Escape the City

Most people avoid having to answer the dreaded question "What do you do?" because they don't want to bore you to tears. If you feel stuck in an unfulfilling job or feel frustrated with the unfortunate connotations of work in the city these days, then ESC the CITY was set up for you.

Whilst planning an escape route from city jobs last year, Rob Symington and Dominic Jackman found their answer to the "What next?" question by deciding to help others put their bar stool talk into action.

"The number 1 reason for setting it up was the realisation that there is a huge trend of young people working in 'The City' in jobs that aren't right for them and that they would move from if they had a good tangible alternative." says co-founder Rob Symington, who left a business consultancy firm in the city and in between aiding future escapees is planning to go into wine-making.

The website is an interactive platform with job listings, links to related organizations, inspirational resources and ESC events to help prepare you for a journey along the road less taken. One of ESC's favourite inspirational quotes is taken from Macbeth,

'Present fears are less than horrible imaginings'

Once a registered member you receive weekly updates on their most exciting new opportunities across a range of industries, from local young start ups to more adventurous endeavours overseas. Recent postings list dream job opportunities such as, 12 holidays in 12 months for £20,000, Business Analyst for ARSENAL FC! Security Officer in the MI5 and Columnist for the Wall Street Journal. .

Essential to ESC strategy are the stories of numerous ESC heroes, each with their own unique insight about what to do when you have itchy feet, which according to veteran ESC hero #3 can only be cured with a good scratch.'  Roly Bagnall left behind the bleak environment of 'grey filing cabinets, Formica desks and glaring at a bright monitor day in and day out', to head to India in search of work in micro-finance. A year on after messages on Facebook announcing homelessness in Delhi, he can now be located in Mumbai working for Intellecap, a business developing socially responsible enterprises. 

Planning ahead is very much advised though; saving up, researching, making connections and in the most desperate situations at least having a general objective, "Many people will be sceptical of radical decisions like this but I think that if you have an objective that can be justified then you have nothing to lose. The rest will follow. You'll only regret what you don't do," says Roly.  

Until the organization can become a self-sustaining platform,  dynamic duo Rob and Dom with their ESC team are making the best effort to do us all perhaps one of the hugest favours of our working lives. As Dom put it, "Your work takes up more than half your life, so don't make the mistake of living for the weekends."

So keep an eye on those friends who say too often, 'I'll do it for 3 years and then find something more interesting' and inform them about ESC the CITY, before they wake up 30 plus one morning, a bit soft round the edges and still in the same job they forgot they always wanted to leave.

For more information visit www.escthecity.com

by Sophie Gore-Browne

Posted: Friday 14 May 2010