Three months in Pune
Hello Hendrik, you have been in our partner office in Pune (India) for three months since February. How did the secondment come about?
I had been interested in a secondment for a long time and could have started it earlier. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was necessary to wait. The secondment in India came about after a spontaneous conversation with the head of the Pune office in November 2024. He was in the Bielefeld area for a client meeting, so I was able to meet with him along with my supervisor. After an hour-long conversation, it was decided: I would go to India. The sooner, the better, so I could still take advantage of the slightly cooler climate at the beginning of the year to acclimatize. It should be noted that the average temperature was still around 30 degrees Celsius. So, I started the secondment in February 2025 and completed it as planned by the end of April.
The secondment has provided me with experiences on many levels that are otherwise difficult to achieve. Experiencing India not just as a tourist but as a temporary resident of the city of Pune is a unique experience.
Consultant Transfer Pricing
How was your arrival, and were you able to settle in quickly?
I am very glad that my arrival and accommodation were well organized. I was picked up from the airport and taken to my accommodation. There, I receive both breakfast and dinner, so during the week, I only have to focus on work, and on weekends, I can primarily focus on sightseeing. This made the start and the entire stay much easier. My colleagues were very helpful and welcoming, and communication in English was never a problem. Therefore, I felt settled in and integrated after about a week.
What did you gain personally and for your career from the secondment?
It was fascinating for me to gain a better understanding of the “pain points” in India and to understand which issues land on the desks of my colleagues here daily and how they are handled. This includes organizational topics such as the submission of forms and adherence to local, specific deadlines. Additionally, there are also subject-specific issues, such as dealing with functional relocations, determining permanent establishment profits, year-end adjustments, determining arm’s length interest rates, etc.
Furthermore, I was able to connect not only with the transfer pricing team but also with the broader tax team and legal team. In my experience, the first personal contact can significantly facilitate reaching out to colleagues here in the future with open questions and ongoing issues. Moreover, personal interaction also helps to understand how the other person approaches things and in which areas you can effectively involve the colleague. There are often different focuses among colleagues that you can quickly understand and learn. Now, I know who to call in India if I have a question about benchmarking or a permanent establishment in India.
I would also like to encourage those who are interested in a secondment but lack the courage to pursue it. Most of your concerns can be quickly dispelled through brief discussions.
Consultant Transfer Pricing
Would you recommend a secondment to other colleagues?
I can generally only recommend a secondment to broaden one’s horizons and challenge one’s worldview. The wealth of impressions and different ways of life that one can experience abroad, especially outside Europe, can sometimes be hard to imagine from an office in Germany. I can particularly recommend the secondment if you already have a connection to international topics due to your team or work. This allows you to gain much deeper insights into relevant issues abroad and link the experiences gained with your own work. This way, real synergies can be created.
I also want to encourage people who would like to do a secondment but are hesitant. Most of the issues you imagine as problems can be quickly resolved through short conversations. I learned this very quickly after arriving here; these conversations can also be had just as well beforehand. To my delight, I realized how quickly one can adapt and settle in, even if everything seems very different at first. This applies to work but even more so to the basic, everyday routines.
A certain level of English proficiency and openness to other people and cultures is really all you need to successfully complete a secondment.
Thank you for the interview!