Becoming an International Humanitarian Aid Worker

By Chen Reis and Tania Bernath

Becoming an International Humanitarian Aid Worker draws on the experiences of those currently working and those hiring people to work in humanitarian aid today, and an analysis of job postings over a 9-month period. It provides relevant information and advice to help jobseekers make more informed decisions about what steps to take. It first pushes prospective job seekers to reflect on whether this is the right career path for them. It then provides tried and tested strategies for preparing for a humanitarian career and being competitive in the humanitarian job market, serving as a comprehensive guide for those thinking about a career in international humanitarian aid.

• Features advice drawn from an analysis of humanitarian jobs, a survey of aid workers, and interviews with human resource staff and humanitarian professionals
• Written in a conversational style with anecdotes, advice and stories from people working in the industry today
• Features useful tips and exercises in every chapter to help you put your best foot forward
• Provides links to useful and relevant internet resources through a dedicated web page

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Oct 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9780128043851

Chen Reis

Chen Reis JD, MPH is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Humanitarian Assistance Program at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, where she teaches courses related to humanitarian assistance and advises students seeking to enter humanitarian professions. She was previously a technical officer at the World Health Organization with appointments in the departments of Gender and Women’s Health and Health Action in Crises. Ms. Reis also served as a Senior Research Associate with Physicians for Human Rights (USA) where her work included studies on sexual violence, HIV & AIDS, conflict & health, women’s rights and children’s rights. Ms. Reis is an expert on sexual violence in humanitarian settings and on humanitarian policy.

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reality.

Introduction

The world faces numerous humanitarian crises today. It is difficult to look online or watch the news without seeing a story about a natural disaster, a conflict, or people fleeing from war. Some are moved by this to write a check, and others to work more directly with those affected by these tragedies. If you think you might be part of the latter group of people and want to become a humanitarian aid worker, you probably have questions about how to get your foot in the door. It is important to begin with an understanding of the work itself and to consider what kind of international humanitarian work might be a good fit for you. As one survey participant succinctly said: It’s not a job—it’s a life choice. It will determine EVERYTHING you do, every minute of the day—not just what/how you work, but down to who you sleep with and the consistency of your poop.

As long-time humanitarian aid workers, we often speak to students and job seekers who are interested in this work. Unsurprisingly, the question we are most often asked is: How can I get a job in humanitarian aid? This seemingly simple question is actually quite difficult to answer. When we first came up with the idea of this book we realized that, in general, the answer to this question is often based on the personal experiences of the person being asked. The fact that there is no one set career path, and the fast pace at which humanitarian aid has changed and continues to evolve, have made giving the right advice quite a challenge. Poor advice can lead people down expensive and possibly dangerous, or ineffective, paths. When we discuss this situation with colleagues and associates, they often say that they, too, face this dilemma when providing advice to those seeking to enter humanitarian aid work. We thought that there must be a better way to advise people, and set about searching for affordable books, and other resources to provide useful and practical evidence-based advice specifically targeted to those trying to enter humanitarian work today, only to find that one comprehensive how to guide does not exist.

This book is our attempt to fill the gap, first and foremost, by helping people understand the realities of the international humanitarian aid work. The book provides insight from those who are already working in humanitarian aid, discusses some of the challenges, and identifies key characteristics that can help you know whether this is the right type of work for you. If you feel you are a good fit, it can then help to prepare you to actually get a job with a humanitarian organization. The information gathered for this book is comprehensive. It draws from reviews of humanitarian job postings; online discussions; a survey; and numerous interviews with human resource staff from key humanitarian organizations, professionals working in humanitarian aid, and professors and advisors of programs that prepare students for this work. The book is intended for anyone who thinks they may be interested in working in international humanitarian aid.

Our aim is to help you develop your career path by providing you with the most up-to-date advice and information available. We do this by answering common questions such as: How do I know whether this is the type of job for me? What kind of jobs are available? What skills are most useful for me to develop? How can I gain experience? What do I need to know about humanitarian work? What should I study? What is the first step I should take to get a job in international humanitarian aid? This book is for you if you are a student in an academic or professional training program, are considering graduate school or professional education, are working in another type of job and considering a career change to international humanitarian aid, or just interested in learning more about it.

Key Terms

Like every professional discipline, international humanitarian aid has its own language and more acronyms than you can imagine. Terms that become second nature to those working in humanitarian aid, and that will be introduced throughout the book, are listed in a glossary at the end of the book. Note that these acronyms and terms often have technical meanings that differ from regular English usage. Organizations may have their own acronyms and terms (some organizations even have books of these), and each sub-area or sector has its own special lingo. Becoming familiar with everyday language of humanitarian work is critical, especially at the outset. This can be overwhelming at first. A long-time aid worker told us that when she started her career in a United Nations agency she spent about an hour after each meeting looking up the acronyms that were used during the meeting. Eventually wading through the alphabet soup will become easier.

Some of the language common to international humanitarian aid organizations includes key terms, for example, the meaning of humanitarian. Although in regular English usage the term humanitarian is often used to describe a philanthropist or someone who does good for others, within the humanitarian system the term is used more specifically, and narrowly, to describe organizations, individuals or work that is premised on four key humanitarian principles derived from international humanitarian law: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. The specific interpretation and application of these four principles will differ depending on the organization, and will be described in more detail in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

How we Collected the Data for This Book

Interviews and Focus Group Discussions

Interviews were the main form of data collection. We carried out two sets of focus group discussions with undergraduate and graduate students to identify and verify key questions. We interviewed 65 practitioners, human resource personnel from humanitarian organizations as well as those working in university settings who advise students seeking humanitarian careers. The practitioners’ experiences varied widely including years of experience, where they had worked, and types of jobs they held. We asked practitioners about their own career path(s), and how it might affect what they would say to those seeking to enter humanitarian work today. Human resource professionals provided very practical information about what organizations look for in the hiring process. Advisors shared the advice they provide to students and recent graduates, and the most successful strategies they have