Comments on: The essentials for getting a job in international development http://workingworldcareers.com/2009/04/20/the-essentials-for-getting-a-job-in-international-development/ Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development Sun, 02 Nov 2014 14:17:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Michelle http://workingworldcareers.com/2009/04/20/the-essentials-for-getting-a-job-in-international-development/comment-page-1/#comment-1546 Michelle Sun, 26 Aug 2012 13:45:25 +0000 https://digitalcommons.georgetown.edu/blogs/workingworld/?p=703#comment-1546 Allana is right a lot of humanitarian work does include a lot of elements of an office job and it is quite shocking to many people when they end up in the field behind a computer. I think it is important for people to understand this element of the work. Also as Chris says it is really competitive out there when you are trying to find an internship. The bigger NGOs like Save the Children or Oxfam get over 100 applicants per opening and most of these do not include field placements which really at the end of the day is what counts. Going with a local NGO is definitely a great route to take. However, it's hard to just show up in a country without a job lined up etc. When I started off I just went NGO door knocking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia until I lined up some work that was voluntary. That ended up being enough to get me into MSF a year later. At www.workforcehumanity.com we have developed a program called the Humanitarian Development Program that offers career advice, an internship and tailored training's so that people can get their first paid job in about a year. The idea of developing the program was to try and bridge the gap for those trying to get into the sector. We also have an experience aid worker who is on standby to answer peoples questions so that they can hopefully have a smoother transition into the field. Allana is right a lot of humanitarian work does include a lot of elements of an office job and it is quite shocking to many people when they end up in the field behind a computer. I think it is important for people to understand this element of the work. Also as Chris says it is really competitive out there when you are trying to find an internship. The bigger NGOs like Save the Children or Oxfam get over 100 applicants per opening and most of these do not include field placements which really at the end of the day is what counts. Going with a local NGO is definitely a great route to take. However, it’s hard to just show up in a country without a job lined up etc. When I started off I just went NGO door knocking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia until I lined up some work that was voluntary. That ended up being enough to get me into MSF a year later.

At http://www.workforcehumanity.com we have developed a program called the Humanitarian Development Program that offers career advice, an internship and tailored training’s so that people can get their first paid job in about a year. The idea of developing the program was to try and bridge the gap for those trying to get into the sector. We also have an experience aid worker who is on standby to answer peoples questions so that they can hopefully have a smoother transition into the field.

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