Resources for aspiring aid workers

Let me start off by saying that I am not an aid worker…..yet. I just graduated with my masters and have been actively pursuing a job with an aid organization but, as I am sure everyone is well aware, it is extremely difficult to land the first job. In looking to get involved with the humanitarian sector, I have decided to join the Peace Corps and will be leaving in February 2011. However, I am still constantly researching in order to gain more insight on how to get a paying job when I return. In my months and months of research, I have found some great resources that clear the fog a bit concerning aid work. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Rather, it is just some of the sites that I found to be helpful. If anyone has more resources they feel are helpful, feel free to add them. I also added some news sites at the bottom that deal with global humanitarian issues. I feel it is good measure to read these daily in order to stay current with what is going on. I hope you find these helpful.
-Mark

Advice Sites:
• http://www.theroadtothehorizon.org
o Long-time humanitarian and pretty inspiring guy, Peter Flemish, provides tons of useful information and insights on becoming an aid worker.

• http://humanitarianjobs.wordpress.com
o An extremely helpful site created by Nick Macdonald for people interested in becoming an international aid worker. Nick provides the positive and negative sides of the work and thoroughly clears up some of the questions us “first-timers” keep asking ourselves (i.e. Why is it so hard to get a job in this industry!?!?!?)

• http://bloodandmilk.org/
o Alanna Shaikh’s is another long-time humanitarian worker with an impressive resume. Her site has links concerning landing that first job.

Job Sites:
• http://afghanistan.quaker.org/AidOrgs.htm
o I found this website doing a random Google search but it has a large list and links to operating aid organizations

• http://www.devjob4u.net
o Specialist in NGO, UN, Humanitarian Aid and International development jobs

• http://www.charityjob4u.co.uk
o Specialist in UK charity job

News/Information Sites:
• http://www.hrw.org/
• http://www.alertnet.org/
• http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc100?OpenForm