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Finding and Landing an Advancement Job in Europe

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By Karen Riedel

"How did you get your job in Europe?" Despite my warning in a previous article about the downsides of working in another country, many readers have e-mailed to ask that question.

I found my job -- handling public and alumni relations for the Johns Hopkins University's Bologna Center in Italy -- the old-fashioned way: through the job ads. I think we will see an increasing number of international postings for certain administrative positions, in places like The Chronicle and in the job listings through CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. The more difficult question to answer is how to find, and be hired, for the right job abroad.

It doesn't matter if you are interested in relocating to Paris, France, or Paris, Texas. What you need to attract a job offer remains the same: experience, strong people skills, and the right combination of abilities applicable to a particular position. When applying for a job abroad, however, you need more adaptability in your professional expectations and more flexibility in your personal situation than you would back home. Ideally, you will speak another language and have lived in another country, perhaps during a year abroad in college. You usually need senior-level experience because more likely than not neither time nor budget allows for on-the-job training or professional development.

Say you have these qualifications but don't know how to go about finding a job in Europe. I talked to consultants and advancement professionals in Europe to see what they had to say about opportunities for North Americans to work in Europe. It's a good-news, bad-news situation. For fund raisers, Europe is the next frontier, but for people in communications, the employment landscape looks bleak.

First, fund raising: European universities are fast approaching the American model of chasing limited dollars and competing for deep corporate and private pockets. Until recently public money supported the major portion of higher education in Europe, but educational reforms and economic factors have seen government funding decreasing and universities looking for other sources.

With their fragmented tradition of fund raising, European universities until recently have lacked experience, staff, and confidence. Enter development officers from North America who are finding top-level jobs. British universities in particular, says Joanna Motion, executive director of CASE Europe, are looking to the United States because of the shortage of experienced, capable people.

"The general feeling is that American experience in fund raising is cutting edge," she says. "Fund raisers from the United States bring not only a background in development but also a can-do attitude." Furthermore, she notes, when British heads of universities have studied or taught in the American higher-educational system, they have seen firsthand how fund raising works in the United States and are therefore more open to having Americans on their development staffs."

Jill Pellew, a search consultant in Great Britain, agrees that the lack of experienced fund raisers in Europe causes universities to look to North America: "Talent is thin on the ground, even in the United Kingdom, which is way ahead of continental Europe. Every time I get involved in searches, it's always hard to find the right person."

"Our clients are looking for a really good track record in fund raising," says Pellew, vice president and managing director of Grenzebach, Glier, and Associates in Europe, and a former board member of CASE Europe. Based in Great Britain, she consults for both European and American universities. "They want to see a candidate who knows what he or she is talking about."

She warns however that an impressive record of raising money may not be enough for those wishing to work in continental Europe: "I strongly believe the person should have one good working language in addition to English. And they have to understand or be able to learn quickly the regulations and tax laws, which differ in every country."

Fund raising in Europe is more complicated than in the United States, she advises. "You have to rely on personal contacts at every level," she says. "You have to get under the skin of the network and learn who the people are."

If European universities hesitate before hiring a North American, points out Motion, it is usually for two reasons. One, they fear Americans may not be sensitive and adaptable to local culture. And two, they worry that candidates from large and well-financed U.S. programs could be frustrated if they have to work in a more modest department with fewer staff members or lower targets for fund raising.

Pellew says that search consultants often serve as gatekeepers to a lot of the good jobs, so she advises potential applicants to get in touch with one of these organizations, especially if they have international offices.

Joanna Logan of Execucare, a search consultant for nonprofit organizations, says European universities "are in the beginning stages of recruiting the first members of their fund-raising teams. This means they have a huge need for development staff. And because they are just now putting these staffs together, new employees don't have to work through a hierarchy in order to advance." She points out that American development officers head some of Britain's largest advancement programs, including those at the London School of Economics, the London Business School, and the University of Durham. "They set a precedent," she says, "which makes it easier for people coming in afterward."

When it comes to jobs in alumni affairs and communications, however, non-European applicants are less attractive to European universities. Logan points out that the alumni and communications offices are long-established departments, so most universities see no reason to venture abroad for candidates.

Some positions combine development and alumni affairs, a niche American candidates may be able to fill. Scott Hayter is married to a British citizen, but he credits professional networking for his job as director of development and alumni relations at the University of Durham.

"We wanted to live in Europe, for the experience and as a place to raise our children," he says. "So I started actively looking for a position in the United Kingdom. I was active in CASE, and I made sure to meet and talk to CASE Europe people at conferences."

His main advice is to get to know a few of the senior directors in Europe. "They are quite keen for someone with experience," he says, "but they have to know you are out there and what you can offer."

Hayter, who has written about the cultural gap between European and American styles of fund raising, believes that despite perceived and real differences in the advancement culture, North American can-do attitude combined with British tradition and respect for education produce a successful team.

"The same things work in both places," he says, "and that's having a good attitude, being creative, and being able to work with all academic units. I think importing the concept of teamwork and shared vision is an important contribution from the American universities."

Jeff Iseminger of Oxford Brooks is one of the few North Americans to land a job in university communications in the United Kingdom. It began when his wife, a professor of marketing, was offered a job at the Manchester Business School. "I moved here for love," he says, "but I also found a job I would have wanted anyway. So, not only am I on the same land mass as my wife, I actually received a promotion."

As deputy director of corporate affairs, he oversees three teams: Web and print, the print shop, and public relations. "I am fortunate enough to be working at a forward-looking institution that integrates marketing, recruiting, alumni relations, and fund raising. I was partly hired because I had come from the University of Wisconsin, where I had experience in an integrated communications setting," he says.

All of the people I interviewed echoed each other in their general advice: Be flexible, network, have a solid portfolio of experience. They also gave some practical hints on how to begin your search for a job in Europe.

• Search the Web. In addition to CASE, The Chronicle, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy, other highly recommended Web sites include the jobs pages of The Guardian and of a coalition of universities called the Universities Advertising Group.

• Network. Attend CASE Europe conferences, Pellew advises. You may have to pay for this out of your pocket, but combine it with a vacation. This is an excellent way to get to know European advancement professionals, and you can learn practical information at the same time. Back home, make sure you network with European colleagues who are attending conferences in the United States.

• Contact consultants. If you are a senior advancement professional, contact international consulting firms that specialize in higher education. They are always on the lookout for good people to place.

Good luck. I'll look for you at the next CASE Europe conference.