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Features Column 16 Around the world in 80 days: Concrete steps to volunteering and working abroad

Dear Cathy,
I've been working in the nonprofit sector for about five years in local community development organizations; first, as a program assistant, and more recently, as a program director for a micro-lending program. Last summer, I took a trip to Cambodia and ended up spending six weeks volunteering with a group doing oral histories of individuals who have been directly affected by genocide. Throughout my stay, I felt like I'd finally found my calling—something just totally clicked for me, and I'd really like to start making the shift to doing international human rights work. The trouble is, I have no idea how to get started and I'm feeling intimidated because I've heard it's extremely competitive. Any advice?
—Lisa in Boston

As my relatives would say, oy gevault (translation: Oh my God!)! You're right, it's definitely not easy to get a job in any area of the international sector, particularly if you want to work overseas, and especially in the human rights arena. But, it's definitely possible, and if it's your calling, alas, that's exactly what you should work toward! The question is: how can you make yourself the apple of an international human rights organization's eye or even just enter the field through a less traditional path? Well, there are a number of things you can do, some of which will take some time, so it's a good idea to look at this kind of job search as a somewhat long-term process. The precise timeline depends on how many apples you've already picked, but it's likely that, at a minimum, you'll need a couple of bushels—including significant international volunteer experience, fluency in at least one second language, and a graduate degree in a related field. Below, I go into depth about all of these crucial elements (and more), but please note that much of the information in this column also applies to entering a variety of other areas of the international scene—not just human rights work.

It sounds like your trip to Cambodia gave you lots of energy and excitement about the prospect of working internationally, which is great! But before you totally set your sights on it, I'd recommend testing the waters a bit to make sure that you really want to be doing this kind of work in the long-term or, at least, in the relatively long-term. Working full time in a foreign country is a very different experience from volunteering—you're far from friends, your professional network, and many of the luxuries that we often take for granted in the United States—so you want to be really sure it's the right choice for you. And while testing the waters takes time, it doesn't take as much time or money as, say, getting a graduate degree, getting a job abroad, and then realizing that, for one reason or another, it's not actually what you're best suited for or even what you want to do!

The good news is that whether you're testing the waters or certain that you want to do international work, your process should be essentially the same. It's a good idea to start by asking yourself a couple of key questions, beginning with:

What are your specific interests within the field?

International human rights is a huge area and knowing which part(s) of it interests you most will help focus your exploration. Consider the following questions as you reflect:

Do you want to focus your interest on a particular part of the world? Or on a particular population? Don't forget that in addition to including work with groups typically associated with human rights work such as refugees, ethnic minorities, and survivors of genocide, the field can also involve working with groups such as the disabled or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.

Is there a specific subject matter that interests you, such as child soldiers or violence against women?

Is there a particular kind of job that jazzes you? For example, let's say you're interested in working with refugees in sub-Saharan Africa. You may want to work as a legal advocate, you may prefer doing educational work, or you may even be an artist and want to develop a performance piece about the experience of refugees.

Next, ask yourself two additional questions:

What are your primary talents, skills, and passions?
How is your answer to the above question linked to your specific interests in the field?

Try to get real, but also be creative with your responses. Many people overlook the fact that there are lots of different ways to be part of international human rights protection and to connect the dots between their interests, skills, and talents. For example, in addition to the options mentioned above, you may be well-suited to a career as a journalist, photographer, researcher, community organizer, or healthcare provider. Or, you may find that you need to gain additional skills in order to connect your dots. It's worth recalling, too, that international human rights work need not be international all the time—many human rights workers are based at their organizational headquarters and focus on conditions in their home countries, sometimes traveling to the field to conduct research or meet colleagues as events and circumstances dictate. In any case, bear in mind that some of this clarification process will happen as you gain more experience, so it's not necessary to know all the details of what you want to do when you're first starting out—just make sure you continuously refine your interests and make the links with your abilities and experience.

A last point on how this process relates to getting a job in a human rights organization: some organizations may highly value individuals with very specific expertise, such as advocating for refugees in sub-Saharan Africa, while others may look for staff who have experience in a few areas on a few continents. There's no way to please everyone all the time, so I would suggest really honing in on your particular passion, before trying to anticipate what the market will bear.

Whatever information your reflection reveals, your next step should be to pack your bags and buy a ticket to the world of international human rights. Undoubtedly, the best way to do this is by literally packing your bags and embarking on a longer international volunteer stint. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to spend more time in the field. Wait, did I mention how important it is to get more field experience? Okay, I think I've made my point! Indeed, the more time you spend abroad (at least a year, and preferably two or more), the more knowledge you'll build about the country, local community, and issue you're working on. This way, you'll be better able to discern if international work is right for you, and you'll become more attractive to employers.

Moreover, the more in-country experience you have, the better able you'll be to assess what I call your ILQ, or international living quotient, which includes your tolerance for such things as extreme weather conditions, unstable political situations, exposure to a variety of illnesses, and inability to speak the native tongue. Psychosocial.org, a program of Idealist.org, provides lots of information to help you think through issues associated with your ILQ. Now, living in Cambodia for six weeks is one thing—it's actually a great thing that undoubtedly developed your ILQ—but many international jobs, and especially human rights positions, require that folks have high ILQs demonstrated over a substantial amount of time. Organizations want to be sure that you can hack living in difficult conditions for a sustained period. Additionally, most international work requires a high degree of cross-cultural sensitivity, which is built from the day-to-day experience of living in another culture. Indeed, the truth is that as amazing as international work can be, it usually isn't the best fit for someone with a low or even average ILQ: sometimes, it's pretty dangerous and sometimes, it's plain old frustrating. Regardless, it always requires a good deal of inner fortitude and good old fashioned gumption. I say none of this to dissuade you from acting on your dream, but just to better prepare you for living it!

Luckily, there is no shortage of ways to get both short- and long-term international volunteer experience—in fact, there are so many possibilities out there that the challenge is figuring out which one best suits you. For example, are you most interested in a long-term, fully funded program in which you'll get broad-based international development experience, like the Peace Corps? Do you have the financial resources that are often necessary to do a much more short-term, direct service program such as Cross Cultural Solutions? Or, are you willing to really rough it and even take some risks with regard to your personal safety to join a program like Peace Brigades International as they accompany human rights defenders and others threatened by political violence?

All of these programs take care of many of the logistical details of your stay as well as coordinating education and training programs. But it's also possible to coordinate your own volunteer experience. This route is an attractive alternative because it's less expensive than many organized programs and usually gives you more flexibility in determining the length of your stay. On the downside, it requires a good deal of patience and skill in managing lots of logistics, which can include introducing yourself and "marketing" your value to the organization, long-distance calls to iron out your arrangements, and a lack of organized in-country support. To help get you started in setting up this kind of volunteer experience, you'll find tons of volunteer opportunities posted in the Idealist Volunteer Center.

In making your decision about which kind of volunteer option is best for you, it's helpful to find out whether the prospect you're considering will:

Bring you closer to meeting your current and future goals
Energize you on a daily basis (be sure to find out what kind of work you'll be doing every day)
Fit your ILQ
Meet your budget requirements
Fit within your time constraints

There are many different ways to gather the answers to these questions. In addition to talking to the program's staff, I strongly advise speaking to a handful of real, live returned volunteers to get the low-down on the low and high points of their experience. And, if you haven't yet targeted a program, I recommend the following print and web resources to give you a sense of the lay of the international volunteering land:

"How to Live Your Dream Volunteering Overseas" by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher—provides an in-depth analysis of 80 volunteer options as well information on everything from staying healthy while eating local food to State Department warnings.
The International Volunteer Program Association's (IVPA) website has a list of member organizations, which includes many of the most well known volunteer options. IVPA also offers lots of resources on trip fundraising, health considerations, travel arrangements, etc.
Idealist.org and Psychosocial.org both have a comprehensive listing of links to international volunteer, internship, and job opportunities. In Idealist.org's Career Center, you'll find sections chock-full of advice on working or volunteering abroad, while Psychosocial.org offers lots of detailed information to maximize your international volunteer or work experiences as well as tips to manage the shifts involved when returning from the field.
If, after reviewing these resources, you're still feeling confused about where to volunteer, go to NetAid's "VolunteerGuru" to receive recommendations that factor in your time, funds, and interests.

In addition to doing volunteer work, there are plenty of other ways to get stamps on your international human rights passport. Indeed, just as there are a plethora of volunteer opportunities, there is also a plethora of information out there on international human rights. The trick is culling from it what's most helpful to you and always bearing in mind that you should be increasing your knowledge both of the field in general and of your particular areas of interest. The resources below are a good place to start doing that:

Idealist.org can be very helpful in this area as well—you'll find a list of pertinent periodicals, books, websites, and human rights organizations in its Resource Guide for Human Rights.
If you're not already familiar with some of the big players, I suggest checking out Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, and InterAction for starters. You can also look at the United Nations' job board, and the UN's specific offices focused on human rights and refugees. While it's extremely competitive to get any kind of job (or even volunteer position) with these organizations, their work and websites will give you an excellent foundation in the field.

Furthermore, even if you're not actually in the job hunting stage yet, it's helpful to periodically surf international job sites to see the qualifications needed for the positions which excite you as well as the current needs in the field. The following sites will give you a broad snapshot of what's out there:

The site most directly linked to your interests is the Human Rights Internet, which lists both human rights internships and jobs and also includes lots of great information on the field, including documentation of human rights abuses.
Relief Web, administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, contains a solid and varied list of international jobs, including jobs in human rights.
Though not UN-affiliated, the Swiss site UNjobs.org lists openings in various UN agencies.
OneWorld.net provides international job and volunteer listings in global justice, a listing of international human rights campaigns and alerts, and a myriad of other resources connected to global justice.
And don't forget that Idealist.org and Psychosocial.org provide lots of job listings as well as links to other sites doing the same.

Now is also the time to call on your networking chops—it's important to speak to as many people as you can who are already working in international human rights and ask them how they landed their jobs. If you don't know anyone in the sector, then send a quick email to your existing network to see if they can connect you to someone they know. Your primary goal in chatting should be to listen to what steps the individuals took in entering the field and see if they have any specific recommendations for you, given your experience and interests. In particular, be sure to ask what their educational and language background is as well as the history and progression of their international experience. Additionally, it's always a good idea to ask about the background of their peers and/or any individuals or organizations in the field that they particularly admire; if it feels appropriate, you also may want to inquire about whether they could put you in touch with any of these folks. If at all possible, it's a great idea to try to speak with Human Resources staff as well because they tend to have a bird's eye view of what skills and experience are attractive to international organizations.

You also may want to join a human rights organization that provides networking opportunities. In addition to the big players I mentioned earlier, there are many other human rights organizations that offer virtual and live chat and connect options such as Human Rights Education Associates, which supports human rights learning and education around the globe.

And, if your current work situation affords you the opportunity to volunteer for an international organization near you, all the better. You won't be getting direct overseas experience, but you'll still gain valuable exposure and build relationships. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that it's also difficult to get a volunteer or internship position in a human rights organization in the United States. I have a friend who had already done the Peace Corps and had other significant overseas experience who tried to get an internship with a large international human rights organization for several months. The good news is that she finally did get the position by very politely keeping herself on their radar screen—she sent emails expressing her continued interest every few months. So, quiet perseverance really can pay off!

Although it does tend to be pretty hard to get your foot in the door of larger international organizations and especially international human rights organizations, conversely, it tends to be easier to get your foot in the door of similarly focused, smaller organizations. Often, they're in need of assistance and more open to taking on volunteers who don't necessarily have international experience. Indeed, this was my own experience several years ago when I got a volunteer position at a global education organization, when international experience was only a glimmer in my eye. Moreover, it's often easier to get an actual job within smaller organizations, although they have fewer openings. But it's not always easy to find these organizations—their budgets tend to be relatively small and their publicity less extensive so if these organizations appeal to you, be sure to ask lots of questions about them throughout your networking process. If, however, your heart is set on working at a large, well known organization, your best bet is to continuously build your network, get lots of field experience (probably 2-5 years), and a graduate education, preferably from a prestigious school (more on that just below).

Well, at least when it comes to getting a job in the international sector and, particularly with leading international human rights organizations, quite a lot indeed! What degree you go for depends on your interests, but it's a safe bet that you'll need an advanced degree to get more than an entry-level job. For many areas of the sector, a degree from a big name school will land you a job more quickly than one from a less well known school. For example, if you decide that you really want to advocate on behalf of people who have suffered human rights abuses, it's quite likely that you'll need a law degree. At the very least, you'll likely need a degree in international affairs. The area of legal advocacy is particularly competitive and you'll probably want to shoot for a school with a good amount of ivy on its walls.

And, while I'm not usually one to encourage degree collection, in the international field, the truth is that, often, the more degrees, the mo' better. For example, a joint degree in law and international affairs would stand you in quite good stead for getting a legal advocacy job after graduation, although even then, you should be prepared for some steep competition if you want to start at more than relatively entry-level.

However, let's say that after doing additional volunteer work, you decide that what you really want to do is counsel refugees. In that case, your best bet might be getting a dual degree in international public health and social work or even a Ph.D. in one of these areas with a focus in international mental health from, at least, a relatively known school. On the other hand, if you're interested in doing grassroots education work, then you're less likely to need a slew of advanced degrees and could even get away with getting a more creative Masters from a less traditional school. The point is that it's absolutely crucial to hone your interests before signing up for a graduate degree in any part of the international sector so that you can get the most bang for your buck and your time! As I mentioned earlier, networking can be extremely helpful in gathering this information.

You also should be aware that many international graduate programs have a language requirement—both a minimum to get accepted and a minimum to graduate, so be sure to thoroughly investigate what you will need well in advance of your application's due date.

If you parlez lots of languages, you're in lots of luck when it comes to finding a job, especially in the more traditional areas of the human rights and international sectors. One second language is almost the bare minimum for many areas of the sector, two is getting warm, three still warmer, four you're probably hot! In the United States, speaking a second language—let alone speaking four—is pretty uncommon, but in many places around the globe, people speak two or three languages as a norm. You'll likely be competing with just such folks when you're applying for jobs, so you should definitely master at least one additional language.

But it's important to think strategically before beginning study: for many adults, language acquisition isn't easy, so make sure to select a language that is directly applicable to your area of interest and for which you have some real passion. Without passion, it's going to be mighty hard to muster up the strength to drill verbs after a hard day's work! For an often less expensive alternative, you might want to consider intensive language study during a vacation or two. Language study in-country allows you to constantly apply your learning and can greatly speed the learning process.

I know that taking steps toward working in the international arena can almost feel like taking a trip around the world! But don't despair—it is possible to make inroads while continuing to bring home the bacon in your current job. Indeed, deepening your skills in the work you're doing right now will serve you very well no matter what part of the sector you decide to enter later on. In particular, I suspect that, given your experience as a program director, you probably already have a great foundation in organizing, development, and negotiation, all of which involve accessing and developing resources and thus are in high demand on the international scene. There also are a number of other skills that it might be useful for you to continue to develop, depending on the precise kind of international work you'd like to be doing. For example, if you're interested in doing human rights research and documentation, it would be very helpful for you to build impeccable reporting and writing skills and, if at all possible, to produce an array of written material. On the other hand, if you want to dive into on-the-ground human rights education, it would be great if you developed skills in curriculum design.

Even if your current job doesn't involve the development of directly applicable skills, the more experience and seniority you rack up in whatever you're doing now, the more professional finesse and maturity you'll bring with you when you make your shift, and thus, the more attractive you'll be in whatever part of the field you decide to put down roots. In any case, as you're networking, it's a good idea to ask people what skills they think are most important in their work so that you can be strategic in your professional development.

While it often takes more than 80 days to circumnavigate the ins and outs of this kind of job search, it's well worth it if it's your passion. Try to get as clear as you possibly can about how much time, money, and energy you have to begin the exploration, and then select a few steps that feel doable to you. For example, you might want to begin taking language classes, devoting a few hours to researching the field on the weekend, and using your vacation time to do a short-term volunteer project, all while continuing at your current job. Whatever you decide to do, try to create a process for yourself where you enjoy or are at least interested in just about every leg of your travels!