While one might hope for such an opportunity to have a chance to play the role of a young warrior, a prince, or a queen, the reality is that unless you are born into a royal position or live under a royal house, and you do not plan on becoming a royal citizen, you probably will not have this option. As a result, many people move away from the Kingdom of England, whether permanently or temporarily, and look elsewhere for work.
However, my out of town employer had no such concerns about sending someone to my Prince2 Exam. In fact, he was excited to hear that he would be recruiting from across the Atlantic.
It took me some time to find out what exactly he meant by “across the Atlantic.” The next time I spoke with him, he told me that, in his opinion, it would be easier to get my Prince2 Exam done in the United States than it would be in London.
He suggested that because the United States has fewer natives of British descent, we should focus our efforts on those people who are most likely to pass the exam – people of British descent, regardless of where they are from. To be sure, if a native from the United Kingdom was a first-rate candidate, we would encourage hiring an out of towner.
Nonetheless, our American counterparts were willing to think outside the box. After all, as we know, England is becoming less white by the year.
Consider Albert Einstein, whose family was Jewish but whose father was born in Germany. Today, of course, Albert is considered a Jew, and his name is translated into English as Einstein. Yet at the time of his birth, his parents were German-American, and although he speaks very well, he might not have passed the Prince2 Practicum exam had he taken it in London.
It may be worth looking into as well, that because we have many European Americans in the United States, and there are many Americans of European descent, there is a group who would be easy to reach. By contrast, if you are from Europe, chances are slim that your local out-of-town employer would have any interest in sending someone to your Prince2 Exam in London.
Then again, consider that you might spend a lot of time in another country during your stint as a student. As a native of another country, I doubt that you have ever been to London. You might spend a few days traveling to the capital in a coach, but you would more than likely spend much of your time away from home in a train or a bus.
Indeed, it is certainly possible that an American firm might send their best professional there. But when you compare the available lodging and living expenses with the cost of the trip, the cost of the trip is really a lot greater. This is not to suggest that there are not benefits to being native born in this country, but simply that the cost can be quite prohibitive.
I know from experience that the people in the United Kingdom have a good reason to be excited about the Prince2 Exam, and they should be. We need to take a good look at ourselves and determine how we might use this opportunity to change how we operate and live our lives.
Of course, it would be foolish to think that the people in the United Kingdom could be expected to work harder than we Americans to become better employees. However, let’s not expect the level of proficiency and excellence that would be expected of us, and recognize that we can learn from others who have worked hard at being more proficient at what they are trying to achieve.
