Are you looking for an opportunity to work in development or peace work? If so, you need look no further. As one of the leading personnel service providers for international cooperation, we recruit qualified professionals abroad in accordance with the German Development Aid Workers Act (EhfG).
Applicants
As a development worker, you will put your skills at the disposal of national partner organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. For example, you might be helping to optimise project management or organisational structures. Or to bring about reconciliation processes in civil war areas or to document human rights abuses. Or to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between different religious communities. Or to give a voice to victims of resource overexploitation.
You will spend three years as a development worker in the host country, helping local partners to enhance the effectiveness of their programmes.
Preparing to make a difference
As an experienced player in international cooperation, we will place you with an employer in the relevant host country. For the most part, these are church and civil society organisations. We will also prepare you for your placement with individual personnel development plans designed for the partner country in question and taking into account your individual needs. You will receive technical, language and country-specific training as well as various personal coaching options. The support we provide also extends to your family – in the form of extensive social security benefits for your spouse and children.
Services for development workers
- External and internal development service training
- Individual preparation plans and consulting
- Large range of in-house seminars and external programmes, for example in cooperation with Dienste in Übersee gGmbH
- Coaching
- Language instruction (usually in local languages)
Our “development cooperation” placements
What do we expect from you? In order to work in “development cooperation”, you should have a good professional qualification and at least two years’ professional experience in Germany and/or abroad. Development workers returning from other development cooperation assignments abroad are also welcome. We offer development cooperation positions for economists, sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, peace and conflict researchers, journalists, social workers, theologists and many other professional groups.
Main points of focus:
- Organisational development
- Educational work
- Peace and reconciliation work
- Healthcare
- Humanitarian aid
- Environment and climate protection
- Democracy promotion
- Communication and media/PR work
- Project management and financial administration
- Psychosocial and trauma work
Experience the world – our job opportunities
Whether Africa, Latin America, Asia or Europe, you will be immersed wholly in the culture of your host country, working together closely with local people there. At the same time, you will gain valuable experience that will stand you in good stead both in your personal life and throughout your career. In this way, you can use your skills and your personality for a meaningful, rewarding assignment – one that offers financial security and social benefits. At the end of your project, we will provide reintegration assistance for both you and your family. Generally speaking, you will receive a preparation contract for the preparation period, which takes around three months on average. During this time, you will acquire further qualifications which will help you to bring out the best in your work.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the service assignment abroad?
We recruit development workers in accordance with the German Development Aid Workers Act (EhfG). This means that employment contracts are generally limited to three years. After this, it is possible to extend the contract or begin a new placement.
What professional qualifications do I need to be a development worker?
There is no general answer to this. Requirements vary according to function, job description and host country. The specific requirements can be found in the relevant job description.
What language skills do I need?
You will need to have a good command of a working European language that is important for the partner country in question (generally English, French or Spanish, depending on the country). It would be an advantage if you also spoke a local or regional language or were prepared to learn one. Please note: as language preparation is one of the areas on which you will be focusing during the preparation period, you will have the opportunity to learn a language with us.
Can I take my family with me to the partner country?
Many work locations are suitable for families, including families with children. Where this is not the case – e.g. for safety reasons – we do not deploy development workers with their families. It is also important to note that family members will be factored into the selection process, preparations and the calculation of benefits (financial benefits and benefits in kind).
What medical support and other kinds of support will I receive?
You will be fully insured and all necessary medical precautions will be taken. We will also help you with travel formalities such as procuring visas, booking travel and shipping luggage.
What will I earn as a development worker on a development cooperation assignment?
This depends on factors such as your qualifications, professional experience and family situation, but also on the country in which you will be working. You will receive extensive social benefits such as health, pension, unemployment and accident insurance. Should you be invited to our selection event, you will be presented with an individual calculation in which we list all components from which you stand to benefit. As AGIAMONDO benefits are determined by agreements with the relevant ministry, they are not freely negotiable.
Do I have to be Catholic to work for AGIAMONDO?
No. As a Catholic organisation, we and our partners – who generally belong to the local Catholic Church in the partner country – set great store by our development workers being willing and able to subscribe to the goals and identity of the partners. Depending on the nature and profile of the overseas assignment, additional requirements may be specified, i.e. if the position also involves working extensively with theological or ethnic matters. Generally speaking, your religious affiliation is less important than how suitable you are for the position and partner organisation in question.
Is “development cooperation” a worthwhile pursuit?
There is a good reason why we tend these days to refer to international cooperation rather than development cooperation. This is because the work of a development worker has changed fundamentally since the 1960s. While in those days, development workers were deployed in “line functions”, the main aim today is to work together with local colleagues to develop solutions for questions relating to global problems, while working as part of a national and international network. Or, as Pope Francis put it in the Laudato Si’ encyclical letter, working together to preserve the future of our planet. As part of a broad-based impact study, the independent German Institute for Evaluations in Development Cooperation found that development cooperation is only successful when the development workers are well integrated into the host country, work closely together with local partners and develop new ideas with all local stakeholders. Taking on board an outside view helps to bring about a change in attitude and to encourage social innovations. Interaction, teamwork, trust, understanding and personal relationships are the key to successful work.
