Getting overseas NGO experience – Nepal and elsewhere October 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : NGO, international development, work experience , add a commentRobert Ordman left King’s College in 2010 with a first class degree in War Studies. As part of his career development plan he organised an overseas work experience placement in Nepal. We talked to him about his experience.
Robert, why did you go overseas? Well I realised that for the area of work I was considering – something related to security and international relations - employers really value international experience. Whilst I had seen lots of masters students in the department using their qualifications to get good quality jobs I felt that as a mature student practical experience would be more helpful for me at this point, and that if I did decide to do a masters later the experience might also help me.
How did you arrange it? It was arranged for me by an organisation called Links4change which I know you are familiar with. The woman who runs it, Victoria Leat, set it up after he own experience of volunteering in Africa. It cost me £500 flat fee but I then had to find flights and accommodation costs as well living expenses. Fortunately for me the cost of living in Nepal is very low, so overall it cost me less than if I done an internship in the UK instead.
So what was the placement like? Well I actually had two because the original placement did not match my expectations. I was placed in a regional office of a Nepali peace building NGO, and although the staff treated me extremely well and were as helpful as they could be they had not taken an intern before, and didn’t understand what was involved. As a result there was virtually no work for me to do and within a month I realised that neither of us was benefiting from the experience. I kept Victoria informed of the issues during this period and eventually asked her to find me an alternative, an option that is built into her contract for just such an eventuality. I’m pleased to say that she fully understood my situation and came up with a number of offers for me within a fairly short space of time. Fortunately I took a small netbook with me on the trip so communication by email and Skype was easy.
So where did you end up? The next placement was with The Asia Foundation (TAF) http://asiafoundation.org , a very large and powerful American NGO which works in areas such as governance, women’s rights, economic reform and development, and international relations. It is an extremely professional, very prestigious outfit and my placement with them, based in Kathmandu, was exactly what I wanted.
What were you doing? I worked in the Peace Unit, whose role is to build bridges between the various political parties. There was a vicious civil conflict in Nepal 1996-2006, and although there has been democracy since 2008 the peace process has still not been completed and there is a kind of political paralysis which prevents much needed progress from being made. The Peace Unit is designed to help facilitate the peace process in two ways in particular: to give the politicians a safe and private space in which to continue discussions, and to give them practical support in coming to an agreement. For example TAF would bring in international experts on issues such as conflict resolution, electoral systems, or truth and reconciliation processes. They would provide examples of best practice and make practical suggestions to help move things forward.
What was your role? Primarily I was involved in the research and production of various documents covering different aspects of the peace process. My main job was to review 25 peace agreements that had been signed between 2005 and 2010 in order to establish which ones had been implemented, why the others hadn’t been and what was required in order to complete the process. It proved a fascinating task in which I was able to draw on many of the skills I developed whilst taking my degree and writing my dissertation. As well as collaborating with colleagues within TAF I also interviewed political activists, human rights leaders and senior politicians as part of my primary research, and also had to keep well organised and disciplined in order to manage the large amount of data I had to handle. The purpose of the research was to enable the politicians to focus on what needed to be done to resolve the outstanding problems, and it felt really satisfying to know I was making a real contribution to the process.Another document I produced related to how the media in Nepal could make a more positive contribution to the peace process. Amongst the people I interviewed this time were the editor of a leading national newspaper, a development worker at the UN and spokesmen for the three major political parties. I also came up with my own recommendations for a strategy that TAF could adopt to achieve the objectives. In addition to the work I did on these documents I also had the opportunity to attend a number of meetings with different political figures and international experts, which gave me an insight into the complexity of the issues at stake.
What did you learn from your experience? I gained a huge amount of cultural awareness. This was my first non-UK working experience and it really brought home to me that people from different cultures really do see the world in a different way. At the same time I learned not to take things for granted, and to challenge my own pre-conceptions. I found a practical outlet for my research skills and used what I had learned about writing and providing academically sound material, which all help increase my confidence in my own ability. The fact that I had a first class degree and it was from London – some people had even heard of King’s College – really helped me make connections with people. It also broadened my ideas of what I wanted to do. It sparked an interest in international development and human rights that hadn’t been there before, running alongside my previous interest in security and peace building.
It sounds like an interesting experience. Was it fun? Enormous fun. Admittedly this was partly down to developing a great social life with other ‘expat’ international workers and volunteers, but there was also something wonderful about living in such a different environment, amongst genuinely friendly and welcoming locals. I admit I found the first month or so fairly tough, partly due to the cold and a couple of health issues, but once the temperature started to go up and my system adjusted to my new diet I really started to enjoy myself. I am so glad I stuck it out and would strongly recommend the experience.
Please Mind The Gap April 5, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : international development, work abroad, work experience , 2commentsA recent volunteering opportunity sent from an organisation in Tanzania points up a difficult issue in the volunteering industry. On the one hand you have local Ngos who need help with a range of activities and probably makes modest profits on its charges for food and board. On the other hand they recruit volunteers to teach, for example, soccer skills but require no qualifications from volunteers whatsoever. A new film ‘Please Mind The Gap’ (
Marissa Bell is a third year Geography student. Last year she did an internship programme with the FCO called the ‘Partner University Placement Scheme’ (known as PUPS – details at www.partneruniversities.co.uk). The scheme is being advertised again for the summer of 2011 (female, penultimate year undergraduates only and closing date 6 April) and we talked to her about her experience How difficult was it to secure the placement? Well the first stage was a fairly thorough, competency based, application form – a bit like a graduate recruitment application. After that I had to take online aptitude tests and finally, after security vetting, I was offered the position. I was delighted there wasn’t an interview as I was on holiday in the States. In fact I completed the application form when I was recovering from jet lag after arriving in the USA. What is the placement for? The PUPS scheme is to encourage under-represented groups to apply for the Fast Stream and hopefully end up in the diplomatic stream but other government departments as well. What did you expect from the programme? Naively I thought I could progress from the scheme to be considered for direct recruitment after the programme but I soon realised that it was really a good preparation for the Fast Stream which I would still have to go through. What did you do on the placement? I was in the ‘Protocol Directorate’ which looks after overseas diplomatic missions in the UK, they deal with overseas visits by foreign heads of state and even Royal Weddings! The kind of things I did included administration. This meant drafting letters to embassies and other diplomatic missions about things such as diplomatic immunity and rights to stay for diplomat’s children. I dealt with the database registration of new mission staff and issuing ID cards for them. I also spend a day with the visits section of the Directorate which meant I accompanied the Secretary General of OECD on a UK visit. This was great – I was driven around to Treasury, Parliament and 11 Downing Street and we were greeted by David Cameron! Then there was preparation for the Fast Stream. This involved interview training, a review of the competencies needed and a chance to do a group presentation to a board of FCO directors. What was it like? Incredibly enlightening. It shattered some preconceptions. For example, I wasn’t actually surrounded by middle class white men. There was a really diverse range of people. Different cultures, ethnic backgrounds. People were incredibly friendly as well. I thought they would be distant and intimidating but it wasn’t like that. I felt very welcomed and supported. What did you learn? Well I realised that there was a high level of cooperation between the FCO and diplomatic missions. This was also true of the different departments of the FCO as well. Lots of support and sharing of information. Did it make you want to apply to the Fast Stream? Yes. It made me feel I would be able to fit in there and that it was a supportive and friendly environment. I also realised it would be a challenging place to work, considering the range of things they have to deal with – everything from the drugs trade to climate change. It made me a better candidate because I had greater awareness of the FCO culture and the range of issues they deal with. The preparation also helped me realise what I needed to focus on in my application. What advice would you give to applicants? Make sure you get your application checked early – don’t forget you only have a two week window to apply in. The Careers Service is the obvious place for this. Check the recruitment process and if they are still using aptitude tests then make sure you practice because it made a difference for me. If you are successful make the most of your time there. For example I was able to secure another internship with the British Embassy in Zagreb by being proactive and getting advice and support from your FCO colleagues. They encouraged me to write to the Ambassador directly – I was impressed when he wrote back within an hour
FCO Internships 2011 (women only)
March 28, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Careers Advice, Government, careers, internships, politics, work experience , add a comment
