AN AMERICAN SCIENCE WRITER IN PARIS, OR ANYWHERE BUT HERE

by Larry Krumenaker

When I have writer's block, I daydream. I imagine myself talking to a secret government source at a shady cafe on a Parisian side street. Then I'm off to catch an overnight train to Prague. There, under the statues of saints on the Karluv Most, I'm informed about new archeological finds under the Metro hushed up by the former Communist regime. A few days of digging, err, investigation then I'm off to Berlin for a biotech conference. Ahhh, the life as an expatriate science journalist! A high-tech Hemingway. A biotechnical Bond. Or maybe just Michael Balter.

Balter, Science magazine's French bureau, is among a handful of American NASW members who have found a way to work and live overseas in some aspect of science journalism. I reached him between his trips to Ankara concerning an archeological dig, a Neanderthal conference in Gibraltar, and a quick relocation of his Paris offices. It's a far cry from his academic roots in biology.

In 1988, after freelancing for four years for the LA Weekly, Health magazine, and occasionally for the Los Angeles Times, Balter married a British woman and they moved to Paris. At first, Balter had relatively steady work with the International Herald Tribune plus some gigs as a travel and leisure writer. It didn't last long. In 1991, as he wryly puts it, he began "selling my soul to Science . . . but in stages." Freelancer turned to contracted part-timer, then full-timer, and finally full-fledged staffer in 1998.

As Balter can attest, freelancing in Paris is difficult. The cost of living is higher than major U.S. cities (though less than London or Tokyo). Sales tax alone is 20 percent. He could live outside the city where housing is cheaper, but then sources would be harder to find and use. French publications, if they offer you work at all, pay less than U.S. publications. And freelance payments are treated the same as salaries, meaning upwards of 40 percent of gross receipts goes to the government.

So why would one want to freelance in such difficult financial waters? For one thing, Balter says, Paris is a great center for traveling all over Europe and you can't beat the cultural life or the gastronomy. Income taxes are no worse, sometimes even lighter, than American income taxes, and you don't have to pay American taxes at all until you earn more than $80,000 in overseas income. Medical benefits are first rate with 75 percent of doctor and hospital bills covered and supplemental insurance available to cover the rest. Retirement benefits are paid at 80 percent of your last ten years' worth of income. By comparison, American social security is "a joke," says Balter.

While a U.S. passport allows visa-free entry and stays of 30, 90, even 180 days in most European countries, immigration requirements are stricter than in Hemingway's day. Without a residency permit you can't take advantage of medical benefits, get a checking account or a phone, let alone rent an apartment.

Marrying a European Union citizen makes obtaining a residency permit easier, and being an EU citizen yourself removes the problem entirely.

Alexander Hellemans is a Belgian NASW member who has freelanced out of Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Paris. He has lived in Italy since 1997. Because he rarely needs local sources, Hellemans believes in living where you are comfortable. "Since communications and research are now available anywhere via the Web, your location really has little influence on your work. The use of the telephone is now very cheap and from Italy it is cheaper for me to call the U.S. than France or the U.K."

Hellemans, an EU-expat, strongly recommends to would-be American expats that they become familiar with European institutions and active research projects in order to sell stories to U.S. publications. Though many freelancers in the U.S. may moan over freelance payments and contracts for U.S. magazines, it's still better than the going rate in the U.K. or France. Also, non-U.K. publications often don't need you if you have only English-language skills.

Along with affordable communications in Europe, you can live simpler, often without a car (which is fortunate as petrol is far more expensive than in the U.S.), by availing yourself of excellent public transportation.

So if you are an American without a European spouse, how can you leave Berlin, Md. or Paris, Tex. for their European namesakes? Well, as your mother undoubtedly has told you, you could get a job. After 15 years in the Volunteer State, Daniel Schaffer, formerly of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, ended up in Trieste, Italy, via an advertisement in The Economist. Schaffer has worked there since 1997 as the PIO for the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).

"Recruitment by overseas firms is not a snap process, it takes several months," he said. "Originally (mine) was a single one-year contract, not covered by the usual UN regulations or moving policies." Schaffer chose to keep his house in Knoxville and go overseas with BIG suitcases.

The TWAS and ICTP are UN organizations. That makes certain things easier, such as his visa (permesso di soggiorno, or an extended work permit), housing, etc. "Yes, there are many practical and 'mindful' matters to consider when living and working abroad. The first thing to remember is that living abroad is much different from touring abroad. At some point, you realize that you are not a tourist but a semi-resident. In most ways, the experience is more enriching, but there are drawbacks: language and cultural barriers that make simple things difficult, feelings of isolation, confusion, etc."

Living overseas, as opposed to touring, is like the difference between marriage and dating. And if you are married (especially to a non-EU spouse), you need to make sure your spouse can work overseas before you bring him or her over. It doesn't hurt if both of you can find work in the same country. That's how Karen Schmidt landed in Bucharest, Romania.

Karen is a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz science journalism program, which she attended after discovering that writing was more fun than biochemistry. Her subsequent freelance career took her to North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Fortunately, at the time Karen's husband was offered a job transfer to Romania by his employer there was an opportunity for her to teach journalism at the University of Budapest through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

"Environmental journalism is hot in Romania, but the Romanian scientific establishment is a shambles," says Schmidt. "There is little serious research to report and environmental stories are hard to sell, hence a more pressing need for journalism teachers instead of reporters. The students thirst for information and are very appreciative. It's nice to get back to basics and reflect on what good journalism is all about. People here want very basic instruction in Western-style journalism, so even professionals (as opposed to academics) can provide what they need."

Once her Fulbright grant ended she was asked to stay on to teach for the Independent Journalism Foundation, an English-track program. She now teaches basic newswriting and reporting as well as media law and ethics.

Modern amenities are available in former Eastern Bloc countries if you have the money (especially U.S. dollars). For example, she has a home phone, PC, and Internet connection, none of which are easy for the average Romanian to obtain. The average Romanian officially makes $100 a month (a little more is earned unofficially.) Rents are low (about $200 a month), food is cheap ($1 or $2 for a restaurant meal) and babysitters charge $2 an hour. By comparison, Fulbright grants pay up to $3000 a month, last up to a school year, and one can reapply every three years. The downside of life here is red tape.

"In Romania itself, the biggest 'headache' is that the society is not forthcoming," says Schmidt. "Fifty years of Communism, 30 years of Ceausescu, (and) ten years of disillusionment with the transition to democracy leaves most Romanians with great reluctance to talk. Still, saying you are freelancing for someone like Science can probably get you in."

Even more in demand than teaching journalism is teaching English, which was Sandra Katzman's ticket to Japan.

Katzman, a science writer since 1975, including work for the LA Times and the Sacramento Bee, went back for a masters in communication at Stanford University. After graduation, she wanted to live in a foreign country and Japan seemed like a good place to pursue journalism reporting and communication research. An ad for English language teachers needed by a corporation caught her eye and she jumped at the opportunity.

How does she continue to do journalism while employed fulltime teaching? NASW to the rescue. She pitches stories to organizations found on the various nasw-lists. For example, she pitched stories to Modern Drug Discovery and BioMedNet when they first appeared on the lists, now frequently writes for them.

Once you are overseas, it's often easier to locate your next job, thereby keeping your visa valid, after the initial assignment that brought you to foreign shores ends. For example, Katzman now teaches part-time at an academy instead fulltime at the corporation, changing her visa status from "humanities" to a prized three-year "professor" status.

So is it possible to make my little daydream come true? Here is the combined wisdom of this group of NASW expatriates:

• You can't do it on a tourist visa. You need a residency permit obtained through nationality, marriage, or employment. You're on your own for the first two, but here are some places to look for employers:

International organization Web sites (NGOs often need people who can write in English);
Ads in large newspapers like the London Times or New York Times, or weeklies like The Economist, Nature, and New Scientist;

Science publishers-the U.K., Netherlands, and Germany are fertile fields for these;

Companies that are seeking teachers of English;

Fellowship organizations like the Knight International Press Fellowships, Fulbright Scholar Program, or the International Career Employment Center .

• Paraphrasing Ringo Starr, you'll get by with a little help from your friends. Contact expatriates, such as the resident BBC, AP, or Reuters colleagues. The local embassy's press and culture office often has lists of social events involving Americans. In Paris, hook up with the Anglo-American Press Association.

Don't forget to make friends with the natives. You can't be a tourist the entire time you are there.

Contact NASW members already working in countries where you may want to work. They can be helpful also in locating sources and interceding in cases of a language barrier and may be active in their own countries' science journalism associations. The International Science Writers Association (ISWA) is another resource for contacts.

• English may be the language of science but not of the average European. Learn another language; the more languages the better. You may not need to write in another language to get work overseas but you will probably need to read non-English documents to find stories and contacts. And while the scientists you interview probably speak English, the support staff may not. (Balter's language test for expatriate fluency: 'Forget about the scientist, can you speak to his secretary?').

Knowing some of the language, even the daily courtesies, will be appreciated and will open more doors. Plus, if you are going to live in a foreign country, you need to learn vocabulary and phrases for daily activities such as grocery shopping, traveling, medical needs. Learn through courses, tutors, even television. It's amazing how much Russian one can learn watching musical, news, and comedy programs.

• Become acculturated to your new environment. To successfully live in someone else's culture means being willing to change the way you see and do things. Most Americans are too direct for European tastes. Keep a sense of adventure and be flexible. Besides, once you get to know a place you'll be in a much better position to get an assignment than the correspondent who flies in for a week.
• Recognize that science journalism opportunities are limited beyond the techno-West, so market other skills. Photography often pays better than articles, teaching can easily out-earn article sales, and writing for other markets can augment your freelance income. English language editing can make you a valuable commodity for companies with U.S. interests. In other words, a combination of skills just might be your meal ticket to Paris.

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Larry Krumenaker writes out of the Atlanta area only because he's still waiting to say Bon jour, Paris, Privyet, Moscow or Konnichiwa, Tokyo. He can be reached at LarryK@nasw.org.