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Development

Research careers and find opportunities in development

About

Working in development is a popular option with many graduates. There are a wide range of jobs available, from support staff based in the UK to overseas field work.

International aid or development workers work with developing countries to set up long-term, sustainable solutions.

Increasingly, organisations are looking to recruit staff based in the UK. These are staff to support their overseas work such as:

  • finance
  • logistics
  • management
  • fundraising
  • engineering
  • IT

This can be a realistic way of entering development work.

For overseas work, development organisations prefer to recruit locally or from countries with similar social, economic and cultural values. Opportunities overseas require specific skills, experience and evidence of commitment.



Roles, skills and salaries

The range of companies and sectors you can work in vary in both the UK and internationally. They can suit graduates with a variety of skills. You can find opportunities in various roles, including aid work.

Job profiles for development

Have a look at Prospects and targetjobs to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:

Other roles

Above are just some of the roles available within development. People working within this sector also work in a wide range of fields including:

  • Administration (eg events coordinator, human resources)
  • Communications (eg communications officer, marketing, information officer)
  • Education (eg teaching, education advisor)
  • Healthcare (eg family planning, HIV prevention)
  • Management (eg project management, account manager, procurement)
  • Technical (eg water sanitation, land surveyor)

See our occupations pages for role information for these career areas

Skills employers look for

Skills required vary according to the specific role but skills most employers in this sector look for include:

  • communication
  • relationship building
  • interpersonal skills and cross-cultural sensitivity
  • problem-solving
  • ability to work under pressure
  • project and people management abilities
  • drive and determination
  • ability to motivate others
  • ability to manage workload and prioritise tasks
  • self-awareness
Salaries

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on location and the type of role.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.


Be inspired

It’s not always easy to know which roles to apply for. The resources in this section can help you find inspiration from previous students and know where to get further support.

Inspiration from people working in the industry
  • browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
  • use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
  • attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
  • sign up for mentoring support with  and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
  • attend events, such as recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions
Online reviews

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

Not sure what you want to do?

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, we can help. You can book a guidance appointment via MyCareer. Our careers consultants can help you explore your options or plan your career.

 


Sector and industry insights

Researching the industry is essential, whether it’s to:

  • help you decide which area to work in
  • identify who to apply to
  • tailor your application
  • impress an interviewer with your knowledge of the sector

Here are some resources to help you get started.

Career guides
Industry news

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

Attend events

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See the professional bodies below and industry news above for events 

An example is International Newcastle, which are local events with an international focus.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Student societies

Joining specific student societies can help you develop skills and make connections. Joining Amnesty International could help you develop your campaigning and fundraising skills. The Team Kenya Society helps to fundraise for the Team Kenya project. You can find out more about this on Go Volunteer.

Social media

Use social media to find industry insights.

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career.

Professional bodies

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

  • run networking events
  • have specialist groups you could join
  • post vacancies on behalf of their members
  • have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include:

Finding professional bodies worldwide

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.


Guide to finding opportunities 

There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.

  • search foradvertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below 
  • look at the careers sections on company websites for student and graduate opportunities.
  • use Researching employers to help you gain insights into companies
  • attend events, such as recruitment fairs  and  employer and sector insights  
  • contact employers speculatively – see 'non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs' to help you find organisations to approach 
  • follow companies on social media for latest news and updates 
  • consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs 
  • register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners. 
  • consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills

Advertised work experience

Voluntary work with development agencies is extremely popular and competition is fierce. Traditional internships and placement years are uncommon in this sector.

Search for advertised work experience

Many charities and development organisations don’t offer experience in developing countries. However, they may have opportunities in their UK offices. These may include fundraising, administration, finance and IT roles.

These roles are vital to these organisations and will show your commitment.

Some charities, development organisations and commercial companies offer work experience in developing countries.

It is extremely important that you research the organisation and what the placement will involve.

Use our resources to get started:

In the North East

The following organisations have offices and voluntary opportunities in the North East:

  • COCO - find volunteering opportunities including marketing, data and finance, and project research
  • Shared Interest - opportunities include translation, data entry, administration, ambassadors and community support
  • Oxfam Finance Office - volunteer finance assistant roles
  • Team Kenya. This volunteering opportunity includes social media marketing and administration of fundraising events
  • Go Volunteer - search for volunteering locally. Opportunities such as NEST where you can volunteer with refugees may be relevant.

UK and World Wide

  • United Nations Volunteers. This gives volunteering opportunities for graduates with over two years relevant work experience
  • British Red Cross - 8-12 week voluntary internships
  • UNICEF - offers internships in its New York headquarters and country offices
  • UNICEF UK - offers voluntary opportunities in the UK
  • VSO - volunteering opportunities
  • Oxfam - office, shop and events-based opportunities are available in the UK
  • UN Volunteers - find online sustainable human development volunteering through the United Nations
  • W4MP - offers opportunities in a range of roles working for government agencies, charities, pressure groups and think tanks
  • Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English.
NCL Internships

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage:

  • Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.
  • You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March. 
Worldwide experience

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:  

  • additional vacancy websites  
  • CV, application and interview advice   
  • Advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.  
Looking for ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank. 


Advertised graduate vacancies

When to apply

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.

For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible. UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled. These are less common in development.

Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.

Vacancy sites

Use our resources to get started: 

  • MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts. You can filter by occupational area (eg 'using languages'), vacancy type and location.
  • Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
  • Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad

 

Development vacancy sites

For more vacancy sources, see the finding jobs sections of Charities and Voluntary Organisations and Government, Politics and Public Affairs.

Graduate schemes and entry level jobs

Worldwide vacancy sites 

See International Jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites. 

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:  

  • additional vacancy websites  
  • CV, application and interview advice   
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs

Not all internships, placements and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, many people create opportunities through: 

A speculative approach is common for finding internships and placements and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available. 

How to access hidden opportunities

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities: 

  1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in. 
  2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company
  3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated. 
  4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying! 
When to contact organisations

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you: 

  • start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts 
  • contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin 
How to find organisations

Use the resources below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide. 

North East organisations

UK organisations
Worldwide organisations

Search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world. 


Specialist recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs. These tend to be for immediate start positions. It's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.

See Recruitment Agencies to find agencies. 

Finding overseas recruitment agencies

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:  

  • staffing agencies and temporary help firms  
  • executive recruiters and search firms  

Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.  


Other ways to gain relevant experience

We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.

  • complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships
  • sign up for free online courses to develop new skills
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections, eg through professional bodies.
  • enter an related competition - prizes can often include internships. Amnesty International Media Awards awards students who have had a human rights article published in a recognised student media outlet. This also includes radio or TV broadcasts.
  • studying a second language can also help. Languages such as French, Spanish and Portuguese are often requested. Knowledge of Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Swahili or other African and Asian languages may be helpful, depending on the region.
  • volunteer. See the above advertised vacancies section and Volunteering for more opportunities
  • LinkedIn Find Alumni Tool - see where Newcastle University graduates are working for inspiration

Work for Yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is common in the development sector. 

Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help: 

  •  support with idea generation 
  • provide tailored advice 
  • help you develop your skills 
  • introduce you to like-minded peers 
  • refer you to further support from mentors 
  • award grant funding up to £3,000

Related sectors

You might also be interested in the following occupations: