How to move from local to international development jobs
Local development workers in developing countries often face severe funding cuts and delayed salaries, preventing them from achieving financial freedom. To keep creating impact while securing a stable living, they need to transition to the international space, but struggle to chart this pathway without practical advice from those who have successfully made the jump.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1sticking to local jobs despite salary delays due to ghosting by employers and a desire for meaningful impact
- 2working for brand name organizations to build a resume before shifting elsewhere
- 3Taking a break from the job search
- 4Pursuing additional education instead
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“could someone who was from a developing country and maybe at the start, worked in the development sector locally, but then charted out an impact career elsewhere, achieving financial freedom and developing their career, while also creating impact, share their advice?”source ↗
“The current state of development sector in Pakistan (thanks to USAID cuts which reducted the already meagre funding) and its resultant impact on my employer where my salary has been delayed once every few months for the past year, also doesn't help.”source ↗
“I'd love to hear some tips and advice from people who have found jobs in education development in the international space.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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