Broadened horizons

Have you dreamt of relocating to somewhere warmer and cheaper, where they have never heard of risk assessments or sensitivity analysis? The mobility of cultural professionals is a hot topic with the European Commission (EC) at present, which is investing €1.5m in pilot projects and studies. The European Institute for Comparative Cultural Research has recently published ‘Mobility Matters’, a study of programmes and schemes to support the mobility of artists and cultural professionals in Europe. Commissioned by the EC, ECOTEC research and consulting is soon to complete a study on information systems to support the mobility of cultural workers, and four mobility pilot projects have been selected by the Commission to test and explore new ideas and methods of enhancing the mobility of European cultural professionals. One of the four pilot projects, ‘PRACTICS – See Mobile See Practical’, will develop and pilot EU Cultural Mobility Contact Points (CMCPs) in four countries (Belgium, Spain, Wales and the Netherlands) to stimulate mobility between EU countries and help overcome existing obstacles. The CMCPs are envisaged as a first point of call for information related to incoming and outgoing cultural mobility, and are designed to offer administrative support.

Pilot projects
Previous projects and studies on the mobility of cultural professionals have tended to focus on artists and art, but one of the pilot projects is aimed at examining those working in arts management and backstage areas. ‘Changing Room’ is a two-year project organised by The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, The Melkweg Cultural Centre in Amsterdam and Trans Europe Halles (TEH), the European network of independent cultural centres. The project aims to test a staff exchange programme for cultural professionals, with the aim of potentially expanding into a wider European initiative. TEH members will host and send managers, programmers, producers, curators, technicians, administrators and marketers on exchanges at each other’s centres. This taste of mobility is intended to stimulate longer-term exchanges and lead to an increase in the permanent engagement of workers from abroad. Through the experiences of the participants and their hosts, combined with workshops and a study by The Sibelius Academy, Changing Room will seek to identify the current issues and barriers to mobility, and then the opportunities and possible solutions for enhancing the mobility of backstage cultural professionals.
Tools of the trade
An online mobility toolkit will be both a key output of the project and the medium used to disseminate its findings and conclusions. By combining both theory and practice, the results are intended to have a greater audience as well as providing valuable information and recommendations for the formulation of future cultural professionals’ mobility schemes. Current research indicates that no previous studies have been undertaken specifically on the mobility of those working in arts management and backstage roles, so there is little, if any, data available for analysis. We do not know how many people are working outside their countries of origin in arts management, what proportion are on short-term contracts, or what the key barriers are for those seeking work abroad. The project also wishes to examine the differences and similarities in mobility issues between the main job disciplines and work areas. For example, is it easier for technicians or marketers to cross borders? How different are financial systems across Europe, and are there arts management practices that are followed in a majority of European countries? [[There is minimal practical and up-to-date information available for those seeking to work abroad]]
Anecdotal evidence and initial research suggest that there is minimal practical and up-to-date information available for those seeking to work abroad. This is one of the issues that the EC is seeking to address. An information resource for another industry, the EURAXESS network for academic researchers, has been identified as a model of good practice. This provides information on areas such as job vacancies, accommodation, language courses, salaries and schooling. EURAXESS receives funding from the EC and is managed by a network of more than 200 centres located in 35 European countries. No such service currently exists for culture.
Current issues
So how do you find work abroad at present? With no comprehensive resource available you need to trawl through around 50 websites and online resources. Many jobs will not be listed on these sites because employers are only recruiting within their own countries. Even if the employer would consider an overseas candidate for a post, would they have the resources to fly them over for an interview? Within Europe, there is clearly an issue over language. For all permanent positions (and for many temporary ones), being fluent in the language of the country you are working in is essential. This is probably a barrier for many Brits who are not world famous for their multi-lingual skills. But for jobs with international organisations, and in some European countries (such as the Scandinavian ones), it is possible to get by with just English. The further south and east you go in Europe the less English is spoken (and don’t even consider France unless you are fluent in Français).
Once you have found a job abroad what issues and barriers might you come up against? A Finnish colleague of mine has recently been working in Sweden. Swedish is the second language of Finland and the two countries are not so dissimilar. However, in Sweden your social security number is often used as a form of official identity and is required to rent DVDs. If you are not Swedish you cannot obtain a social security number, so my colleague spent her year in Sweden watching fewer films than she would have wished. It is often the little things that frustrate those working abroad. But Europe is not the only overseas destination British arts managers can consider. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia are obvious options, primarily due to a shared language. But with these countries, visas and work permits can be difficult to obtain, and the majority of jobs open to international candidates tend to be high level senior management roles. We will have to wait two to three years before the full results of the four EC-funded pilot mobility projects are known. In the meantime, I would be interested to hear from anyone with experience of trying to find a job, working and/or living overseas as well as views on information resources and current support for cultural mobility within Europe.