|
My undergraduate degree was in anthropology and I am currently on an internship in the programmes department of a medium-sized international development NGO in the UK.
However, I'd like to get into research, policy or advocacy but don't know the best way to go after my internship.
I imagine a generic development studies masters isn't that useful but what would be? Do I need to acquire a specialism?
Matt Ide of experiencedevelopment.org answers:
Indeed you’re right. Studying a generic development masters will be of little value if any, to achieving your goals. The key to longevity in development is to specialise. However, you must be careful that you think this through thoroughly before you decide what to do. In order to specialise and reach a level of experience needed to get a job in that field you will probably need to have a PhD.
The only funding available (if this is an issue) is for what they call 3+1 PhD - the 1 is for the masters and it has to be Research Training (RT) recognised. A PhD is a huge commitment over a number of years and there is no guarantee that there will be a job at the end of it. What it does offer you is the chance to network and meet people and build up valuable experience in the hope that doors may open in the future.
Unfortunately specialism’s don’t come in a policy/advocacy format. You need to choose a specialism that you are interested in and one that you have prior experience of, or can see has a clear route to a job – what are the key areas that the World Bank or the UN are focusing on at the moment and what might be the key areas in the future?
Although this sounds a little cold, it may well be crucial to finding a job at the end of it.
The other alternative is not to study development at all and focus on building up your experience in other areas with a view to "side-stepping" later on. Having recently spoken to the Head of Policy at a medium-sized NGO, he is suggesting to students to get into fundraising.
This is the one area of development where there are plenty of jobs and in which you get to learn and write about the work of the organisation, work alongside different departments and perhaps even visit projects overseas. Other areas might include marketing, human resources or logistics.
I'd love a research or policy job in an NGO like Christian Aid or Oxfam, or a think-tank but what’s the best way?
You’re half-way there! Speak to the HR department in the NGO where you are working to find out what skills and experience they look for with that sort of job. One of the hardest things to do is to actually get to talk to someone within a charity, but if you’re already working there it should be fairly easy. Talk to your colleagues and find out what their backgrounds are. You’ll probably find that they come from all kinds of disciplines.
One of the things that is often overlooked by students is the realisation that you don’t have to have studied development to get into it. There are many professionals from other sectors who have built up skills which are transferable that allow them to work for development organisations. An example might be a civil engineer who instead of working for a construction company wants to become a shelter specialist or a marketing graduate who wants to ply his trade for a development organisation. In this respect, fundraising is the best "way in" because it only requires very generic skills such as writing, good communication and ability to process lots of information.
If you’re working for an NGO already, utilise this position. Don’t be afraid to talk to people and be open-minded about what skills and experience they might have. There’s no definitive way to get a specific job in development, it’s more about building up experience, utilising contacts and networks and above all being very lucky!
© Copyright ngo.media ltd. |
