Do you also know that frustrating feeling when applying for jobs? The list of jobs you want to apply for doesn’t seem to get any shorter. Just before the next job application deadline expires, you pull yourself up listlessly and quickly put together another application. You click through your old cover letters to find one you can mess with for this application, you change something here and something there to adapt the text somewhat to the job advertisement, and then you send everything off with a generic two-line message. To be honest, you’d be surprised if you got a positive answer this time ..read more

There is something about finding a new job that is both exciting and terrifying. It allows you to daydream about the possibility of a brighter future, but then you often stop there. The follow through never happens. The next thing you know, you realize years have passed, and you never did anything about it. Why does this happen? It happens because you are afraid. That is what paralyzes you. If you think back, you (like myself) probably made a ton of excuses every time you mulled it over in your mind. It could be possible that maybe you “outgrew” it, or did some research and found out some fac ..read more

Is a less stressful work-life possible in humanitarian aid?  Yes, if you follow these 6 steps. Work in humanitarian aid or development cooperation comes with a very high stress level, we all know that. And sooner or later that stress will bring us down, if we don’t take care of ourselves. At least that is what happened to me in my first years in the business. I thought to myself, “it’s just part of the job” and that I would have to accept an insane amount of near constant stress. But there came a day when I realized that I created most of my stress myself.  How come some colleagues m ..read more

”Learn from the mistakes of others. You cannot possibly live long enough to make them yourself.” is what they say. I’ve spent many years working in humanitarian aid and I suffered from burnout right at the start. If it’s something you’re not careful about, the same can happen to you. So I want to reflect upon - and share - mistakes I made during my first job so that you can avoid making the same blunders. Last year, I returned to the place where my career in humanitarian aid started 13 years ago. It was on the Indonesian island of Nias in North Sumatra where I saw a lot of “firsts”. This was ..read more

Humanitarian work can be an extremely tough, but rewarding job. There are professional challenges faced unlike any other line of work, as well as personal challenges as you push yourself to see how much stress (at times) you can take. You can build many meaningful relationships, as well, and experience cultures you’d merely read about before accepting your assignment. However, there comes a time when either your assignment is completed, or you’ve decided you shorten your stay for a myriad of reasons, and you must return home. I’ve heard many people say the culture shock they’ve experienced wa ..read more

​​​The old joke that everyone in humanitarian aid is one of these three persists, but how much truth does it carry? We'll look at these labels, how to examine your motives and where to go from there. As in many other arenas of life, labels like this may be too simplistic, though they may be useful as guideposts to anchor your ideals or motives to at any given time. For many aid workers, it’s likely that which of these three labels fits best for you will vary throughout your career, but it’s also possible that you’ll flit between them even on the same day, as in reality you’re most likely not ..read more

​Fear often prevents us from being who we can be and who we really want to be. We suspect how we could be if we only dared. But that's so difficult. You have to change something, even take risks. It is easier to withdraw into frustration, because that is what we know and we don't have to dare or risk anything in that dark familiar space. We are good at making excuses and blaming others. It just doesn't help. The desire to achieve our very own goals gnaws at us and leaves us with nothing than self-pity and contempt. Isn’t that true? Be honest, so am I. It’s the only way forward. Do you know of ..read more

First off, take a minute to pat yourself on the back for having found a new job in international development aid or humanitarian aid! Congratulations to you and the world - you are needed. There is a requirement bigger than ever for assistance globally in areas hit heavily by war, famine, and natural disasters, and your “feet on the ground” in any of those regions can make a big difference in the lives of those affected. You have a chance to impact lives who simply need food, medical aid, or extra sets of hands for improvements in their community.          ..read more

​Once you’ve made the decision that leaving a career in humanitarian aid is the right thing for you, it may be a bit daunting. How do I do that? Here are some quick tips on what steps might make sense immediately after the decision. Making the first steps Save up some money No one can decide for you exactly how much you should save, but having some cash in the bank behind you before you leave your aid job is a good idea. You may wish to calculate your expenses and then aim to save up a figure of three or six or twelve months of those expenses. That might seem impossible, but in the end, savi ..read more

How exciting! You have an offer to work with an agency that you’re really looking forward to! Maybe it’s in a specific field of humanitarian aid you’ve always wanted to try out, or you know that it will help to fulfill your calling in life. Hurry up and sign on the dotted line, right?! Actually, not so fast. The best thing you can do is pump the brakes a bit. That doesn’t mean you cannot still harbor your excitement for such a life changing opportunity! The last thing you want to do is rush into a situation based on ill-conceived information, or lofty assumptions from promotional pamphlets ..read more