 

The weather in Indiana is very cold during Winter, but the national parks are exceptionally beautiful (and often frozen) which has been an unforgettable experience when we have gone hiking. We have even tried snow skiing – which was a lot of fun! 

Being an onshore SAPRO PRO is an experience that we will never forget.