An international work exchange: better than a midlife crisis

The Australian initiative

Several years ago my wife and I began to reflect on the delightful possibility of an extended period in another country. The concept of a sabbatical year is well recognised,1—3 and has been recommended in the BMJ as a means of promoting personal development for general practitioners whose professional lives are stagnating.4 We decided to attempt a variation: a job swap in which we also exchanged houses and cars with a compatible colleague. But how do you find a compatible colleague in a distant land? I started by writing to the (British) Association for Palliative Medicine, who published my proposal in their twice-yearly newsletter. One of the respondents was Jim Gilbert, from Exeter, who seemed quite keen to explore my wild proposal. He was, like me, a consultant in palliative medicine, his curriculum vitae was impressive, and his work sounded interesting. He had an appealing sense of humour: “We would, of course, extract signed agreements from Wilf (aged 4) and Tilly (18 months) not to destroy your house!”

During a 1 hour telephone call we worked through all the significant issues we could think of, and began the long process of establishing a curiously intimate friendship, considering it began with an advertisement!

We agreed to a 4 month working segment, but which months? The Bridge family wanted to enjoy a British summer and escape before the thermometer plunged below zero. The Gilberts wanted to experience an Australian spring, and escape before temperatures reached the range where small children can …