One of the biggest challenges in landing a job in international development is a lack of the necessary experience. Whether you are a fresh graduate or you are seeking to make a transition into the international development sector, an internship or volunteering work can help you to succeed. They are a great way of gaining experience and also help you figure out where your best skills lie.
Internship and volunteer experiences do seem to be an appealing solution to meet the growing desire for international experience. While an internship is something that you choose in order to develop your skills in a particular field and is often a paid position, volunteering is an option for you to help out for free. On DevelopmentAid, you will find more than 600 internship/volunteer opportunities. Let’s take a look at where these positions are mostly found.
Northern America. Many organisations involved in international development have their headquarters in the United States. This is one of the reasons why the US is where you find the highest number of internship and volunteer opportunities in the international development sector. The UN, WB, UNDP, USAID are just a few of the organizations offering these kinds of positions. For example, the recent UNDP internship program included students and recent graduates from very diverse fields of knowledge, such as economics, public or business administration, environmental studies, and international relations. The World Bank Internship program offers paid opportunities for graduate students in economics, human development, agriculture/environment, private sector development, and other related fields.
Western and Central Europe. Many internships can be found in Western and Central Europe, the top countries being Switzerland, France, Netherlands, UK, and Belgium. The vacancies here are offered either by worldwide organisations who also have offices in European countries (e.g. WB, UNICEF, UN, etc.), by EU institutions or by organisations whose legal residence is in a European country (e.g. in France Terre d’Asile, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, etc.) An internship or a volunteer position in Europe affords the opportunity to begin a new career in fields ranging from management to international law, and everything in-between.
Asia. Volunteering in Asia could be the experience of a lifetime, given the fact that you will live in the unique and diverse natural landscapes embedded throughout Southeast Asia all the way up to the Tibetan heights. Most of the available internships and volunteer placements in Asia can be found in Thailand. The available fields include business, tourism, and communication. A significant number of intern positions are offered here by the international development organisations with the UN playing a significant role.
Africa. Volunteer or internship programs in Africa offer the opportunity to discover the continent by becoming an active member of a local community. Voluntary work in African countries affords a deeper insight into the daily lives of the people living there and the challenges they face every day. Most opportunities of this kind can be found in countries like Kenya or Ethiopia and relate to disaster relief, childcare, medicine, law, human rights, and others. The list of paid internships in Africa includes opportunities from ADB, ILO, UNDP, OHCHR, WB and many other international organizations.
Check out all the internship/volunteer jobs available in international development here.
