International aid/development worker job profile

International aid/development workers provide aid and assistance to people and communities in the developing world

Humanitarian aid work often involves responding to emergency situations, helping those affected by natural and man-made disasters, such as earthquakes and war.

You'll work with the affected country (either from the UK or in the country itself) and will support local operations to provide relief and support to people and their communities.

As well as providing urgent, immediate aid in response to disasters, you may also work on longer term projects in developing countries, such as implementing health care and education programmes, improving access to water and sanitation and building food supplies through agriculture. You may also be involved with the development of urban and rural areas and small businesses.

Depending on your role, you may advise on humanitarian laws and policies.

Types of international aid work

Work in this sector is diverse and encompasses:

conflict
disaster preparedness
economics
education
environment
forced migration
gender equality
governance
healthcare
human rights
infrastructure
livelihoods
security.

You could work within one or more of the following areas:

administration
research
fundraising
training
consultancy
advocacy
relief work
economist roles
medicine
engineering
planning.

Responsibilities

As an international aid/development worker, you'll need to:

evaluate the response required in fast-moving emergency situations
administer the day-to-day work of an office or team
carry out strategic planning for long-term development and/or disaster management to reduce the need for crisis intervention
manage budgets and allocate resources
conduct needs assessments
organise fundraising and draft funding proposals to ensure the future of specific overseas programmes
manage, monitor and evaluate projects
research and write project proposals and reports
recruit, manage and train staff and volunteers
develop relationships with partner organisations in the field and encourage capacity building
communicate effectively with relevant internal and external stakeholders including volunteers, clients, partners and donors
negotiate and liaise with public bodies and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
implement security procedures to ensure the safety of staff working in unstable areas, maintaining an overview of the security situation and making appropriate decisions
represent the needs of poor communities by advocating, and lobbying sponsors, governments and the public.

Salary

Typical starting salaries for UK-based (mostly London) roles with NGOs providing administrative support to overseas programmes, such as team administrator, coordinator or research assistant, range from £18,000 to £25,000.
Salaries for UK posts with experience, such as project manager, policy manager or programme development adviser, are in the range of £25,000 to £50,000.
An overseas post requiring extensive experience, such as regional or country programme manager, field coordinator, specialist engineers, logisticians, can earn you £21,000 to £37,000. This varies widely depending on responsibility, skills, organisation and base country.
Overseas leadership roles at deputy head/head levels can pay in the region of £50,000 to £60,000. This will be for country management roles where you'll be expected to have significant previous experience of managing humanitarian operations overseas for large organisations.

Direct comparison with UK rates is complicated, as pay may be supplemented with items including accommodation, travel, medical allowances, hardship allowances, passage back to the UK and allowances for partners and children. It may also be taxed differently.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

If based in the UK, you'll typically work standard office hours. In contrast, overseas working hours may be long and unpredictable, particularly in emergency relief situations.

Part-time work is unlikely for overseas posts but is possible in the UK. Fixed-term contracts, ranging from a few months to several years, are typical for overseas postings - making career breaks, as well as periods of unemployment between assignments, a possibility.

What to expect

UK roles are mostly office-based. Overseas posts may combine office and field-based work.
Overseas locations include both cities and remote locations, such as refugee camps or educational programmes in small towns and villages. Frequent relocation between overseas postings is common and those with partners or dependants should be aware that some postings are unaccompanied.
Work locations may include areas of political instability, war zones, natural disaster and medical hazard, all of which pose some risk to personal security.
Many NGOs have headquarters in London with far fewer jobs available regionally. You may find some international organisations have nation-wide bases as well as a central London base.
Short trips to visit projects in the field may add up to several weeks or months per year in some UK jobs. If you're internationally-based you may spend up to 50% of your time travelling within your country or region.

Qualifications

Many people who enter this area of work have a degree in social sciences or a relevant vocational subject, although not all posts require a particular degree. The following subjects may help to give you the required skills and increase your chances:

economics
education
environmental science
human rights
international development or development studies
languages
law
logistics
medicine, nursing and other health-related subjects
social policy
water or sanitation engineering.

Entry without a degree is unlikely, unless you can demonstrate substantial relevant experience.

It's a good idea to get some work experience in development before starting a postgraduate course. This will provide context for further studies and help to identify the most relevant academic or professional qualification to undertake.

Postgraduate courses are available in subjects such as international development management, international health management, humanitarian and conflict response, aid management and global social policy.

Search for postgraduate courses in international development.

A background in areas such as finance, IT, fundraising, HR or marketing may offer you an alternative entry point into development agencies, if you wish to work in development without being directly involved in managing overseas projects.

Some people enter aid and development work as a second career, having previously worked in nursing, law, teaching or logistics. This can be especially useful for overseas roles where experience is typically required.

International aid/development is a challenging and extremely competitive career area to break into. It's essential to do some research and raise your level of knowledge and understanding of how the sector and organisations operate before applying.

Skills

You will need:

the ability to relate to and communicate with a range of people
problem-solving skills and the ability to operate effectively under pressure
the ability to build and maintain effective relationships in changing teams
drive and determination to achieve results and initiate action
the ability to manage the workload, prioritise tasks and delegate when necessary
cross-cultural sensitivity
self-awareness and organisational awareness
the ability to manage people and projects as well as motivate others
patience and a willingness to adopt a long-term view
the ability to learn and to acquire new skills rapidly and the flexibility to transfer learning from one situation to another
operational decision-making skills
willingness to live and travel in basic conditions (for overseas posts)
language skills - French, Spanish and Portuguese are often requested (as well as English) and knowledge of Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Swahili or other African and Asian languages may be advantageous, depending on the region
highly specific skills and experience that may be required for humanitarian and disaster relief assignments.

For overseas postings it can also be useful to have a driving licence and some essential first aid skills.

Work experience

The key to getting a job is relevant previous experience. Getting related voluntary or paid work experience is essential during, or following study, either overseas or in the UK. This can include office-based work with a charity in the UK, which is useful to get an idea of the work and commitment required.

Most university students' unions offer opportunities to volunteer. Internships are also valuable and can often be taken during summer vacations. Formal internship and work experience schemes are common in larger charities and organisations such as:

Organisations that provide information and advice about getting involved in volunteering include:

Most routes to gaining overseas experience require some self-funding. Volunteering opportunities in Africa and Asia are offered through Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). A variety of roles are available.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

International development and emergency aid organisations are the main employers of international aid/development workers. These can be either government departments, such as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or more commonly non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

NGOs include voluntary and religious organisations and they vary in size, structure, regional focus and their capacity to employ paid staff. Some offer predominantly UK-based roles in finance, fundraising or overseas project management. Some deploy experienced staff in developing countries.

Opportunities can be found through the following organisations and programmes:

Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme - provides hands-on experience to young professionals (usually aged under 32) pursuing a career in development. JPOs are sponsored by their respective governments who fund a placement in a UN organisation.
The World Bank - offers employment for recent graduates and those with a relevant Masters degree and experience.
Overseas Development Institute (ODI) - employs postgraduates.
UN Young Professionals Programme (YPP) - a recruitment initiative for talented, highly qualified professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the UN Secretariat. To be eligible, you must have the nationality of a participating country. The list of participating countries is published annually and varies from year to year.

There is usually fierce competition for positions at the major international organisations, such as the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO).

Look for job vacancies at:

British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND)
CharityJob
International development jobs
ReliefWeb - also lists organisations working on humanitarian projects.

Professional development

Vocational training tends to be delivered through volunteering, internships and short courses. Organisations such as RedR and BOND run relevant short courses.

The World Service Enquiry (WSE) offers information and careers advice through a range of specialist services.

If you work for a large international organisation, you'll typically be given a comprehensive induction. The aim of this is to help you do your job effectively and individual learning needs will be identified. You may be able to choose from a range of training options, including traditional training courses, conferences and seminars, e-learning, coaching, mentoring and job shadowing.

Not-for-profit organisations are not usually able to offer as much formal in-house training as other organisations, as there tends to be less funding available for staff training. You may therefore need to access volunteering opportunities to broaden your skillset.

If you're an engineering graduate or hold a vocational degree, you can join your relevant professional body and may also be able to work towards professional accreditation or chartered status. You may also be able to participate in relevant professional training.

Career prospects

There isn't a set career pathway for international aid/development workers. You'll need to carve your own career according to your own skills and abilities. Moving between NGOs to gain experience is common, often with a mix of UK and overseas posts. Competition is intense for domestic and international posts. Working overseas may be difficult without higher or specialised qualifications, for example in health promotion, micro-finance or logistics.

The public sector may offer more structured career development.

Posts such as country or regional programme manager generally require at least five to seven years' experience. Recruitment at this level is increasingly global, with a noticeable move towards appointing well-qualified nationals with the appropriate cultural background. There is a growing trend for organisations to decentralise and base themselves in, or close to, the developing countries in which they are involved.

Consultancy may be an option after you have gained considerable experience, although there may be increased competition for consultancies in certain countries.

International aid/development worker