A Rough Idea: “I want to work in an NGO but nobody will hire me!” It's (probably) not you.

What I want to tell aspiring NGO workers.

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“I want to work in an NGO but it’s so hard to find anything!”

At least once a month, usually more, I hear a variation of this from a graduate, intern or jobhunter in Brussels. They’re usually the picture of an ideal candidate: more degrees than I have, in relevant fields, volunteer experience, and conversational skills in at least three languages. They often have the privilege of EU citizenship and the financial ability to support another underpaid internship.

And sometimes they ask me for tips. And since I’m sick of parroting the network, keep at it and volunteer in the meantime! advice that implies that there are enough NGO jobs for everyone who tries hard enough, here’s what I want to tell them.