Connecting professionals with projects– this has been the DevelopmentAid platform’s mission since its incorporation. From global health professionals to agricultural or humanitarian experts, there is an open position for everyone who’s looking for a new opportunity. Today, we continue to discover those who have left a permanent job and switched to consulting opportunities. Read Cedric Martin’s story, the story of a young and optimistic Programme Management Specialist, eager to work in the rural development, environment, and education sectors.
What was your previous permanent position? Could you mention some pros and cons in relation to this?
“My previous permanent position was as Country Director in Guinea for the international UK-based NGO, ‘United Purpose’. I was very happy with my team. It was exciting to lead at the country level; I could express my skills, ideas and make the country strategy evolve. I also reinforced or developed experience in varied fields: agriculture and NRM, WASH, and human rights. It was inspiring to work with different types of partners at global and local levels: NGOs, CSOs, research, donors, and the private sector. It was demanding to maintain the financial viability of the NGO at this level in a context of competitive access to funding and high levels of corruption. Added to management and operational tasks, this led to a structural work overload.”
Why did you decide to switch to become an independent consultant? How easy or difficult was this to do so?
“In the frame of a family project, I have become a primary school teacher and we have settled in my home country, France. To promote my previous skills in the development sector, I decided to also work as an independent consultant and have been allowed to do so by the Ministry of National Education. It was easy to do so as during my nearly two decades of experience in developing countries, I had led or supported many consultancies in addition to my other duties. Thus, I gained the know-how and networks useful for my current career. It was also quite straightforward administratively as I just had to register as a self-entrepreneur.”
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a career as an independent consultant?
“The advantages of choosing an independent consultant career are independency, responding to tenders in compliance with my moral values (no harm to vulnerable people and to the planet…), choosing consultancy times and durations and thus regulating work intensity and frequency, meeting and collaborating with inspiring people (co-consultants, consultancy institutions members, beneficiaries, clients…), expressing and gaining experience, earning a higher income. The disadvantages are the time and energy needed to respond to tenders and sometimes not being selected, the actual working time often higher than the planned consultancy time, the irregularity of work and thus of income, difficult relationships with some clients (unrealistic expectation, disproportionate demands, payment reluctance…).”
How did the DevelopmentAid website help you in this transition?
“The DevelopmentAid website helped me in this transition in several ways:
- I can find consultancy offers that suit my profile and targets
- The ability to set up alerts makes my search time-saving and more efficient. There is a huge number of published offers and it is better to be selective
- I can have a look at organizations calling for consultancy and thus check their records, including their morality
- I benefit from assistance in optimally using the website according to my intentions. I had several talks with skilled and professional persons who explained and advised very well on the website use.”
What advice can you give for those who want to follow your career path?
“There are several pieces of advice I can give for those who want to follow my path. In terms of consultancy, if your experience is nothing at all or small, you can become part of a team e.g., as a junior consultant. Furthermore, you can progressively increase your independent consultancy work by combining this with another more stable activity; this will mitigate the risk of the irregularity (and inactivity) of consultancy work. And, above all, your professional reputation is your best business card! So do your job well and it will open more jobs. In terms of using the DevelopmentAid website, I recommend going for the paying option as it brings resources leading to gaining consultancies. It is an investment worth making.”
See also: Why I left a permanent job for an independent consultant career. Experts’ Opinions (PART II)
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