Work with us

We advertise vacancies for volunteer Development Workers throughout the year. Details of vacancies are posted in this section
of our website when they become available.
 
These are opportunities for experienced, and motivated professionals from around the world to work with our partner organisations.

Placements usually focus on:

• disability
• human rights
• sexual & reproductive health
• sustainable livelihoods
• children and young people
• gender

Roles are based in a wide range of sectors, from grassroots NGOs to international networks, in both urban and rural locations. The majority of our placements are long-term (two to three years), but short-term consultancies, internships and other placements are available from time to time.

Being a Development Worker

Unless otherwise specified, our volunteer Development Worker posts are offered under the following conditions of service:

• minimum two-year contract
• living allowance in relation to local costs (full details in job description)
• pre-departure grant
• resettlement grant
• provision of accommodation
• medical & personal insurance
• return travel at the end of the contract
• language training (if required)
• 20 days' annual leave

What's involved

Working at a local level and immersing yourself in a local community - whether it’s a small town in the valleys of Bolivia, a hectic West African city, or the daily complexities of Palestine - is inspiring, enriching, and seriously challenging. 

Our partner organisations need Development Workers who can combine professional expertise (graduate or post-graduate qualifications, and at least two years’ experience) with essential skills and personal qualities: communication and team-working, cultural sensitivity, maturity, flexibility, and resilience. 

Potential Development Workers must be strongly committed to improving the situation of the marginalised groups that they work with; people who understand that helping a local organisation become more effective isn’t just about transferring skills, but rather is about a process of mutual sharing and learning.

Selection and preparation

We interview candidates throughout the year at selection meetings at our offices in York (UK), and also at our field offices. Candidates are generally invited to attend in small groups. Activities include a combination of interviews and exercises that focus on different aspects of working in development. 

If selected, you will attend pre-departure preparation in York and/or in-country. This incorporates: essential briefings on the country in which you will be placed; briefings on International Service’s approach to development and partnership (as well as our policies and procedures); related training; and, if applicable, language training.

If you are invited to attend our selection and preparation sessions, we will provide travel, accommodation and any visa costs.