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Advice for those looking to work abroad: choosing a second or third language

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two shadows of humans talk together, with a globe behind them.

All last month, I shared blogs related to advice for working in international humanitarian development. I had intended to stop at the end of the month, but I have a few more blogs to share on the topic.

This one is about choosing a second or third language to learn to improve your international development career opportunities.

First and foremost, when trying to choose a language to study, don’t get hyperfocused on what the “right” language might be. The demand for languages can ebb and flow: there have been times when I felt like every job that I would love to do and that is in high demand requires Portuguese (for work in Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe). And then, poof, a time comes when it seems no one is asking for that anymore. Instead, pick a language that you enjoy. Learning a language well enough to work in it is a MAJOR time investment. It’s like a marriage: you have to spend time on it every day for it to work, and you have to spend time with it even when you might not really feel “into” it at every moment. You need to pick something that you personally enjoy, as you are going to be spending a huge amount of time with it.

You also want to think about WHERE you want to work. If you really want to work in a particular region, what is the official language of that region? Sure, there are people that speak Spanish and then get sent to Armenia – a language isn’t a guarantee that you are always going to get a job in the region where that language is spoken.

French is a great choice, as it’s an official language in more than 25 countries. You will see it asked for regularly in job descriptions for UN positions. It is also a very popular second language. French is highly sought after for roles throughout Africa and the Caribbean.

Arabic is a great choice, as it’s the official language in 19 countries or so, many of them a joy to work in. Note that Arabic is going to be MUCH more difficult to learn than any language that uses the Latin alphabet.

Russian is still a good choice as a second or third language and will be for quite a few years to come. Beyond the obvious place it’s spoken primarily, it’s also an official language in Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan, and is widely used Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. A lot of older people still speak Russian in Eastern Europe. You will have to learn an entirely new alphabet, as it is not written with the Latin alphabet.

You might want to pick a language that could serve you beyond a career in international development – as in a language that’s represented among immigrants wherever you hope to retire someday.

Picking a language that is more niche can also be a great choice for making you more competitive. For instance, I have a colleague who, MANY years ago, invested in learning Dari and Persian Farsi, knowing it would land her work in Afghanistan and Tajikistan regularly, where jobs were in high demand at that time, and it did, for years (along with her area of expertise, not just her language abilities). But then, wham, August 2021 happened and her job prospects got severely reduced. But for more than a decade, she was a hot commodity in international development circles.

I have a colleague who is fluent in English, French and German, and its the GERMAN that has sometimes been the biggest asset, because the project she applies for has a major German funder, and when they visit the country where she is working, they love that someone can speak to them in German. And when I did a motorcycle tour of Eastern Europe, I was stunned at how many people spoke German as a second or third language, especially in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro.

Another good way to choose might be regarding your area of expertise. What do you do? Public health? Small business development? IT? Elementary education? Emergency services management? What area of development is your area of concentration when it comes to international work, and regarding that, how many professionals are there that do that work and that, say, speak French? Or Arabic? Or whatever language you might be interested in?

As for my own story: before I knew I was going to pursue a career in international development, I focused on Spanish. It’s a language I like a lot and, living in the USA, I knew would be helpful. But it hasn’t helped me much in my international development career, because what I do as a professional in humanitarian development (and nonprofit management, for that matter) is EASILY found among native Spanish speakers throughout the Northern and Southern hemispheres. By contrast, if I’d chosen pretty much ANY other language, even French, I would have been way more marketable/competitive in this field. But it was something that I didn’t realize until I was almost 40, and by then, I just wasn’t up to a “divorce” and remarriage, when it comes to language… that said, my Spanish skills have served me well when I travel to Central and South America: I’m most proud of when I was in Paraguay with Habitat for Humanity and could talk with both local Habitat employees and the family where we were building a house. And in my nonprofit work, I’ve been able to use it on occasion, including when editing a video that featured a Spanish client.

There are benefits to learning a second languague (or more!) beyond your career:

  • Once you learn a second language well enough to have daily conversations in it, learning a third language (or more!) will be easier, because your brain better understands how to learn a language, you better understand parts of speech, etc. You may struggle at first, trying to speak that stronger second language when you should be using the third language, but trust me on this, it DOES get easier the more you do it.
  • A review of more than 20 existing studies determined that the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms is slower to develop in bilingual individuals versus people who speak only one language, or monolinguals. The researchers discovered that the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are halted by up to five years, on average, in people who fluently speak more than one language (the study did not substantially show that bilingualism deters Alzheimer’s disease incidence rates; only that it helps to delay symptoms).
  • Learning another language contributes to forming new connections in the brain and strengthening nervous system links. Just one week of learning a new language has a positive impact on a person’s levels of alertness and focus. People who speak a second language regularly perform better on memory tests than monolingual people. 
  • Being able to communicate with someone that you could not communicate with otherwise, whether it’s someone on a bus, someone at a party, someone’s partner, someone you encounter while traveling, is amazing. It’s a superpower.

That’s my advice on learning another language specifically to improve your international development career opportunities. Really interested to hear what others say in the comments.

Also see:

Movies I recommend if you want to do international aid work, foreign affairs or journalism abroad.

Working abroad is not always looked on positively when looking for a local job.

US Citizen? Planning a career in international humanitarian affairs? You might want to rethink it.

All of my international development career-related advice. 

US Citizen? Planning a career in international humanitarian affairs? You might want to rethink it.

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two shadows of humans talk together, with a globe behind them.

For all of this month, each week, I’m going to write a blog focused on working in international humanitarian affairs and community development. This is part one of that series.

If you’re a US citizen with the goal of working in international humanitarian affairs or community development, even disaster relief, in impoverished regions not in the USA, it’s time to pick a different career.

The US Presidential order withdrawing the USA from 66 international organizations, including many United Nations agencies, means US candidates won’t be considered for most international development jobs. When qualified applicants are identified for such jobs, hiring managers will then look at the nationalities of those applicants, per the funder’s preferences. And the USA isn’t funding.

I used to work for the United Nations, and I was on a fair share of hiring committees. In my department, I was often the person who went through the stack of applicants to pick only those who were absolutely qualified, because I was really good at it (I was amazed at how others couldn’t figure out how to rank people). But then someone else would go through that first round of finalists and remove a person or two specifically because of their nationality – a nationality that the government funding the position didn’t like. Or was at war with. And if there was a qualified applicant from the country funding the position, very often, that person got the job.

The current US Presidential administration has not only withdrawn financial support for international humanitarian work, the leader has said vile things about the people and leaders of dozens of other countries. This can result in targeted hostility toward someone from the USA even if they do not at ALL support the current administration – so many international organizations will just avoid any potential problems entirely and not consider job candidates from the USA.

Even if a new administration in 2029 starts reversing the disastrous policies of the current President and his staff, the damage that has been done now is long-term and will take MANY years to undo. Why should another country believe any plans of the USA? Better to partner with other countries. That means that, despite the fact that there will always be a need for international funding for community development, environmental protections, help for refugees, job development programs in underserved countries, etc., what jobs are available are, more often than not, closed to citizens of the USA, and I don’t see that changing for at least the next five years even if the current administration changes..

Studying international development is a wonderful experience, and I hate advising anyone to not do it. I have a Master’s Degree in international development management, and while it was difficult and stressful and consumed my life outside of work for three years, it also made me a much better professional in a thousand ways. It not only helped me in my work with international agencies, it also made me more effective in working for nonprofits in my own country, particularly small ones. It’s made me a better citizen of my local community as well as the global community – I really believe that. I applied for work with several government agencies here where I live in Oregon because I knew that my Master’s Degree, as well as my work experience in various development initiatives in various regions around the world, made me well-prepared for local government work – and, plus, I really wanted to do it. But I quickly found out that working abroad is not always looked on positively when looking for a local job – my next blog will be about that. So if you are thinking your international development degree will help you in other work – it might not (even though it should).

If you are in the USA< should you chance it and still pursue a career in international humanitarian development? Only if you have a very strong backup plan for if it doesn’t work out, and only if you are ready for the long haul in terms of actually getting into the field – like, 10 years from now.

All of my blogs with career-related advice are here. What I have written above may be in conflict with some of the things I’ve advised over the years. But I never saw this coming…

For people in the USA, if you can afford it, I hope you will consider pursuing a two-year gig in the PeaceCorps (which I hope will survive the current administration), or participating in a short-term program like Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program; I have a list of international development volunteering programs here. Or, when you travel abroad, make a deliberate effort every day toward transire benefaciendo: to travel along while doing good. If you do any of these things, be a living testimony that contradicts the things said and done by the current administration, and showing that not all US citizens are anything like the current administration.

Also, if you have a UN Association in your area, or an affiliate of the World Affairs Councils of America, join it, and go to their meetings. Come together with others in your own community that think globally. At the very least, you will know you aren’t alone.

And, finally: I hope I’m wrong. I really do. But I’m trying to be realistic, no matter how much it hurts my heart.

What some nonprofits ask for in job candidates is ridiculous.

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a simplistic drawing of a wizard

Within one week, I saw three different job announcements at three different mid-size or large nonprofits that, altogether, were what I did part-time at a small nonprofit for the last three years. And much of the activities in each of these roles are, altogether, what I have done at nonprofits for the last thirty years.

What each job listed for qualifications was so specific that the organizations are going to end up excluding MANY qualified people – and, probably, the best person for the job. Despite my extensive professional background, despite being expertly qualified for some positions, I don’t even bother applying because so many people don’t see a journalism degree as something desirable now.

When your small or medium-sized nonprofit is looking for someone to be a videographer or photographer, who you are going to pay a salary FAR below the market rate, what you need from job candidates is work portfolios, not a degree in videography or photography. Same for a web designer or a graphic designer or a communications manager and many other positions. And for education, what you may need most is graduation from a recent certificate program, not a full-fledged BA. You need people who can do the job, and since you cannot afford to pay people with the training and experience you are demanding, you need to adjust your expectations.

There’s a better way to attract and screen candidates for roles where the person will produce communications pieces – and will do the job you need done:

(1) Ask applicants to note in their résumés or applications where (in what professional and volunteer positions) they used the tools or produced the projects or demonstrated the skills you are asking for. If your job involves setting up press conferences, or designing web sites, or managing web sites, or designing brochures, or distributing brochures, etc., ask applicants to note in their résumés or applications where they have experience doing that.

(2) Note that you will be asking later for online portfolios from the top 10 candidates, what you will want in those portfolios, and approximately how many weeks you will contact the top 10 candidates to ask for those portfolios. Note how many people you will choose to interview from those top 10 candidates and approximately when those interviews will take place. If someone doesn’t already have the material for a portfolio, they aren’t going to apply – and if they do, they now know they need to make sure their portfolio is full of fantastic examples of their work.

And if you are going to demand that the person use certain specific software – Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, InDesign, Final Cut Pro, etc. – then you had better say what YOU are going to provide the selected candidate. What kind of laptop or desk top are you going to provide? Running what software? What kind of camera are you going to provide? Do you have a quiet room for creatives to create and edit? Are you committed to web accessibility and will give your web designer the tools needed to make that happen?

Be flexible in asking for a degree. I know amazing photographers with English degrees. I know very talented videographers with music degrees. I know kick-ass web designers with philosophy degrees.

And, finally: what you see as an entry-level job may be, particularly for seasoned professional in their 50s or 60s, a way to work for a few more years, work at a pace that is better suited to their life now than the senior and executive positions they held in the past, and apply a vast amount of skills and experience that your organization may be in much more need of than you might think. If you are thinking, “Oh, but what about health problems they might have?”, then also consider that it’s likely that candidates in their 50s or 60s aren’t starting families in the next few years, aren’t going to quit to pursue other, better job opportunities, and aren’t going to move across country to get married. And they are no more likely to have home-care obligations than a 30 something.

If you have benefited from this blog, my other blogs, or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

How to get a variety of staff to create roles for volunteers.

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graphic representing volunteers at work

It’s controversial to say, but here it is: I believe that creating volunteering roles is NOT the primary responsibility of the manager of volunteers and that most volunteers should not be working just the manager of volunteers.

And working from this premise, it’s impossible for the manager of volunteers to create most of the roles for volunteers; it takes program staff and even administration staff, a mix of employees and leadership volunteers, to be the primary generators of volunteer roles.

Consider a community theater that produces live performances: a manager of volunteers at such a nonprofit wouldn’t recruit volunteers to help build sets without first talking to the person in charge of set building and that person defining what volunteers will do. Such a manager at a nonprofit animal shelter wouldn’t recruit volunteers to show up to walk dogs without first talking to the shelter manager and working out what training needs to happen, as well as a schedule.

And if these other staff members, whether employees or volunteers, don’t want to involve volunteers, the work of the manager of volunteers is, quite frankly, doomed to failure.

Now, here’s the kicker: how do you encourage, or even require, staff to involve volunteers in their work?

In more than 25 years of working with volunteers and researching volunteerism, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I finally decided to write it all down – and now I have updated the resource on my web site about how to create volunteering roles to include advice on what it takes to get staff to involve volunteers in their work. Have a look and, if you have more advice, offer it in the comments on this blog or email me directly.

If you have benefited from this blog, my other blogs, or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

Abilities you need to work in humanitarian development successfully

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image of a panel discussion

I’ve been working on this for a while: a list of abilities that I believe a person needs to work in humanitarian development successfully – including to work at the United Nations. For my purposes here, I define such success as meeting the requirements of your job and the goals of your program and getting along well with others while also staying personally satisfied.

These are the skills I’ve seen that have made the difference in success, as I have just defined it, for oh so many people – and myself. Many would call them “soft skills.” These skills usually won’t be listed in job requirements. You can’t major in any of these skills at a university; you get them from working, volunteering and collaborating on anything with others (co-workers, neighbors, family…), and you can do all of that (and gain these skills) no matter where you live.

Also, it’s good to approach at least some of these as job interview questions: “Tell me about a time when you needed to adapt and improvise regarding a strategy you had planned out but you realized wouldn’t work as planned…” or “tell me about a time when you broke down a process into smaller steps so that it was easier to understand by co-workers or community members…”

To work in humanitarian development successfully, you need the abilities to:

  1. read large amounts of text, and to understand what you have read and apply it to your work.
  2. memorize.
  3. manage time effectively.
  4. speak comfortably in front of audiences, including those that may be hostile to your subject matter.
  5. shut up, listen and learn from others (and I am using “shut up” because too many don’t understand “listen quietly”).
  6. adapt and improvise when you realize a strategy has to be altered or something unexpected happens.
  7. negotiate.
  8. write words to educate, persuade and influence others.
  9. cultivate trust quickly and on an ongoing basis with others.
  10. make decisions based on facts and not on emotions or just your “gut” – and be ready to do that despite what you wanted to believe in your gut.
  11. break a process down to smaller steps.
  12. reframe complex ideas into plain language.
  13. delegate tasks appropriately and frequently with an eye to building the skills of others.
  14. build the skills of someone to eventually take over a process you currently undertake.
  15. guide without micromanaging.
  16. work with co-workers, community members and others you don’t like.
  17. know how to quickly tell your boss what you are doing and why you are doing it, what you are achieving and what is challenging you – and make sure your boss’s boss knows all of this too.
  18. not let an insult of you derail the work you need to do.
  19. read the room, to be aware of the feelings and opinions of those you are talking to, and to be able to alter your approach if you realize it’s not going to work or be inappropriate in that circumstance.
  20. keep trying and experimenting, and learn from failure.
  21. do self-analysis and let go of ideas when it’s clear they won’t work.
  22. stay positive and hopeful – and get that back when you lose it.
  23. understand what others feel, even if you disagree with their values.
  24. ask for advice and help and know how to seek and find the expertise you don’t have.
  25. recognize situations that are unnecessarily dangerous or when you are personally at risk and react to keep yourself safe.
  26. process your own stress, anxiety, and other negative feelings, and address feelings of loneliness in a healthy way.
  27. balance priorities with personal needs and know when it’s time to take a break.
  28. pick your battles.
  29. know when to ask for permission and when to do it without prior approval and be ready to ask for forgiveness.
  30. own your mistakes.
  31. know who you are working with that has your back and those who do NOT.
  32. how to get back up when you stumble and fall.

No one person can have all of these abilities all the time, by the way.

And, yes, it’s helpful to have abilities like being able to learn another language so that you can work in a language other than the one your own family and neighbors speak – your native language. And you need the abilities to obtain a university degree and a lot of work experience and on and on. But you need these “soft skills” as well – and just as much.

For those of you who have worked in international development, what abilities would you add – abilities that might not ever be named in a role’s Terms of Reference?

Also see:

If you have benefited from this blog, my other blogs, or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

VSO seeks 4 ICT trainers for Myanmar to support Ministry of Education

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VSO International, based in the UK, is looking for experienced tech professionals that could volunteer in Myanmar to support the Ministry of Education to enable staff at the ministry to better use IT in their work and as part of education management systems.

VSO is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. “Our high-impact approach brings people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action to change lives and make the world a fairer place.”

“We are looking for 4 ICT Trainers – 2 based in Yangon and 2 based in Naypyitaw”

“All successful applicants will need to provide the details of two referees, one being the most recent employer. We will also check your right to work in the country where the post is based or apply for necessary work permits. Each vacancy will indicate what candidates will need to provide in terms of evidencing right to work. For some roles, you may need to gain medical clearance.

In line with our Child Protection Policy and the International Criminal Background Checking Policy, VSO will seek to obtain criminal record checks on all employees who may have access to children or vulnerable adults.”

In terms of financial support, VSO will typically cover the following costs:

  • Criminal record check
  • Medical insurance and required immunisations and anti-malarials
  • Your training, including accommodation and food whilst on residential training weekends
  • One return flight to get you to, and home from, your placement
  • Accommodation whilst in your placement
  • An allowance to cover your basic living expenses whilst overseas.

More information about this and other openings.

How VSO supports you during placement.

Dec. 5: International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development

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graphic by Jayne Cravens representing volunteersDecember 5 is International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly per its resolution 40/212 in 1985.

This is not a day to honor only international volunteers; the international in the title describes the day, not the volunteer. It’s a day to honor, specifically, those volunteers who contribute to economic and social development. Such volunteers deserve their own day.

I say this every year in coversations and on social media, and I’ve said it before on my blog: I think it’s a shame to try to turn December 5 into just another day to celebrate any volunteer, because there are PLENTY of days and weeks to honor all volunteers and encourage more volunteering (so many that maybe it’s even time for a culling of such).

Let’s keep December 5 specifically for volunteers who contribute to economic and social development, per its original intention; let’s give these volunteers their due, as per the original purpose of this day’s designation.

Examples of this type of volunteering are volunteers who help these initiatives:

Bpeace: helping start-up businesses in Afghanistan, Rwanda and El Salvador.

Adelante Mujeres: offers Latina women and their families in the Forest Grove / Cornelius / Hillsboro, Oregon area tools to achieve self-determination in the areas of Education, Empowerment and Enterprise. This includes these three programs: Adelante Empresas, a small business development program that offers support and marketing opportunities to aspiring Latino entrepreneurs; Adelante Agricultura trains Latino farmers in sustainable agriculture by teaching sustainable farming methods and ecological land management; and Forest Grove Farmers Market (FGFM), offering opportunities for clients to sell their wares.

Austin Free-Net: volunteers help with computer literacy training, which helps clients find jobs. In Austin, Texas, USA.

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center: a non-profit organization that provides small business training and support services to women and men throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA.

SCORE: through this nonprofit in the USA, volunteers help thousands of entrepreneurs start small businesses and achieve new levels of success in their existing businesses.

PeaceCorps: many of the volunteers serving in this program are focused on helping to develop or expand income-generation activities by people and communities in developing countries.

KIVA: Kiva Fellows travel to and live in the host country of one of its partner microfinance institutions (MFI) for a minimum of 12 weeks.

Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC): many of its volunteers work in efforts related to economic development in countries around the world.

International Services division of Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO): Provides service related to economic development to communities within Canada and in many other countries around the world. This includes services related to strategic planning, business development, accounting and finance, organizational development, and production and operations.

Thank you to the many volunteers who help with the range of economic and social development needs in the world! Today is all about YOU.

My previous blog on this subject has a long list of examples of volunteers contributing to economic and social development.

Dec. 5: International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

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December 5 is International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly per its resolution 40/212 in 1985.

This is not a day to honor only international volunteers; the international in the title describes the day, not the volunteer. It’s a day to honor, specifically, those volunteers who contribute to economic and social development. Such volunteers deserve their own day. Such volunteers are part of the reason I bristle at all the warm and fuzzy language used about volunteers.

What does it mean – volunteers contributing to economic and social development? It means volunteers who help create and support activities that help:

  • poor or economically at-risk people access microfinance programs or get out of debt or better manage their money
  • poor or economically at-risk people become successful farmers
  • people use sustainable animal husbandry practices
  • women learn to read and learn skills
  • people understand how to protect their local environment while still making a living for themselves
  • create understanding, acceptance and support of people with disabilities in all aspects of society, including paid work
  • develop environmentally-appropriate and historically-respectful tourism that helps local economies
  • train local restauranteurs in developing countries to become more sustainable and more attractive to a wider clientele
  • create and support schools
  • celebrate the arts and bring access to theater, dance, song, paintings, sculpture or other arts to any group or community
  • use the arts to educate about any economic or social issue
  • contribute in some way to any of the Millennium Development Goals
  • give children and teens alternatives to negative/destructive activities

and on and on.

Cultural organizations, vocational programs, education programs, girls-empowerment programs, anti-violence programs, agricultural programs, schools – all of these and more contribute to economic and social development, even if they don’t say so in their mission statements. And if these organizations involve volunteers, then their volunteers also contribute to economic and social development.

How are you going to leverage the International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development?

  • Will you blog about what your volunteers are doing to help your local communities economic health or social cohesion/inter-cultural understanding or community health, showing that your volunteers aren’t just nice and good-hearted, but filling essential roles and being the best for those roles?
  • Will you create a message on YouTube or Vimeo addressing your volunteers specifically, but sharing it with everyone, talking about how volunteers contribute to economic and social development?
  • Will you write a letter to your local newspaper to be published on December 5 and talking about how volunteers contribute to economic and social development in your community?

Don’t make this hug-a-volunteer-day. Don’t turn the day into just another day to celebrate volunteering in general — there are plenty of days and weeks to honor all volunteers and encourage more volunteering; keep December 5 specifically for volunteers who contribute to economic and social development, per its original intention, and, therefore, keep it unique and interesting and something worth paying attention to!

And just to be clear: by volunteer, I mean someone who is not paid for his or her service, or, if he or she has a “stipend”, it covers only very essential expenses so the volunteer can give up employment entirely during his or her stint as a volunteer, rather than the stipend being as much, if not more, than some mid and high-level government workers of a country are making. Yes, that’s a dig at a certain organization.

Here’s how I volunteer – and economic and social development is actually a primary motivation!