Chris Allen moved to the Isle of Man in 1999 after a friend recommended a job vacancy at a local manufacturing company.
I came to the island in May 1999 for an interview, it was a Friday and I stayed for the weekend to experience the island. The sky was blue, the sea was emerald green. I fell in love with the natural unspoilt beauty of the island. The job that I was interviewed for was aligned with my qualifications, skills and experience and offered me a challenge professionally. It all looked very exciting.
Our island based company is a subsidiary of Triumph Group; this company is headquartered in the USA and is one of the leading global aerospace engineering and manufacturing companies.
The products manufactured in our Isle of Man facility have global reach and are represented on some of the world's latest generation commercial and military aircraft. We are testament to the fact that it is possible from our island location to be globally competitive and at the forefront of technology in such an exciting industry as aerospace.
As a senior manager I enjoy the fact that we are successful, have a dedicated and skilled workforce and have easy access to a government that values our existence and supports our needs.
Here the population appears to work to live rather than lives for work.
There is also generally a belief in an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. I have seen no difference in work ethic and application here compared to the UK, however, when it is time to go home it seems that the workforce can't get home fast enough to have fun. Pay rates are not dissimilar to those of the UK but the disposable income is generally higher so people are engaged in activities outside of work.
On a beautiful summer's day, the island's coast comes alive with sailboats in the bay, leisure fishermen, windsurfers, jet skis and speedboats. The roads see joggers, horse riders, motorcycles, cyclists and walkers. In the mountains you will see hikers, paragliders, mountain bikes, motocross motorcycles and dog walkers. There is something for everyone.
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