If one wants to work for an international organization like the Red Cross, etc.?

Question

What skills are required. Do they provide training? Are you paid or is it a volunteer thing if you choose to do something like that on a full time basis where you travel to countries to help people etc.

Answer 1

Most international NGO's require you to have a college degree and hire on a contract basis. So, you would be hired to work for a year or two years in a particular position and in a particular country for a set period of time, and then would be job-hunting again (or renegotiating your contract).

Answer 2

There are big differences between international organizations (like the UN, or the OAS) and International Non Governmental Organizations (like the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, and others, although, the red cross may have particular standing in Switzerland).

You need a degree, and most certainly, proficiency in at least 2 languages (and when I say proficiency, it is usually much more than just colloquial dialogue). If you want to work in the Red Cross abroad, you definitely need to speak and write in French; Otherwise, if you are not Swiss, you are in serious disadvantage.

Some of them do provide training (Red Cross, for example), but many of them would require you to already have some international experience (particularly the UN).

Hope this helps, and find more information at the www.icrc.org, and other international organizations website.