This is the last in a series of five posts aimed at helping people who are considering becoming aid workers to understand some of the issues. The first is Know What You’re Getting Into. The second is Aid Work is a Profession. The third is Experience, Education and Personality. The forth is Where Do You Fit?
Following this post is a non-exhaustive list of web-based resources you may find helpful.
If it seems like I’m being a bit heavy on this profession so far, that’s because I’ve seen my fair share of damaged souls wandering along this particular career path. I’ve come close to the edge myself on more than one occasion, and would like to see fewer, rather than more, dysfunctional individuals working on field postings.
And with that said, hold on to your hats…
Aid work is an intoxicating, exciting and richly rewarding career. When it works. Often it doesn’t. Often things like politics, corruption, violence, interpersonal relationships, or sheer incompetence means that things fall apart. Things, like projects designed to save peoples lives. This can shake the strongest of people. When people are driven by values and a belief in the greater good of humankind, watching this sort of failure can leave them deeply wounded. I’ve known of it costing people their faith in humanity and in God. I’ve seen my fair share of cynics, and periodically count myself among them (though I still find myself drawn back, like a moth to a candle, to the hope that we can actually do something about this broken world). People become isolated. Some drop into depression.
They say three types of people are drawn to aid work. Missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits. Humour aside, it’s a fair description. You find a disproportionate number of people driven by values, by their thirst for experience or money, or people who just don’t know how to function in any other environment.
This can make the aid environment quite a dysfunctional one. Exotic, addictive, wonderfully unique, and utterly unhealthy. People jump from one emergency program to the next like it’s going out of fashion (Port-au-Prince? Ugh, that’s so 2010. It’s all Horn of Africa now darling.) They do the same with friendships, with relationships, with lovers. Work hard, play hard is the motto most employ when in the field. This might be the house-party scene, with drink or pills optional but frequently endorsed extras. It might be adrenaline sports. It might be risky travel options. Regardless, this line of work attracts the sort of person who thrives on an element of risk in most things they do. Not always the best approach to life.
I make all these statements with a healthy level of self-awareness.
Aid workers expose themselves to all manner of stresses. Some of us wander into life-threatening situations, which may sound great recanted in cavalier fashion over a couple of local brews, but in fact are anything but when you’re actually in them. Even those that don’t bear direct witness to terrible events are usually indirectly exposed to them on a routine basis. Reports suggest that above all of this, the single biggest cause of stress to aid workers is organizational dysfunction, where the pressures of a poorly managed response in a highly value-driven culture can be devastating, psychologically speaking.
These pressures lead to a whole range of stress reactions on the brain. I won’t go into too much detail, but this regular exposure to steady stress, which may or may not be coupled with repeated exposure to critical incident stress, results in physical changes to the makeup of the brain which cause long-term and in some cases irrepairable damage.
A lot of aid workers see psychologists (I am one). A lot more who don’t should.
The mobile and uncertain life of an aid worker takes a huge toll on the personal life. While the constant changing from one emergency-focused community to the next can be a lot of fun, it also means that forming deep, meaningful and stable relationships over time is very difficult. You meet a lot of single aid workers. You meet a lot of divorced aid workers. You meet a lot of aid workers who have significant marital problems, or who are disconnected from their children. And if you hang around long enough, you hear plenty of stories of married aid workers sleeping around on assignment too.
Even if that’s not the way you roll, finding and maintaining a relationship to a life partner is a challenge in this line of work. For all the negative stories I hear above, I also know plenty of men and women who make it work. But I’ll wager that they work at it a lot harder and more deliberately than their peers who don’t jet around the world at the drop of a seismograph.
It’s not just spouse and children you suffer disconnection from. Whether married or single, connecting to a stable group of friends in your home community becomes difficult as well. With you constantly on the move, you’ll find that most relationships start to slip, and you have to work hard to stay in touch with those you care about. It’s not uncommon to find that people simply stop inviting you to events because they never know when you’re around, or they’re tired of hearing you say that you’ll be overseas that weekend. I’ve found this has been one of my biggest struggles over the years, and I’ve spent long periods of time back at my home base feeling restless and lonely, struggling to maintain social networks, and wishing for my next overseas ‘fix’ instead- which ends up being just as lonely, in the long run.
If you’ve just read through the post this far and gone, “Heh heh, that sounds way cool,”, then you can sod off. Seriously. Stay at home. There are enough burned-out, dysfunctional and anti-social relief junkies out there. Some of them do a decent job at running a relief program, but most are a liability to themselves, and therefore to others as well. We have all of those we need. Don’t become another one.
If you’ve gotten this far and admitted, “You know what, that’s way more than I’m ready to cope with right now,” then no worries. Aid work isn’t for everyone. There are a zillion ways to help people in need in your local community, and there’s a lot of very wise argument that would say your efforts are best placed helping there anyway. It’s great that you care about the world enough to look into aid work, and make sure to keep connected to what’s happening in the world around us. Figure out the way you feel you’re best geared to give, then go do it.
If on the other hand you thought to yourself, “Man, I need to figure out a way to maintain my values in the face of contradicting experiences; I need to develop some good solid coping strategies that are going to hold me together when the pressure’s on; I need to really work on maintaining my relationships with the people in my life I care about if I’m going to do this work,” then congratulations. You may be ready to think about that career change after all.
I reiterate: I’m not saying aid work sucks. I’m not saying you’re destined to become a burned-out loner lurking in third-world bars preying on local prostitutes (though observational evidence suggests that if you’re going to become an aid worker, that’s still well within the realms of statistical probability…). Aid work is rewarding. If you take the effort to get yourself set up properly, work with a reputable agency, and work dilligently to minimize harm and improve the quality of assistance given to people in need, you can accomplish great things.
But if you walk into this line of work without the right mindset, you’re in trouble. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into. You need to understand that the aid industry is a profession, not just a hobby. You need to invest in getting the right set of skills, sufficient experience, and ensuring that your personality is going to gel with this line of work. You need to think through what it is you’re wanting to contribute to this line of work. And if you’re really serious about it, you need to have a plan to mitigate the highly destructive side-effects of the aid worker lifestyle.
***
This isn’t a comprehensive solution to becoming an aid worker. It is a handful of insights that I, as a professional aid worker, want to share with the significant number among you who are interested in this line of work and want to understand what it involves.
I know there are plenty of other aid workers out there who have other things they could add to this series, and possibly some varying opinions on some of what I’ve said. I’d welcome any comments, additions or disagreements you might have. Many of you may have specific resources that might help people interested in becoming aid workers find a starting point or move themselves ahead a little.
And to those of you out there who are seriously thinking about it, feel free to ask any more specific questions you might have that aren’t addressed here, and I’ll see if I can answer them. There are plenty of other very qualified, experienced and articulate aid workers who make themselves accessible via social media and the blogosphere, so do check out the people I’m interacting with on Twitter, follow them, and see what they have to say too.
Salaam, Shalom, Peace.
-MA
Resources:
Aid Workers
Tales From The Hood has a ream of material that catalogues, among other things, the perils of being an aid worker and some of the internal battles that this entails, in a highly entertaining, readable and often poignant style. His audience frequently includes students and would-be aid workers, and his blog should be required reading for anybody interested in the profession. He posted a couple of pieces specifically for students looking to become aid workers, which you can find here and here as a starting point.
Alanna Shaikh, another top-notch aid blogger, has a section of her home page dedicated to Jobs resources for wannabe aid workers (check the right hand column a few sections down)- I’ve linked a couple of them below. For two dollars a month you can subscribe to her newsletter ‘International Development Careers List‘ and get regular information and feedback on how to work in the aid industry.
Saundra, who runs Good Intentions Are Not Enough, has a page similarly dedicated to job resources, including a list of websites worth checking out and monitoring for job vacancies.
Web
A detailed pamphlet on how to find your first job as an aid worker can be found on Eldis, “Better Ways to find Humanitarian Employment“. Thanks to Alanna Shaikh for providing this link, and the next, on Change.org entitled “Finding a Job Overseas“.
Jobs4Development is another good gateway site to start browsing what’s out there.
Aid Agencies
Most agencies have clear links on their websites to where job availabilities can be browsed, although note that most of these are unlikely to be entry-level. Many NGOs have graduate or internship programs which enable young would-be aid professionals to get sector and field experience, but they are generally highly competitive and open to just a handful of applicants a year. The list below is not by any means exhaustive. There are hundreds of reputable agencies you could choose out there.
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Thanks for bringing all these together. A quick comment on Alanna’s newsletter – it’s not really a job ads list (although she does send a few) but is mainly a way for people to get specific questions answered about their own career circumstances. These are then shared (anonymously) with all subscribers to the list. I’ve had useful feedback on my own questions this way and it’s almost always valuable to see what other people are asking and the advice Alanna gives them.
Thanks Stephen- helpful (as you can see, I’m not a subscriber myself
). I’ve changed the description accordingly.
Cheers.
-MA
Thank you for writing this series and taking the time to share your insights.
While I really enjoyed this final installment, the title gave me the impression it was going to speak about the monetary costs of pursuing a career as an aid worker. As someone who has been working for not-for-profit organizations since graduating university (with a bachelor’s degree) it’s difficult to envision getting a foot in the door without indebting myself (whether it be to return to school, or travel and volunteer abroad). I wonder if you had any comment or advice about that aspect of it… I’ve applied for internships in the past with no success (ironically facing that same catch 22 – internships designed to provide overseas experience go to those who already have overseas experience).
Still figuring out my next step ( don’t suppose you have any colleagues who specialize in communication and behavioral/social change ).
Best,
Karine
Hi Karine,
Thanks for your post and your thoughtful response. And thanks too for identifying a hole I totally meant to plug. When I initially began drafting this final post I definitely planned to include a section on financial implications, and I guess I got carried away with the narrative and forgot to bring it in. Your message is a very useful reminder.
Indeed, both short-term and long-term, being an aid worker has massive monetary cost. In getting set up, there’s often an opportunity cost of having to pay your own way (airfares, possibly even working for nothing) while you try and scrape together that all-important field experience. Salaries for starting positions- especially in western nations- are often very low, and certainly well below similar roles (i.e. requiring similar education, skill-levels, experience) in for-profit organizations. In fact, when I graduated, one of the reasons I didn’t stay in the UK to look for aid jobs was because of the prohibitive cost of living in London and the expectation that surviving while looking for a job in the NGO sector was going to be too difficult. I came to Australia, where the cost of living was lower (and I could stay with my parents…) and still consider myself fortunate that I landed myself a job within 4 months of looking (which followed the first 4 in the UK during which I did a lot of temp work and got nowhere with my career…).
Once you actually get a job in the aid industry, salaries remain, on the whole, significantly lower than in the private sector. Talking with friends outside the sector, and people with qualifications like mine about my age who work for corporations and for-profit companies, I estimate that I currently earn somewhere between 30-50% of what I could reasonably be expected to be earning if I wasn’t with an NGO. This has implications for supporting a family, and also long-term considerations such as benefits and pension plans. So, realistically, this is a life-decision if you’re serious about getting into it as a career. And note that it’s a lot easier to transition from the private sector into the NGO sector than vice-versa. Many people do end up making the change back the other way for financial reasons, but it’s not easy.
Field postings for expatriates tend to pay more. This isn’t necessarily in terms of outright salary, but because many positions have housing benefits, cost-of-living allowance, education support and/or home-leave, it means that aid workers can end up banking (tax-free) a larger portion of their salary than they might at home. It’s still not likely to compete with the private sector, and there is the cost (financial and emotional) associated with uprooting yourself and possibly your family overseas. On the note of family, it’s worth mentioning that this process all gets a lot harder once kids are involved (and, in some cases, partners, especially if there are two careers in the mix, both of which need servicing). Obviously, the highest-salaries aid-jobs tend to be in the more undesirable places- and equally tend to be deliberately ‘unaccompanied’ postings, meaning no allowance is made for a partner or children. This can work great for single professionals, who can put away quite a bit of money after a few years of dangerous postings- but then, note the long list of other costs associated with this lifestyle in the post above.
UN jobs tend to pay more than NGO jobs, and many expatriates make this transition when they have more experience under their belts. In the NGO industry, this is jokingly referred to as ‘selling your soul’. While there are some good roles out there with some good UN agencies really making a difference, it’s also true that the UN tends to be [even] more bureaucratic and administrative than its NGO counterparts, with a lot of politicized decision-making and unwieldy systems that UN colleagues I know bemoan. As the son of a former UN-agency employee, I can attest first-hand to the frustrations this environment can breed. Also note that many UN postings (like NGO postings) are on short contracts- 2 years or less- which means a lot of uprooting, bad for family and- sometimes- for self.
The way some aid workers compensate themselves for measly pay at the front-end of their career is to become consultants. Some development consultants (brought in by aid agencies and the UN onto a wide range of short projects to advice and support) charge ridiculous rates (by my standard). There is the plus-side that, once established, you have some freedom to focus on those things that interest you, stay away from organizational politics, and, well, charge a lot more money (if you’re good). Obviously, though, this isn’t a safe source of income, as when budgets bite, consultants are the first to go. It also, once again, tends to require a lot of travel. However, I know a number who make it work for them.
All this is a bit moot, however, for those struggling to get in the door at the beginning of their desired career. Yes, absolutely, there is going to be some financial trade-off to begin with, and my advice would be to try and save up enough cash that you can live off it for a year or two if you get an opportunity to get experience that doesn’t pay you. I think the most financially viable way of doing this is to try and get yourself over to some of the places where NGOs have field offices (or there are lots of grass-roots NGOs). Costs of living in many of these places are lower, so your savings can go further while you try and get a job, or if you get a low-paying local role. Many of the reputable organizations’ graduate/internship programs will cover costs, even if salary is low, as will some of the higher-end volunteer organizations (some of which, like Australian Volunteers, even pay you a pretty generous salary for the right role…).
All up, Karine, it’s honestly not an easy gig, and my recommendation would be to network to other graduates who are in a similar boat to you to see what solutions they’re coming up with to fund their way into the field. If you can save up some cash and get yourself overseas where you can start connecting with other organizations, this is the path I would take (and was planning for, when I was able to get my first NGO job). It can take a couple of years to get this happening, which is another reason why aid work really needs to be considered a career-choice, and not just a passing interest.
At any rate, I wish you the best of luck, and if you get any advice or experience you’d like to pass on to others, please share it.
Likewise, other readers with additional experience that might help Karine, please post it to this thread, I know there are lots more folks out there in a similar boat.
Re: communication/behaviour change, can you be a bit more specific about the sort of thing you’re interested in? In my mind, any good development worker should be working in behaviour-change, it’s pretty much what we do! What field/aspect of this do you have in mind?
Cheers,
-MA
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such a complete response. I very much value your insights.
As you suggest, I might have to review my savings plan to make a long-term trip abroad possible to scope out opportunities in the field.
RE: School. Specifically, I came across an MA program offered by the University of Queensland titled Communications and Social Change which focuses on advocacy in developing countries. Since my formal education is in communications I thought this might be a better entry point for me versus strict “international development” programs. At the same time however, I don’t know of anyone who has this kind of specific training (there are no similar programs offered in Canada for instance – from where I’m writing) and I was wondering if this is actually an area of expertise for which there is demand in the field. Again, any insights you could offer would be great!
Best,
Karine
)
(pushing her luck
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Very helpful, very provocative, not a comfortable read, but certainly a useful one. My husband and I are mulling over our options at the moment. Your blog will help us to do this with reality fully in check (well, as far as possible at this stage anyway).
Also appreciate the other links and books recommended, will get reading.
Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback Heather, and I wish you and your husband all the best as you head down this road!
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A link for Karine in Canada, are you aware of Canadem’s work?
While expensive, if you can fund your way Canadem can help organise a 6 month minimum placement for you. However, it may be more cost effective to set up an arrangement yourself than use a third party.
http://www.canadem.ca/home/en/other-activities/canadem-gps.html
CIDA funds up to $15,000 for Canadian citizens however you should be unemployed or underemployed.
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDI-CIDA.nsf/eng/ANN-9308424-G6U
Keep looking and save your money.
My son has been doing a type of aid work for the last 3 years, he is 21 years of age. He spends up to 5 months of every year helping to run an orphanage in The Philippines and when he goes back this Christmas is hoping to start street teaching in Manila. His goal is to establish his own centre for abused and neglected children when he completes his degree at Sydney Uni.
Each time he returns home it takes him longer and longer to be ‘normal’ and it seems he changes irrevocabley with each visit. He adores the children and does the work because it “has to be done”.
He has many friends but I have noticed a pattern emerging whereby he will gravitate to a different friend set each time he comes home be it, school friends one time, youth group friends another or his mates from the music scene another.
He gets irritated with people complaining about things here in Australia as it seems so trivial to him and he can become very judgemental. His faith in God used to be incredibly strong but that has gone now and I was very interested in your concept of an aid work ‘fix’
I am a mother concerned for a son who seems to live life ‘the hard way’ but I cannot but admire his desire to right wrong in the world I just do not want to lose him along the way.
thank you for your article it was most helpful
Anne
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Though i appreciate your realistic approach to what aid work really is, I cannot understand why you have to be so pessimistic. Yes, this job has very many negative aspects to consider, but your not only sending a discouraging message, you think its comical? This picture that you’ve painted looks to me like a bunch of fucked up junkies who just ended up in a third world country because they didn’t know what else to do with their lives. Like you said, the people in this field worked hard to get there with determination, compassion, and the desire to better the lives of other people. So why ruin it for the people with the inner drive to do the job. “just stay home” NO fuck you. Honestly people like you do not belong in this profession. Your blog is a piece of shit.
Hit a nerve, clearly. I’m curious, Jackie, are you an aid-worker in the field now, or are you in the process of trying to become one? The “just stay home” remark is made at a very specific audience, namely, those people who aren’t prepared to take a good hard look at themselves and consider the difficult aspects of getting into aid. One of the things I wanted to address in writing this series is that notion you express, that just having an inner drive to do the job is enough. I think aid work is often glamourized and people think it’s a life of adventure, or a perenniel backpacking holiday, or is going to be filled with the warm glow of knowing you saved the world- and it’s none of these things. Just wanting to be an aid worker isn’t enough to make it a good idea that you become one: as you’ll read over and over in this profession, good intentions are not enough. However, as I point out in the conclusion to this post, if people are willing to consider the challenges, work out ways to deal with those implications in themselves, and make sure their expectations are as realistically geared as possible, then there’s every reason to give it a go- bearing in mind it’s still a very challenging career path just to get into in the first place. And at the end of the day, disregard my advice. There are plenty of aid workers out there, of all calibres, of all varieties of wellbeing and satisfaction. I’m only sharing my own experiences and observations. However, if people are finding the ideas expressed in this blog post discouraging or distressing, well, the reality of the aid profession (just like many others) is far more-so. Whatever your path I wish you luck.