It’s a myth that overseas development just involves “on the ground’” work in Africa and other countries in the South. There are loads of exciting opportunities in the UK doing everything from lobbying, to campaigning and administration. But which of these routes is right for you?
The simple answer is that you will probably need to do a combination of both to maximise your chances of success. It can be a bit of a chicken and egg story — it is hard to get work overseas without UK experience and vice versa.
Opportunities in the UK
There are an expanding number of UK-based organisations working on overseas development, including Oxfam, the World Development Movement, Christian Aid, CAFOD and many more. There are lots of reasons to work in the UK as an alternative or prelude to working overseas, including:
- An opportunity to gain a thorough knowledge of development issues before applying overseas.
- Not feeling ready for or suited to overseas work.
- Not yet having the specialist skills or knowledge required for overseas work.
- Having skills more suited to UK-based work, e.g. advocacy and lobbying.
How to get a UK-based job
There are lots of routes into UK development work. One of the best is to volunteer or apply for an internship with a major development charity to gain vital skills, experience and contacts. Undertaking a specialist development studies course is another option and you could also join a campaign group at university or in your local area to gain a greater understanding of the issues.
Opportunities overseas
There are literally thousands of organisations working in development overseas, ranging from large international organisations to small grassroots NGOs. There are lots of reasons to work overseas, including:
- A chance to make a real impact where it’s most needed.
- An opportunity to put your professional or specialist qualifications to good use e.g. medicine or engineering.
- A chance to learn about the issues first hand and to apply this to your future career, perhaps working in the UK.
However, spending large amounts of time overseas, particularly in conflict zones, is not everyone’s cup of tea however. To make sure you are cut out for this demanding but rewarding career, you need to consider:
- Whether you could cope with spending substantial periods of time overseas?
- If you can survive the insecurity associated with short-term positions.
- Are you over 25? — many organisations are wary of sending younger volunteers or employees into conflict zones.
Getting there
Competition is intense for overseas jobs and most human resources departments stress the need for at least two years’ overseas development experience before you will be offered a paid job. This varies according to the specific job applied for, the organisation and other relevant experience. It can be possible to gain this experience through long-term volunteering with organisations like VSO but you will still need specialist skills (e.g. languages, teaching, publishing, business management), even for a voluntary placement.
- Consider working in overseas development in the UK to gain skills, experience and contacts first.
- Work towards gaining a specialist or professional qualification like teaching in the UK.
- If you have skills, you can sometimes turn up in a country and search for jobs with small NGOs.
Training schemes
The Department for International Development (DfID) runs an Associate Professional Officer Scheme (APOS) which gives young graduates the opportunity to gain educational and professional experience in international development. Visit www.dfid.gov.uk for details. If you are keen to work in International Development within the government, you can also apply for the Civil Service Fast Track Scheme, for which managerial positions within DfID are sometimes available.
"Hidden” jobs
There are lots of jobs working in NGOs that aren’t advertised widely. These include short-term research contracts in the UK, often for the larger charities. Volunteering for an organisation is a great way to find out about these jobs — once your face is known, people will often consider you for work.
Another way is to keep an eye on the pages of your local newspaper. Many charities cut costs by only advertising locally and you can often find interesting projects that will “fill the gap” and give you valuable experience whilst you search for something more permanent.
Although it’s no guarantee of getting a job, if you are looking for work overseas and already have some experience then you can also take a gamble on turning up in the country and approaching charities based in the field. You need to make sure you do your research. Find out where organisations are located and that you are qualified.
Useful websites
Once you’ve decided that overseas development is right for you, check out the following recruitment sites to find out more about the opportunities available and the specific skills and experience you will need for particular posts:
Alertnet
www.alertnet.org
Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD)
www.cafod.org.uk
Christian Aid
www.christian-aid.org.uk
DEVJOBS
www.devjobsmail.com
DEVNET JOBS
www.devnetjobs.org
Overseas Development
www.overseasjobs.com
RED-R
www.redr.org
Relief Web
www.reliefweb.int/vacancies
Save the Children
www.savethechildren.org.uk
Skillshare International
www.skillshare.org
VSO
www.vso.org.uk
World Development Movement
www.wdm.org.uk
Yellow Monday
www.ids.ac.uk/ids/news/ymonday/index.html
This article was first published by People & Planet, who have teamed up with The Ethical Careers Guide to bring you this service. If you found it useful, please consider supporting our work.
