Does working in the NGO Sector make me a failure?
Chances are if you’re studying international relations, you’ve stopped by at your country’s department of international affairs, you’ve presented a paper at an international conference and you’ve imagined yourself flying off to your next job post at the United Nations in Geneva.
Sorry to disappoint but most of us won’t get that comfortable diplomatic post.
The Lowdown on Careers in International Relations
Beyond those families where diplomacy seems to run in their blood, it is more often that young hopefuls become language experts, a desktop hero in a private company or entrepreneurs. Let’s be clear, this rejection is not a reflection of your abilities. It may just be your poor timing in the recruitment process. Your national department of international affairs could be at the behest of political patronage…or they suck :P
Despite the disillusionament that graduates go through in the job seeking process, I’ve seen few stick to their guns in international relations and mould out a space in the non-governmental sector. So, can NGOs as the last resort be considered a failure to international relations graduates?
NGOs in the Thick of Things
Non-governmental organisations are in fact dynamic and require versatile beings. Your image of the average activist may be the tree-hugger living in a tent but the space in international relations is highly professionalised. Still, NGOs vary. There are large NGOs that straddle multiple issue areas and countries. There are also the small ones running vigorous campaigns that directly negotiate the wants of their countryman with high level actors (the kind you’d like to meet). So firstly what this means is that depending on how motivated you are, you will be able to create a satisfactory salary while working on a diversity of projects. Usually, you will also be working with good people, sensitive to your labour rights (though like anywhere you may need to wake up management and demand these in the early stages of recruitment).
Secondly, you’re still negotiating at international meetings with the foreign policy top of the pops — just not in the way you might have imagined in the role of a rank and file diplomat. In fact, my contacts in state departments generally say they wish they would have joined at a later stage of their career where they would have had more freedom.
Today, international relations is inescapable for the average activist and a hotly desired skill in the NGO sector. This leads to my third argument that for most global south countries where NGOs work to protect human rights and inform policy independently, a significant amount of their funding is derived from international channels. How to identify these opportunities in the form of grants from countries or donations from international corporations will often rely on your donor analysis, their international political status, foreign policy interests and forecasting how this may affect your project. Essentially, with heightened interconnectivity and social media it is highly likely your NGO’s campaign will require you to be linked to international momentum on an issue or at least seek to influence the way an issue is dealt with outside of your country.
The New Business Model unlocks NGO Survival
I believe an independent NGO sector active in policy research, debate and implementation is essential to a communicative, adaptive and innovative society that bridges government and citizens. Nevertheless, with many of us managing the burden of student loans and pressures from reducing social security (if you’re lucky enough to have social security in your country), you may still have your hesitations about joining the do-gooder NGO sector. However, don’t dismiss this evolving sector too quickly. NGOs are increasingly upping their game as legitimate actors in the international space. This efficiency is thanks to the energy professionals put into diversifying income streams. These NGOs in fact are moving to new realms of independence beyond speaking without constraints but re-envisioning how global development is conducted.
NGO activists are evolving into social entrepreneurs. This means that activists are selling their skills with ‘the aim of solving problems or effecting social change’ (Oxford Dictionary). Social entrepreneurship is the way towards a socially conscious and sustainable future. Time to embrace a new way of business while living the good life.
