ANNE LOVE
HORTICULTURALIST / WRITER / DESKTOP PUBLISHER
Anne has combined writing and horticulture into a career that works for her.
CURRICULUM VITAE
PERSONALAGE: 43
STATUS: Married
CHILDREN: Two
COUNTRIES OF RESIDENCE: England, Holland, Syria, Oman, Holland
NUMBER OF MOBILE YEARS: 12
WORK
ORIGINAL CAREER: Agricultural Market Researcher but then moved into Industrial and agricultural marketing for the Bank of Scotland. Later became a project manager for an industrial market research company and then left to go freelance. I can proudly say that in 1983 I was in the top 10% of female earners in England.
CURRENT EARNING POTENTIAL: Approximately £12-£16 an hour depending on location
BRIEF EMPLOYMENT DETAILS ABROAD: In Syria I wrote articles on horticulture and sold plants. In Oman I did the same and also wrote a book Gardening in Oman and the Gulf. In Holland I now do desktop publishing, market research and scanning!
CAREER PATH
HIGHER EDUCATION: BSc Biogeography. MSc Agriculture and two years research
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY JOANNA PARFITT
JP: You have certainly seen a shift in direction, haven't you? Not to mention a drop in earning potential. How do you feel about the effect that moving around has had on your career?AL: Children and moving came together. I would never have given up my career for any other reason. I instantly gave up any idea of working from 1984 - 1992 when they were both at school. Life would have changed anyway, I suppose. The money is less serious, and yes my life is completely different, but there are fantastic new opportunities round every corner. I love trying new things.
JP: You managed to find work in Syria, Oman and Holland. To what do you attribute this?
AL I have always been willing to work for free and to do anything. I have a big driving interest in the subject of horticulture and there has always been a dash of luck thrown in too. I think I was often in the right place at the right time.
JP: Would you advise others to gain horticultural/agricultural qualifications if they have a mobile husband?
AL: Yes, because you can always give gardening advice to the expatriate population.
JP: In the real world, how do salaries compare for men and women.
AL: Women are very poorly paid indeed. It is better to become a consultant or writer about the subject.
JP: If you had known you were destined for a life on the move would you have trained differently?
AL: Yes. No. I could have done teaching or something like physiotherapy but they don't interest me.
JP: As a horticulturalist, not a writer, how easy is it to find part-time or temporary work abroad?
AL: You really have to set up on your own. I worked in a nursery once but wasn't paid for it.
JP: What qualification would improve prospects then?
AL: A qualification in garden design would be good, but specialist knowledge would differ depending on each country.
JP: Does your work tie in well with motherhood?
AL: When I work freelance, yes.
JP: You seem to have diversified from your original career somewhat. Tell me about your other achievements.
AL: When I decided to write Gardening in Oman and the Gulf I had to learn to use a word processor. Expat life is full of talented women who are not working full-time and a friend taught me how, for free. Another friend taught me how to take photographs. Sometimes we bartered skills, sometimes I paid nothing, sometimes I just paid less that the going rate. When I decided to write a second book I learned to desktop publish (or typeset) it myself this time. This skill, together with scanning, has led to my current job.
JP: You didn't mention writing.
AL: No. I would never have started writing articles and books about gardening if I hadn't gone abroad.
JP: Was it easy to get published?
AL: I used to write for local magazines, and although I don't feel I was very accomplished then they gave the chance and edited what was necessary. I improved over time. I suppose you could call it on-the-job training! When I wanted to find a publisher for Gardening in Oman and the Gulf I approached Apex, a local publisher, but they said their list was full. Not to be undeterred I decided to write it and typeset it myself and then presented them with the complete book on disk, ready. We set up a deal and I was able to sell the book myself for my own profit in addition to their own sales distribution methods through local book shops.
JP How did you market the book?
AL: I stood in many school playgrounds and set up my stall, attended craft fayres and walked miles wearing a tee shirt I'd had printed with the cover!
JP: What other marketing methods have you used?
AL: Mostly networking. I would find people in the industry and then start working in a small way myself.
JP: Do you feel you have made the best effort to find work?
AL: No. I have worked for my own satisfaction and haven't really needed the money, so I haven't' taken the best paid work. That is a perk of my life on the move.
JP: How does working in England compare with working abroad?
AL: England is much more conventional.
JP: When have you been happiest in your new career?
AL: When writing the book in Oman.
JP: What sort f compromises have you made with your career? Have you done some jobs that you would rather not have accepted?
AL: Sometimes. Just to get a foot in the door. I have been offered English language teaching many times but have never accepted.
JP What do you regret about life on the move?
AL: Loss of earning power and the status that goes with it.
JP: Publishing seems to have grabbed you during the last five years. How did you feel about this when it first happened and what about now?
AL: Excited. It is so mobile, but you have to be very self motivated. Sometimes it is easier to hang out the washing than to get on with another chapter.
JP: Do publishing and horticulture fulfill you in the same way that your agriculture and project management used to?
AL: Yes, because I combine two things I love and hope I pass my interest onto readers.
JP: What is the fundamental difference between life then and now?
AL: I came off the serious career path and have been allowed to follow my own interests.
JP: In an ideal world is there anything else you would truly have liked to do in each country?
AL: In Holland I would like to do garden design. In Syria I would have opened a nursery. In Oman I would have opened a garden centre.
JP: What is the best aspect of your work?
AL: The novelty of plants in new countries. I love formally identifying plants and looking for new ones.
JP: What do you consider to be the worst aspect of life on the move?
AL: You are just getting established when you have to abandon it all and move and start from scratch. It is very exhausting.
JP: How has it been to work with foreigners and in an expatriate environment?
AL: I've met more diverse people than I would have done in England. I have met many who are experts in their field. Third world successful people are usually exceptional.
JP: Have you had any support in your career whilst abroad?
AL: None whatsoever - apart from my husband of course.
JP: What advice would you give to anyone looking for a similar career in horticulture?
AL: Be flexible, buy a good collection of books, subscribe to horticultural magazines about the relevant geographical location.
Anne would like to share the following with you
There are several horticultural correspondence courses, also garden design. There is on advertised the The Garden - the magazine of the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
80 Vincent Square
London
SW1P 2PE
Tel: 0044 (0)171-821 3000
Fax: 0044 (0)828 2304
Contact Jo Parfitt: Generaal Spoorlaan 24, 2252 TA, Voorschoten, Netherlands - Tel: +31 (0)71 561 6857 - www.expatrollercoaster.com