The University’s Careers Service have prepared some handy tips about gaining experience and researching roles, before embarking on a career in the humanitarian or development sectors. Thank you Careers Service!
Students meeting NGOs at the HCRI Careers in Humanitarianism event, 23/24
Gaining Experience
Humanitarianism and international development can be a difficult sector to gain experience in but there are steps you can take, even as a current student. You can start of by getting involved with some volunteering on a more local level, there are lots of opportunities on the Volunteer Hub which is The University of Manchester’s dedicated volunteering board, so opportunities are offered to be flexible around your studies. Volunteering will offer you transferable skills and show employers you have a willingness to commit to working towards a charitable cause. If you would like something more structured, you could look to complete a period of work experience for an organisation.
These are often acquired speculatively so you can contact members of the organisation or the organisation directly via email or LinkedIn. You can find organisations local to you through search engines, and by looking on Google Maps. Work experience in this sector is often unpaid, but do not let the financial implications of this deter you. The Careers Service has a dedicated bursary fund for full time undergraduate students, covering travel expenses, accommodation and/or dependant care costs. You can find out more about this by checking out the page: Work Experience Bursaries.
If you would like to have a conversation about how to go about building your experience, book in to see us for a Careers Meeting via Career Connect. You can also come to one of our on-campus Careers Drop-ins.
The Charity Sector
If you are seeking transferable skills for the development and humanitarian sectors, working in charities can offer some fantastic closely related experience. You will be exposed to organisations that work on solving local, and international challenges and operate in a similar manner. Working in charities offers a chance to network with other professionals who may be able to offer guidance, and contacts within the sector. If you would like some additional information about the charity sector, you can check out the profile on the Which Career section of the Careers Service website: Charities
This page contains information on how to get into the sector, and what working within it entails. There will also be further links to other external resources, where you can find more information on various job profiles, job boards and tips on finding opportunities within charities. To have a conversation about the charity sector, why not book in a Careers Meeting with a member of staff via Career Connect, and come to one of our on-campus Careers Drop-ins.
Researching Roles
During your studies, we recommend taking some time to research roles within the humanitarian and development sectors. This will first give you a good sense of the roles that are out there and what they entail, giving you some potential options depending on where your interests lie. You can have a read of job descriptions and person specifications (the list of skills and experience that employers want to see in your applications) to find roles that you think would be right for you and so you have a good understanding of the skills that are required. Some websites we recommend for entry level roles are Charity Job and Relief Web. If you would like to take some time to look into more senior roles and where you might like to work towards in the future, take a look at Bond and Impact Pool. During your studies, you can seek opportunities to develop these skills, through your academic work, part-time roles, extra-curricular positions and volunteering.
For more tips on finding relevant roles within the sector, and to discuss what might be a good fit for you, book in for a Careers Meeting with a member of staff using Career Connect. You can also come to one of our on-campus Careers Drop-ins.
HCRI’s careers content
HCRI has published a Careers Guide, including alumni profiles and ‘advice from the top’: https://www.hcri.manchester.ac.uk/study/careers-and-employability/
This Semester, we are hosting a hybrid panel event on ‘Careers in Global Health and Humanitarian Healthcare’. Register via: https://www.hcri.manchester.ac.uk/connect/events/