What are the qualifications to work internationally for the red cross?

Question

Hi, Im doing a lot of research on this topic and I would appreciate any help. I need to know what the red cross is looking for specifically (nurses, agricultural engineers..etc) and how young do they hire/accept people to go overseas. What do I need to do in order to get accepted to work in africa right after college?

thank you!

Answer 1

You need to volunteer with the Red Cross locally, and take every training that's offered. You need to participate in local rescue efforts as well. If your local IRC is working with refugees (many are doing such work in the USA), get involved as a volunteer, to acquire skills working with people for whom English is not their native language, who need to navigate government bureaucracy in order to have basic needs met, etc. This will greatly increase your marketability for overseas work.

IRC is focused on emergency aid and temporary aid, so they aren't looking for agricultural engineers -- they are looking for people who can respond to emergency situations, rather than economic development initiatives. They need specialists in logistics, emergency telecommunications, emergency housing, emergency WatSan, healthcare, security, preventing gender violence, emergency nutrition, etc.

You also need to be able to work in a language other than English. For Africa, choose French or Portuguese (or even both).

http://www.theirc.org/jobs/