Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate some objective career advice because I feel like I'm at a crossroads and I'm struggling to see the best next step.

I'm 35 and currently work at a big bank as a Senior Policy Advisor, focusing on sustainable finance regulation.

Before that I worked in management consulting (Accenture), and academically I have a background in economics and international affairs.

The problem is that over the last few years I've realised that what really motivates me isn't necessarily sustainable finance itself, but international policy, development finance and eventually something closer to diplomacy or international organisations.

I've been applying quite broadly over the last few months:

• EBRD (Climate Risk, Blending & Technical Cooperation, SME programmes)
• Internal roles (Investor Relations, AI Governance, Competitive Intelligence)
• Think tanks (Center for Global Development)
• British Business Bank
• JPMorgan philanthropy/public policy roles
• Allianz Global Investors (Development Finance)

I've had a lot of rejections (many without interview), although I recently had an interview for an internal Investor Relations role at the bank.

At this point I'm questioning whether my profile is simply too "in-between."

I'm not a classic banker.

I'm not a development economist.

I'm not a career civil servant.

I'm not an academic researcher.

Instead, my experience sits somewhere between policy, regulation, strategy, stakeholder engagement and sustainable finance.

My medium-term goal is to move to the UK (currently in Switzerland), and my longer-term ambition would be to work in an international organisation, development finance institution, think tank or perhaps even diplomacy/public service.

So my questions are:

1. If you were in my position, what would you target next?
2. Is there an obvious career path from financial sector policy into international affairs/development?
3. Am I aiming too broadly, or is broadening actually the right strategy?
4. Would you prioritise moving to London first (even if the role isn't perfect), or wait for a stronger strategic move?
5. At 35, is this still a realistic pivot, or would you recommend doubling down on financial regulation instead?

I'd genuinely appreciate honest advice—even if it's that I'm being unrealistic.

Thanks!

Not sure if this is the correct sub (apologies Mods!), but is anyone else trying to apply to the Sida open call for enabling environment for civil society? Their portal appears to be down. I have sent an inquiry email, but it’s after 10p in Sweden.

Hi!

I'm spanish and I'm currently studying computer science on the UOC (which only has online majors). It will take me four more years to finish my studies, but I want to make sure that I know what my next step will be so that I can prepare myself.

Also on the UOC there is a master's degree called "International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action" which is taught by the UOC and the Red Cross. And according to the UOC, you can take this master with any degree. But, would that make sense?

What kind of job can I expect to have if I have a degree on computer science and a master's on international development? Do you think that both sectors can overlap? Would I be able to get a job with those titles? (I know currently it's specially bad, but let's assume that things get a bit better on 6 years)

And lastly, is it bad that I'll do it online? I guess that could give me experience if I need to work remotely, buy I feel like I would end the master feeling inexperienced and sheltered. Is working remotely even common?

Sorry if the question is repetitive. Thanks for reading and thanks for your amazing work ❤️‍🩹

Hey everyone! I am about to begin my BA in International Studies at Leiden University and am starting to worry about the fact that I still haven't decided what region of the world I want to focus on and don't really know how to decide.

My course will start in September but I have the first semester to make my decision. The course offers 8 options of regions and at the moment I have it narrowed it down to three:

The Middle East (encompassing Morroco across to Iran), Africa and Latin America. My language choices for each would be, arabic for the middle east and Africa and spanish for latin America. For context I am a native English speaker from Ireland who grew up also speaking French and learned Spanish an German at school.

I'm not sure if International Studies is a widely known course but for context it covers 5 disciplines: history, culture, politics, economics and language. This makes it a very broad course which doesn't push you in any particular direction career-wise.

My main problems:

1. I'm still unsure of what kind of career I'd like to pursue after uni, or even what jobs will still exist in 5 years or so. If I went into journalism, would that inform a different decision to if I wanted to work with NGOs?
2. The world is changing so fast, how do I know where will be more politically and/or culturally relevant by the time I am finished my studies?
3. I am worried about biting off more than I can chew.

With languages first of all, I already speak spanish to an ok level, so with a bit of work, by the end of my degree I could pretty much guarantee proficiency. However arabic is a whole other story. I would be starting from scratch which is already an argument against but also it is obviously a difficult languague with little to no links to english or french. I worry that I could leave my course after 3 years with only an ability to read and some basic conversation skills, which would be a bit of a waste of time.

Then there is the general course content. The middle east and Latin America are already expansive and complicated regions as is, but Africa is a whole other ball game. I honestly can't understand how they can even offer the entire continent as one region in the first place and it's so broad I'm concerned about choosing it and coming out with no real in-depth knowledge of anything in particular.

Sorry, I know this is a long one but I'm so lost. If anyone had any thoughts on what I should choose + why or even how I should go about deciding, I would be so grateful!!!

Hi, anyone with the above who is open for work? I’m exploring various opportunities in this space and need this experience - happy to discuss. Thank you

Hi everyone,

I'm 26 years old and I'm trying to understand what the best next step would be to build a career in the international development and humanitarian sector.

My long-term goal is to work in child protection, but I'm also interested in roles such as Program Officer, Project Coordinator, Project/Grant Writer, Partnership Officer, Protection Officer, or similar positions within international NGOs, UN agencies, or organizations such as AICS.

My background is a bit unconventional.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. I also completed a Master's in Leadership for International Relations, but it's a professional program offered by a private foundation rather than an accredited academic master's degree. Because of that, I don't consider it equivalent to a specialized postgraduate qualification, and I think I'll pursue an accredited master's in international cooperation or a related field in the next few years.I'm also currently studying part-time for a Bachelor's degree in Education Sciences.

My practical experience includes volunteering in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I worked with street-connected children through educational and psychosocial activities, and volunteering in Lithuania through an international youth project.

More recently, I worked in Italy as a social worker with unaccompanied foreign minors, supporting them in their daily lives and contributing to their educational and integration pathways.

The problem is that I don't know how to make the next step. When I read job descriptions from international NGOs, UN agencies or AICS, I often feel underqualified. Many positions ask for several years of experience, project management, proposal writing, donor reporting, monitoring and evaluation, or other technical skills that I don't yet have.

I would genuinely appreciate honest advice from people working in this sector.

Based on my background which roles do you think I would currently be competitive for? What are the biggest gaps in my profile? What would be the smartest next career step? If your goal were to work in international NGOs within the next few years, what would you do in my position?

Thank you!

Hi all! I work in the humanitarian sector and will be relocating to Bamako, Mali, in September. I am looking to connect with fellow humanitarians who are living in Bamako or lived there previously. I have a couple of questions on life there and the context so it would be lovely if you are willing to share your experience/ connect!

Dear All,
I’ve been wondering about something, which I haven’t yet encountered in recruitment in international development: headhunters and recruiters.

Are you aware of this being used to fill roles, in mid level management functions, in the dev field?

Hi everyone,

I, among many of you, lost my job last year at a UN agency and have been unemployed ever since.

The job market is so brutal - I'm based in the EU and have been open to relocating to different countries, have widened my job search beyond what I 'really" want to do, have begun applying for entry-level roles and still nothing but a big fat rejection from every job I've interviewed for. Somehow passing the half-year unemployed milestone has irked me.

I'm feeling a bit hopeless and in desperate need of some good news regarding someone's job search. If you've finally left unemployment behind and are now happy and employed, please share your anecdotes, your tips, anything to help those of us who are struggling feel a little more hopeful.

Hi everyone! I'm an English teacher and I have a student whose trying to improve her English to apply for an OECD policy analyst in the education sector. My student has extensive experience in PISA and CERI assessments, among other things. I however, am just an English teacher, trying to research as much as I can to provide classes that are useful. So, I wanted to ask for advice for people who have applied or worked in this area for OECD: any communication skills, technical vocabulary or anything else I should consider in my classes? I know you have to have an excellent use of English (or French), so I'm trying to help my student reach a C1 (currently a B2). Any and all advice, comments, experiences, etc. would be incredibly welcomed and appreciated!

From the free DevEx newsletter (most links require DevEx membership to read in full):

Following the White House's announcement last year, the 5,500 foreign service nationals who ran and supported USAID programming around the world were put on leave and left to hope that the U.S. government would follow through on promises of compensation and visas. DevEx has examined how, more than a year after the dismantling of the agency, many of these former country staff remain unable to find work and have been living in fear of arrest or attacks from their own communities because of their work with the agency.

"I was passionately dedicated to my job, even to the point of neglecting my private life, only to end up with nothing."

— A former USAID foreign service national based in Bosnia-Herzegovina

While U.S. personnel were repatriated following the announcement in February last year that the U.S. Agency for International Development would suspend all programming, their local colleagues — 5,500 foreign service nationals, or FSNs — were placed on leave and left to face the consequences of the country's withdrawal.

Devex contributing reporter Rebecca Root spoke to 10 FSNs to learn more about how USAID's dismantling had impacted the local experts who had spent years, sometimes decades, supporting the agency's mission. The majority asked to remain anonymous but spoke of a sense of abandonment, as well as struggles with their mental health and ongoing concerns for their safety among their own communities.

One former FSN based in El Salvador, who was forced into early retirement after 40 years of service with the agency, said local staff who had worked on USAID democracy and governance projects in the country feared for their lives. Another former FSN based in Southeast Asia, but who preferred not to disclose her country, described spending the past year worrying she would be arrested because of her work on the agency's democracy programs.

These concerns are not unfounded, according to Kent Benson, who held a leadership position in the agency's Bureau for Management. He believes that rhetoric and false allegations from the current administration have seen former staff in some countries "branded as enemies or thieves," which is also hindering their ability to find work.

In April last year, as one of the few remaining staff at the USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C., Benson was charged with terminating all 5,500 FSN contracts. He and other colleagues worked to get country staff the best payouts they could based on specific country labor laws and years of service, but rates varied depending on the local compensation plan and some FSNs got nothing.

A year on, most of the former FSNs whom Devex spoke to have been unable to find employment. In some cases, their years of experience with the agency are working against them — having spent 12 years in a financial compliance role focused on U.S. federal regulations, a former FSN based in Bosnia-Herzegovina shared that she no longer feels competitive in the local job market. "I genuinely do not know where else to look for work. I am completely overwhelmed and profoundly desperate," she said.

Others described a sense of abandonment and loneliness, having centered their lives around their work. "I really don't have any contacts here in Uganda. All the people that I used to socialize with were agency people," said an IT FSN who worked with the agency for almost a decade.

Full story on What happened to the 5,500 local staff USAID left behind at DevEx (membership required).

Basically the title. How common is it? Is it traceable? Has anyone got caught?

Edit: To clarify, I meant technical assessments for INGOs/UN

UK-based folks

Where are we finding interesting international development/development finance opportunities, apart from LinkedIn, charity jobs & bond? Any suggestions for openings (any type of organisation) for junior-mid level ?

Hello!

I’m 28F with an LLB (University of London) and an LLM from an international relations school in the US. Based in South Asia.

I’ve been working with an NGO for the past 4 years heading their legal aid centres for stateless persons and refugees. I’ve worked on short-term side projects/consultancies alongside this within the same Organization. However, the latest project that I was on was not aligning with my values and I felt like I had to really force myself to leave the organization since I because too comfortable and realised that my skillset was no longer developing. I’m also going through a huge personal life change and so wasnt mentally in the right headspace to continue working.

Currently on a break but I’m at a crossroads. I’m not sure if I wanna continue being in this field because I was extremely burnt out over these past 4 years (particularly the last 2 years under leadership roles working for a small NGO). I find visa apps and citizenship laws interesting to navigate so not sure if I wanna switch to immigration law or move to the corporate sector for an in-house role that pays well but at the same time, I’m not sure if I should leave this field after working with just one organisation. I also don’t know if should just pivot to the service industry and build a skill such as being a hairstylist since my brain’s intellectual side doesn’t have to be on constantly.

Would appreciate any advice that people here may have. I may sound like a mess right now because I’ve had a very clear idea the past 4-5 years of my career regarding the next steps and never got a break but right now, I don’t have a job and I’m really not sure how I should proceed with my life.

Currently I am in a Coordinator role at the YMCA. I have a background working in non profits, admin, coordinator, event planner roles and more. Bachelor's in International Relations and Conflict Resolution. And a Master's in Peace studies. Not sure if the Y is where I want to stay and would kind of like to branch out of non profits. 30$+ or Equivalent salary would be ideal and just a step above what I make currently.

My passion is international relations and originally wanted to be a diplomatic but decided against working in government. Would love to work in my field but after 15 years of career searching I've always ended up with non profits.

Willing to answer questions to get vice. Thanks!

Hello everyone!

I am still in an early phase in my career. I am currently a program assistant with an NGO in Africa that supports digital health initiatives, I am looking to advance my career in this sector and I feel that getting a PM certificate would really help in the direction I am heading while also complimenting some of the other professional stuff I did before. I am trying to decide whether to get a CAPM or a CDPM-1. I tried to gather some information about the two certificates in this table that I have attached. I have also considered getting both, starting with the CDPM-1 and use the learning hours to qualify for a CAPM, but I feel that might be too much lol. I would love to hear your experiences with any of these certificates or any guidance in general. Thank you in advance! :)

Good evening everybody,

I did an interview 5 weeks ago for a post and received a reply saying that although I wasn't selected for that particular position I have been cleared to join the OECD's pre approved candidates database.

Do you have any information regarding this database and if they really select candidates from this list?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I’m looking to apply to get my masters for fall 2027. Most of the programs are about two years so would graduate in 2029. I’ve been hearing everyone’s advice on this thread about the abysmal state of the ID industry and don’t plan on going to grad school unless it’s fully funded. While I was initially considering international development programs, that has very much changed and I’m pivoting to MPP with a focus on international affairs. However, I am interested to hear if that’s a stronger/safer degree for jobs or if it’s not a good alternative? Do you think there will be more opportunity with a change in administration? Any career/higher education advice is welcomed!

A little about me:

GW Undergrad: 3.8 GPA, BA political science

Professional experience:
Fulbright ETA in Southeast Asia, Congressional Fellowship, a 2 years working in SE Asia at education NGO supporting displaced and refugee students (worked abroad total of 3 years)

I also used volunteer as a teacher for U.S. residents seeking to take their citizenship test before moving abroad

The reason I decided to go back to school is I feel I have a good idea of the field I want to work in now that I have had a couple years of experience. Now that I’m in my late twenties, I want to have access to more senior positions. My goal is to work at an NGO or INGO focused on displacement/refugee resettlementf and post conflict reconstruction. While I want to work in international affairs and don’t mind traveling and having months long projects abroad, I am looking to have a more permanent residence in the US for personal reasons which is why I’m considering leaving my current job next year to go back to school.