Job/Internship Searches in International Public Health & Development

Compiled by Ray Martin, Executive Director, Christian Connections for International Health, Nov. 2006

Updated by Evelyn Garland, Student Outreach Coordinator, Christian Connections for International Health, Jan. 2009

The purpose of this listing is to help students and others seeking jobs or internships in international development, with special focus on health. For an electronic version, go to < www.ccih.org> and click on "job search resource." Feel free to pass it on to others. Please send corrections, additions, or suggestions to enhance this compilation for the benefit of future job seekers to MartinRS@aol.com .

Getting jobs in international health, even with good academic credentials but limited experience, requires a lot of work. It pays to research and contact a lot of potential employers. Spend a lot of time on the Internet. Networking is key. Personal follow up and sending email messages, letters, and resumes, is important. Use your personal contacts. With limited experience, NGOs are the easiest place to start. Overseas posts come easier than jobs in the US . Agencies that deal with refugees and disaster relief are often promising for newcomers. (Useful book: Finding Work in Global Health by Osborn and Ohmans, available on amazon.com)

  1. A rich trove of information about 565 Private and Voluntary Organizations registered with USAID, many of which recruit professionals or provide internships in international health, can be found online at < http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/private_voluntary_cooperation/pub.html>. Check specifically the 185-page 2008 VolAg report listing agencies engaged in overseas relief and development.
  2. Another comprehensive online NGO directory is the Worldwide NGO Directory compiled by the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) < www.wango.org/resources.aspx?section=ngodir#tab1>. You may browse the list of NGOs by region or search using your own set of criteria.
  3. CORE, a coalition of NGO recipients of USAID child survival grants, provides information for both consultant job seekers and recruiters at < www.childsurvival.com/tools/consultants_db.cfm>.
  4. The Global Health Council Career Network at < www.globalhealth.org/jobs/> describes scores of positions. GHC members can post their resumes online. Their Career Connection job fair at their annual May conference in the Washington , DC area brings over dozens of recruiting organizations. Two good investments are buying their Global Health Directory and Global AIDS Directory. Hard copies are available for purchase; online access is free. Sign up at < http://careers.globalhealth.org/search/agent/index.cfm> to receive job openings through email daily.
  5. The Public Health Employment Connection of the American Schools of Public Health Employment Council, maintained by Emory SPH, is exceptionally rich, containing hundreds of current job openings in domestic and international health. Go to: < http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm>.
  6. Two useful publications, Mission Handbook 2007-2009 (U.S. & Canadian Protestant), a directory of over 800 mission agencies, and Essential Guide to Short Term Mission Trips can be obtained from <www.billygrahamcenter.com/worldpulseonline/missionhandbook/> and < www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Short-Term-Mission/dp/0802425267>, respectively.
  7. The Publications Department, InterAction, 1717 Massachusetts , NW, Suite 801 , Washington , DC 20036 has several valuable resources. E-mail: < publications@interaction.org>. Phone: (202) 667-8227. Or go to < www.interaction.org/jobs/index.html> to obtain a) InterAction Member Profiles 2004-2005 with information on 160 US-based non-profits working internationally, b) Monday Developments, lists jobs , and c) Global Works, lists volunteer, internship or fellowship opportunities. InterAction also has an online job board: <careers.interaction.org>
  8. The American Public Health Association CareerMart lists scores of jobs, mostly domestic, at < www.apha.org/career/>. You can post your resume and search for listed jobs online. Phone CareerMart coordinator at (202) 777-2742. Their November annual meeting is great to seek jobs.
  9. Public Health Jobs Worldwide, P.O. Box 6729 , Charlottesville , VA 22906 , publishes a bi-weekly newspaper listing over 500 jobs in the U.S. and overseas. Their website at < www.jobspublichealth.com> provides free access to many of these public health openings. Tel (434) 970-5033.
  10. The American Medical Students Association, 1902 Association Drive , Reston , VA 22091 . Tel. (703) 620-6600 lists many opportunities as well as other useful resources at < http://www.amsa.org/global/>. Also check Global Health Education Consortium, < www.globalhealth-ec.org>, click on “Resources.”
  11. A few of the thousands of volunteer, short-term Christian medical assignments can be found at < www.cmda.org>, < www.internationalaid.org>, < www.mercyandtruth.com>, < www.amginternational.org>, < www.blessing.org>, or <www.internationalmessengers.org/>.
  12. USAID has a few career positions in the New Entry Professional program. Go to < www.usaid.gov>, click on “careers.” Many jobs are available at scores of USAID-funded agencies. There is no central clearinghouse for such positions. Many non-profits are listed in Voluntary Foreign Aid Programs (No. 1 above)
  13. The World Bank < www.worldbank.org> and the projects it finances employ many mid-level health consultants. There is no central point to get information. Networking with the relevant offices is required.
  14. The Association of Schools of Public Health < www.asph.org> job information service for students in public health has dozens of listings. Click on “Employment & Training.” See listings, many academic jobs, and subscribe to an email job notification service at < www.publichealthjobs.net>
  15. For hundreds of current job openings in international relief and humanitarian assistance, including health, go to Relief Web, Humanitarian Vacancies, at < www.reliefweb.int/vacancies>, a site maintained by the UN. You can also subscribe to a weekly email giving over a hundred new openings.
  16. For openings listed by The Communication Initiative on The Drum Beat, go to < www.comminit.com/vacancies.html> and do a search on “health”.
  17. Check < www.idealist.org> for a listing of thousands of jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities in health and other sectors in 153 countries.
  18. The Catholic Network of Volunteer Service < www.cnvs.org> lists thousands of volunteer opportunities. Click on “Search all volunteer opportunities.”
  19. Bruce Carr , has compiled a directory of information resources about planning short-term medical and health missions, including an annotated listing of sponsoring organizations, sources of supplies, books, websites, and other information regarding overseas short-term mission trips. Go to: < www.helpingoverseasdirectory.org>.
  20. < http://mfinder.org/> is a rich website of hundreds of opportunities for short-term health and medical missions, mostly Christian, plus links with many other websites on short-term missions.
  21. DevNetJobs.org < www.devnetjobs.org> is a list of international development jobs used by a large number of jobseekers and development recruiters. You may subscribe and become a paid member. However, a huge amount of information on job openings is FREE. Also, there is a trick: many of the http links do not lead you anywhere if you click them; you will need to copy and paste the link into the address bar of the window.
  22. For those who are interested in humanitarian relief work, ReliefWeb < www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc215?OpenForm> has a list of vacancies, training opportunities, as well as a directory of information providers all over the world.
  23. NonprofitJobMarket is another online list of NGO job opportunities < www.nonprofitjobmarket.org/search.aspx>.
  24. University Coalitions for Global Health has a list of additional job databases and listings < www.ucgh.org/career-opportunities/jobs-and-related-information/>.
  25. Do not forget to check out with the career services office at your college or university.
  26. For names and websites of 88 organizations which employ international health professionals, go to < www.ccih.org>, click on “job search resource” and then click on the list of 88 organizations.

 

 

 

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Last Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2009