Welcome!
This site is about getting your first job as a humanitarian aid worker. Whether you want to run refugee camps, micro-credit programs or health programs, this is my personal opinion (not my employer’s) about ways to make the transition to international relief and development work.
If you find this site at least as useful as a coffee and a bagel, and wonder how you can possibly thank me, please consider buying my e-book on Amazon! Getting your first job in relief and development
My take on getting a job as a humanitarian aid worker is organized by chapters (on the right-hand side under the heading Book chapters) – and is supposed to be read top-to-bottom more or less like a book. Book reviews and other pieces are posted below. Find out more about this blog here.
Please read the disclaimer, and understand that this line of work is not risk free. You need to do your own research, make your own decisions, and take responsibility for them.
If this site is as useful to you as a book you might have paid for please consider buying my new Kindle eBook, which contains much of the content from this site, thoughtfully formatted for off-line reading on a Kindle, iPad, laptop, or other e-reader. It’s $7.99, and honestly, what can you get for that these days? Get it here.
Getting Your First Job in Relief and Development 
Hi there,
I could not find a contact email for you. I would like to ask you several questions and advice. If you have time i would appreciate if you contacted me via email so i can send through my thoughts.
Thank you!
You can find my email on the ‘about’ page – here https://humanitarianjobs.wordpress.com/about/
Dear Nick,
What an excellent blog – I’ve had many of the same questions asked to me over the years and you have really summed it up well. I’ll be pointing people to your blog in the future. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Dane Fredenburg
Catholic Relief Services
Thank you Dane!
Hey Nick,
Thank you for the fantastic blog about humanitarian jobs and beginning a career with them. I had so many questions and your blog was able to answer most of them. With your site and some others I have been able to get much better direction on what I should do in order to work with humanitarian organizations in the Middle East.
Best wishes,
Jeff
Thanks for the feedback Jeff!
Absolutely needed! This blog is what I have needed. As an international retired athlete and almost graduate student with some unofficial background in volunteering and humanitarian work, I can say I have struggled with getting into the field. I have begun making my personal notes from your interviews and I am now carefully and strategically chartering my course. Thank you for the valuable tips from your blog. I will be posting and advertising your blog to my friends within the field.
Gratefully,
Judyth
Thank you for the feedback Judyth, I appreciate it!
Folks – I have no idea what this organization is like, and can’t vouch for them in any way – if anyone has any feedback on them I’d love to hear about it!
Nick
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GVI has loads of jobs around the world, in a variety of fields. If you are passionate about helping people & enjoy a bit of hard work while having fun on the job then ‘Global Vision International’ may be the organisation you’ve been looking for.
Volunteer Work
Nice sire, well done, with useful information!
Thanks Thomas, I appreciate your tips too!
Nick
I am glad I found this. As someone who was lucky enough to “fall into” humanitarian work, I find what you write here is very true. I was happy to promote this blog and your book on an article I just wrote.
Thank you Sherioz, please do point me to the article! Thanks!
Here it is:
http://wizzley.com/humanitarian-work-volunteer-career/
Appreciate hearing what you think of it.
Hi, I am 18 years old about to graduate this year in May. I’m very interested in doing humanitarian work, the only problem, I have absolutely no clue how to go about getting into it. Hopefully you can guide me into the right path as this is something from within calling out that this is what I should do. Thank you, sincerely Austin.
Hi there Austin – thanks for the question – take a look at the site – it’s my attempt to help you figure out whether it’s the right thing for you! Let me know if you have a more focussed question,
Thanks,
Nick
Are there hard copies of your book available? I’d love to learn more.
I regret not – but you can read the ebook on pretty much any device… Sorry!
Hii Nick,
Well I’m 25 years old, with diploma in Human Resources Management, well living in quite a materialist world, having being lucky enough in my life for having real pleasant life and really want to start giving to other people that has not been lucky like me.
So feel free to contact me on guilarue@hotmail.com for any advice.
regards,
Guillaume
HI Nick, What a fantastic website. Thank you for making it available to people like me.
I have a question for you. I’ve long been in the NGO world — I’ve lived in third world countries, including some very remote areas and one high-conflict zone, for 9 years, working for a faith-based organization. For personal reasons I’ve transitioned out of that NGO and am currently teaching ESL in the U.S. But I find my heart still longing to be out on the field. Unfortunately, my background is in linguistics (I have an M.A. and I worked in literacy / language development), but I have no desire to continue working as an ESL teacher; nor am I interested in more schooling at this point (I’m 40). Anyone looking at my resume will immediately pigeonhole me as an educator. I’m interested in humanitarian aid, refugee work, gender issues, advocacy, and community development. When I look at job listings, however, they all seem to require some sort of degree in social work or something else.
Do you have any specific advice for someone like me beyond what’s on your website? Would an NGO give me a chance in a new type of role, seeing my field background?
Thanks,
S.L.
I noticed that you replied to a previous post in regards to there being many jobs for nurses in aid work, I am a nurse and I have recently obtained my DTN(Diploma Tropical Nursing)and am looking to work in refugee camps. I am having trouble finding organizations in which to work other than MSF, which I hear is more administrative and not hands on clinic situtation.
Hi Sara,
Sorry to be behind on replying – I’m afraid I don’t have my pulse on who is hiring in this area, but I would think that all of the primary health organizations would be recruiting nurses. MSF certainly has opportunities for hands on clinical work, btw.
You might want to check out this AMA – https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/comments/12kgk8/im_a_nurse_for_an_international_humanitarian_aid/
Where in the world are you? I’d recommend you check with your professional body about this too, since they will likely have good contacts.
Good luck,
Nick
Hi Nick, Thanks so much for the info on this website.
I’m interested in working in logistics for an international refugee agency. My background isn’t one in Humanitarian work, but it is in logistics and operations management.
I graduated from a top business school with a degree in Supply Chain Management and Spanish and have worked 2 years as a operations consultant and 2 years as a logistics officer for a global car manufacturer. I specialize in rebuilding supply chains after disruptions due to political instability and natural disasters.
My concern is I wouldn’t be considered due to lack of professional experience in humanitarian work (although I have years of volunteer experience). Do you have any advice for someone in my position?
Hello nick, great website! I’m really interested in humanitarian aid though I don’t have the money and well I’m still in highschool but ever since I met someone from Pakistan I’ve been interested in foreign countries so far I have friends from over 30 countries so I tend to randomly look up things about their countries which isn’t always great particularly Pakistan and since I’m a highschool student I’ve never really been out of the country well never really been out of state so I don’t really understand the countries like someone with experience and I plan going to bangladesh so that’s going to be a culture shock of a life time but I don’t really know what or were to start with because I was invited by someone living there and it’s not the capital Dhaka so I’m not sure what to do or were to start besides what she’s told me
Hi Joshua,
Good to hear from you. Sounds like making friends and visiting other countries is a great first step to understanding whether international work is for you!
Good luck,
Nick