The Benefits of Development Work
This is a non-exhaustive list of some of the possible benefits you may enjoy from working in international development. Some of these points will not be true of all jobs or countries, and you may not even regard all of these points as benefits.
The work itself
- “Making the world a better place” also known as reducing inequality
- An honorable goal, but it’s important to realise that you are doing “altruistic” things because they make YOU feel good
- Tangible nature of work
- The results of your work are often visible and meaningful
- Varied work
- The work can be extremely diverse as you often have to play many roles and often involves fieldwork and travel
Aspects of the work
- Diversity of the work
- Particularly in NGOs
- Mental challenge of the work
- You can be faced with unique problems that call for a lot of initiative and imagination to be successful
- Physical challenge of the work
- Often stressful, with long hours and difficult conditions
- Meeting high-end dignitaries
- Self-importance/ego boost
Location
- Beautiful countries
- Often work takes place in or near countries that are exclusive tourist destinations
- Diverse cultures
- Each country brings with it a set of traditions that is fascinating to learn about
- Languages
- Many countries have a unique language, allowing practice or development of new linguistic skills
- Climate
- Many of the focus countries have warm, sunny climates
- Expatriate privileges
- You are one of a small group, so you feel and may treated as “special”
- Development community
- You will also meet like-minded people from other countries doing the same as you
- Lower costs of living
- Many items are cheaper in developing countries
Job-related perks
- Accommodation size and quality
- Often superior to standards at home
- Hardship bonuses
- Some countries are considered challenging to live in, so you are remunerated appropriately
- Travel expenses
- Costs of travel back to your home country and sometimes an annual travel allowance
- Courtesy vehicle
- Some positions provide you with a car
- Schooling
- Education of your kids is often covered
- Domestic help
- In many developing countries, hired help is very common and may be covered
Undoubtedly there are more benefits we haven’t covered, and if you have suggestions, we would love to add them.
July 24th, 2014 at 4:35 pm
international development jobs help in transferring knowledge and skills from one region to another.
But in most cases,this has been enjoyed by learner fellows from developed countries to developing countries.
However, while this has been going on, very few learned fellows developing countries get this opportunity to work in any other part of the world.
such opportunities should be given to like Africans to and work in both developed and developing countries of the world.
while a lot was mentioned, Cultural shocks should be taken into consideration