Activity 2.

0::: How to Break into International Development

International development is a popular career destination for many young people. Graduates can be
found working in this field in a variety of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), international
organisations, consultancies, think tanks and academic institutions.
Many graduates start in an NGO; you will find few graduate training schemes, those that exist have
early application deadlines. Generally organisations recruit as and when they have vacancies. Most
recruiters in this sector are looking for:

1. Skills - these may be “hard” technical skills such as to work as a specialist in public health or
they may be “soft” skills, such as teamwork and communication. Increasingly, recruiters are
placing an emphasis on hard skills, especially for jobs “in the field”.

2. Academic training/intellectual ability - typically a good undergraduate degree (typically

2.1 or better). Senior positions often require a master’s degree. You also need to have good
written spoken and written English.

3. Relevant work experience - gained through volunteering, internships or paid work. It is

advisable to gain development experience before undertaking a master’s degree.

4. Fit - will you fit into the department and the organisation to which you are applying?

5. Passion and commitment - are you committed to the cause?

Things to remember:

• Flexibility and determination are the keys to success.

• Your first job, whilst important, won’t define you for the rest of your career.

• Your first position is a stepping stone.

• Do not stay too long (no more than two years) in an entry level job, you'll be able to progress into
more demanding, interesting roles.

Working in the field

Increasingly posts in the field are filled by local staff and it's mainly higher level jobs or jobs with
skills in short supply (such as engineering, for example) that go to non-local staff. Generally
employers look for at least 3 years continuous field experience for a paid position.
For new graduates wishing to gain field experience there are three main options:

1. Volunteer with organisations, such as VSO, which offer structured volunteering opportunities of
up to two years.

2. Arrange your own volunteer position with a local NGO around you.

3. Intern with a development organisation to get tailored training in development research.

However, field experience is not essential for many jobs in international development (for
example, HR, IT, fundraising, communications, finance, etc.).

International development organisations

Organisations working in this sector have the common aim of trying to alleviate poverty and ill-
health in developing countries. However, the way in which they go about achieving this varies
considerably. The sector can be broken down into numerous sub-sectors including NGOs,
international organisations, national government agencies, think tanks and development
consultancies.
It is not uncommon to move between different sub-sectors, particularly in the early stages of your
career.

When to apply for jobs

Most NGOs operate a “just-in-time” approach to recruitment; therefore start applying for jobs
near to when you are ready to start work.
The exceptions to this are some of the schemes run by international organisations (such as the
Young Professional Programme (YPP) at the World Bank and the Junior Professional Officer
(JPO) in the UN), government graduate training schemes (e.g., for DfID), and the Overseas
Development Institute Fellowship scheme. For example, the deadline for the World Bank’s YPP is
in July of the previous year. Keep a note of deadlines in your diary.
Networking
Many jobs in this sector are gained through making contacts. Network by:

• Attending conferences.

• Going to talks.

• Undertaking some part-time volunteering.

• Talking to your peers about opportunities.

• Creating a LinkedIn profile and connecting with professionals and employers.

Job websites
Many people get jobs by applying for advertised positions, although if you network at the same
time you will substantially increase your chances of success. 140 international development
job websites can be found in the below Medium blog post:

https://medium.com/@brenspiration/best-international-development-job-websites-for-those-
interested-in-working-with-an-international-68d032504dc9

Compiled by:
Rabia Khan
University of Warwick
Joy Oboh
Consultant
Dataville Research LLC