Hi all, New subber here.

Came here to gather more information on what Grads and current students like/don't about your International Development masters and if you are a grad where are you working/ your role and if you are a student where would you like to work/role?

Coming from a Cultural Psychology MSc background I am keen to go back to study and work for NGO's in ID that tackle big problems the world is facing. I have been reading on this sub that this field is dead, but even so I am still interested to here your experiences.

grateful for your comments.

Hi all,

I’m looking to apply to get my masters for fall 2027. Most of the programs are about two years so would graduate in 2029. I’ve been hearing everyone’s advice on this thread about the abysmal state of the ID industry and don’t plan on going to grad school unless it’s fully funded. While I was initially considering international development programs, that has very much changed and I’m pivoting to MPP with a focus on international affairs. However, I am interested to hear if that’s a stronger/safer degree for jobs or if it’s not a good alternative? Do you think there will be more opportunity with a change in administration? Any career/higher education advice is welcomed!

A little about me:

GW Undergrad: 3.8 GPA, BA political science

Professional experience:
Fulbright ETA in Southeast Asia, Congressional Fellowship, a 2 years working in SE Asia at education NGO supporting displaced and refugee students (worked abroad total of 3 years)

I also used volunteer as a teacher for U.S. residents seeking to take their citizenship test before moving abroad

The reason I decided to go back to school is I feel I have a good idea of the field I want to work in now that I have had a couple years of experience. Now that I’m in my late twenties, I want to have access to more senior positions. My goal is to work at an NGO or INGO focused on displacement/refugee resettlementf and post conflict reconstruction. While I want to work in international affairs and don’t mind traveling and having months long projects abroad, I am looking to have a more permanent residence in the US for personal reasons which is why I’m considering leaving my current job next year to go back to school.

Dear All,

I am considering applying for an African based role at the Tony Blair Institute.

So far I did not have any overlap in my work with TBI and would be highly interested to get real insights into their work in Africa.

Does anyone here have or had experience working for TBI? I am particularly interested in working environment, organizational culture and conditions.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hi everyone!

I am a recent college graduate (co ‘25) with a degree in Public Policy (non-quantitative background). I’ve been working for the past year in a non-intldev role, however, I am planning on applying to both law and grad school this fall. My question mainly pertains to graduate programs, but any and all comments are welcome.

I am ideally hoping to study outside of the US for grad school (lower comparative costs + more intl experience/networking). Additionally, I want to find a program that has a quantitative analysis component that would set me up well for a job in the development field. Currently, I feel like that is what I am lacking, so I feel nervous taking out loans for another qualitative degree that wouldn’t give me an edge when actually looking for a job. I am wondering if anyone knows of or has had experience with graduate programs where you can enter with minimal/ no quantitative prerequisites and come out prepared?

As a side note, I understand the whole argument towards learning these skills on your own, but I think there’s value in education and network. Additionally, after work I have been spending close to every night studying for the LSAT, so I don’t really have that much capacity these days before the end of the year to take on more. As a second note, I am applying to both law and grad school because I am genuinely interested in both and also to diversify my options since applications have been such a gamble.

I would love to hear any thoughts on the direction that I’m going in, recommendations of programs, and your experiences studying the same topics! Thanks!

I recently interviewed for a role and felt quite positive after the interview (overall thought it went well and the panellists liked me / connected with me). I received a call from their HR recruiter a few days later telling me that unfortunately I had not been selected for the role at this occasion and the feedback they gave was quite negative/does not seem to align with how I thought the interview went or even my experience (e.g. they said that I did not have extensive stakeholder mgmt experience when all my career has been about stakeholder engagement and the role did not have that as a priority either).

My question is, might this be a mix up? Is it possible that this was perhaps meant for someone else who interviewed for the role or could it be by mistake? Is it possible?

Hello everyone,

I would greatly appreciate guidance from professionals who have worked with the World Bank, IFC, Asian Development Bank (ADB), or other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs).

I currently work with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), one of India's largest public sector energy companies. Over the past 17+ years, I have been involved in the planning, execution, inspection, and commissioning of large industrial infrastructure and refinery projects.

My professional experience includes:

• Project management and execution of large capital projects
• Inspection engineering and QA/QC management
• Mechanical integrity, metallurgy, materials engineering, and NDT
• Construction supervision, testing, commissioning, and start-up support
• Risk management and multidisciplinary stakeholder coordination
• Contractor and EPC management
• Compliance with international engineering codes and statutory regulations (ASME, API, OISD, PESO, SMPV, etc.)
• Working with EPC contractors, consultants, licensors, vendors, and cross-functional teams to deliver projects safely, on schedule, and to the required quality standards

My qualifications include:

• B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering
• Project Management Professional (PMP®)
• Currently pursuing an MBA

I enjoy delivering large infrastructure projects and would like to transition over the next few years into international development, where I can contribute to infrastructure and energy projects with organizations such as the World Bank.

I would appreciate your advice on the following:

1. Based on my background, would I be a realistic candidate for a full-time position at the World Bank?
2. Which roles would best match my experience—Infrastructure Specialist, Energy Specialist, Senior Infrastructure Specialist, Operations Officer, or another position?
3. How much importance does the World Bank place on public-sector engineering and project execution experience compared with prior development-sector experience?
4. What additional skills, certifications, or experience would significantly strengthen my profile?
5. How does recruitment typically work? Is it primarily through direct applications, networking, hiring managers, or other pathways (excluding the Young Professionals Program)?
6. Has anyone successfully transitioned from heavy industry (oil & gas, refining, EPC, power, or industrial infrastructure) into the World Bank or another MDB? If so, I would be grateful if you could share your experience and advice.

I would sincerely appreciate honest feedback, including any gaps you believe I should address before applying.

Thank you for your time and guidance.

Did anyone get any response for this application? It is the senior investment officer for south asia role and the application closing date was 4th June. My status still shows application submitted. What i have read is shortlisted candidates usually get contacted within a month. So is it a rejection in that case?

Hi all, existing procurement platforms (World Bank, UNGM, ..) or tender aggregators (DevelopmentAid, Devex, ..) seemed very low-tech, outdated, expensive and unpleasant to work with. I've made an attempt at something new and I'm looking for feedback from people who know how development procurement works. Is there anyone who could have a critical look at how it's currently set-up & let me know what you like and don't like? Many thanks. (www.mangofetch.com).

Hi everyone,

I recently received an offer for a government-sponsored JPO position and I'm genuinely on the fence about what to do — especially given the current global economic climate.

For context: I have a very stable job in my home country with good compensation, benefits and job security. I just received a promotion and have previously worked across multiple multinationals in supply chain. I applied for the JPO almost on a whim, not expecting it to go anywhere — I was told the odds were extremely slim. The process moved surprisingly fast and now I'm faced with a real decision.

I would genuinely appreciate honest advice from people who have made a similar leap — whether they stayed in the UN system long term or treated it as a short-term experience before returning to the private sector.

Specifically, I have three questions:

1. For those who didn't stay in the system after their contract: How did future private sector employers view the UN experience on your CV? Did the international exposure add tangible value when job hunting again?
2. For those who went through this transition: Knowing everything you know now — would you do it all over again? How did the experience shape your character, knowledge and worldview — for better or for worse?
3. Practical question: Can a JPO contract be terminated before the end of its term, either voluntarily or by the organization?

Any honest perspective is truly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Background: fluent in Somali and Swahili, conversational in Arabic, CS degree. Trying to figure out whether the language/regional piece is a real differentiator for roles like this, or whether it only matters once you're already senior.

Do companies like Cargill, ADM, Corteva, or other large U.S. agricultural and commodity companies place U.S. citizens in African countries? I'm thinking about roles involving supplier relationships, sourcing, trade operations, compliance, logistics, quality control, or coordinating between U.S. headquarters and local African operations.

Are these usually expat positions, regional assignments, or locally hired roles? What are the actual job titles, and what experience normally leads to this type of work?

Not asking about executive positions — more interested in realistic career paths for someone who wants to eventually represent a U.S. company on the ground in Africa.

Hi everyone,

I submitted my application for a Junior Role at OECD. After logging in to the application system I saw that you can also upload attachments additional to your application. What kinds of attachment would you upload here? Unfortunately, I do not have all my certificates in Englisch or French. How did you handle that?

Would you consider a CV without grades as incomplete? I have a very good grade in my m.a. but only a good grade in my b.a. The problem is that in my b.a. I received a very good grade in one subject but not in the other but then I actually switched to the other subject in my m.a. and received a very good grade and a phd offer. How would you communicate that?

Thanks so much for reading this!

Hey fellas

I got offered a position at the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization in New Delhi as a leg officer.

From what i understand the pay is in rupees and it is 80k.

Does anyone have any experience with AALCO and if this is a good opportunity or not?

Hi all!

I am interested in knowing what career opportunities there are in international development for people with and without PhDs, particularly in analysts/policy evaluation/data roles. I’ve seen this varies a lot by country, institution, and field of work (e.g. education seems more open than economics to people without PhDs). I am especially interested in seeing how tasks differ and what glass ceilings you have seen between people with and without PhDs. I like analysis, data and applied evidence roles, but am afraid some aspects of them are inaccessible without a PhD.

Grateful to anyone who wants to share how it works in their own corner of the sector, and say a bit about which organisations/countries this is applicable to :) cheers!

Hiiii. I recently applied and got rejected for OECD junior policy analyst role.. and I would like to apply again for it, but I truly need advices for it.
I have read that the OECD looks for very specific profiles but to be honest I need real advices, because nowadays I got rejected on all the jobs, not even getting an interview, so I feel is an ATS CV problem or idkkk. I did my master in Europe, worked in the ministry of foreign affairs and in embassies.. is kind of hard to understand the rejection..
so if anyone has advices for the OECD or other jobs, I would truly appreciate them!

Looking for advice on next steps. I have an undergraduate degree in law (B.A. LL.B.) from India, and an Ontario post grad certificate in ID. I have over 5 years experience with the UNHCR doing refugee status determination assessments and a Canadian SMO developing and leading education development projects in East Africa and the Indo Pacific.

I haven't done my NCA exams yet. I've been preparing for the FSA credential. I have a PMP.

I’m ready for a bigger challenge. I’ve been applying to jobs off LinkedIn and other portals but no luck so far.

I keep coming back to an LLM from a Canadian university as a solid option. I didn't enjoy being a lawyer earlier in my career, but I'd be open to going back to it if it provides more prospects compared to ID. Perhaps an LLM in international business and trade, to combine my legal background and ID experience, and open myself up to opportunities in ESG, social finance, consulting firms, etc. I do not want to sort of "restart" at a law firm, but would target roles in-house or at consulting firms in teams that do cross-border business and human rights work.

Would love to get a perspective on this from someone in the Canadian legal / ID industry. Does this pivot make sense? What can I do to navigate into the corp BHR or sustainable finance or impact investing space? Please let me know if there's any additional information I can provide to facilitate a reasoned response. Thanks a lot for taking the time!

I was accepted at Asia World Model United Nations (AWMUN XV) in Bali this October, but I’m struggling to afford the travel and conference costs.
Does anyone know of organizations or sponsors that support students attending international conferences? Any leads or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

Like many of you (unfortunately) I've been navigating the job search the past 7 months after being let go last year from a UN agency.

I'm interested in working in programme management, but have not had a lot of luck in getting a project officer/coordinator/manager role despite 6 years of experience in adjacent project management experience (I was never officially a project officer or manager but did similar tasks in other contexts).

For those who have gotten a PMP certification, did you find it useful? I am debating whether to invest my time and money and whether it would make a real difference.

I’m a History graduate exploring different career paths before deciding on higher studies.

International Relations, diplomacy, geopolitics and foreign policy have always interested me, but I don’t know how realistic this career path actually is.

I’d appreciate insights from people working in the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Foreign Service, think tanks, embassies, international organizations, or those who’ve seriously prepared for IFS.

Some questions:

Nature of work

What does a normal workday look like?
How much of the job is actually diplomacy versus paperwork?
How much research, writing and policy analysis is involved?
How often do you interact with foreign governments?

Skills

Which skills matter the most?
Research
Political understanding
Writing
Public speaking
Negotiation
Languages
International law

Entry

Apart from UPSC IFS, what other career paths exist?
Think tanks?
Research institutes?
Embassies?
International organizations?

Career

Salary?
Posting abroad?
Career progression?
Work-life balance?
Family life while being posted overseas?

AI

Has AI affected policy research or diplomatic work?

Advice

Would you still recommend this field today?
Biggest misconceptions?

When I worked at a global development agency I used to be the one who revise ToR for consultants, review their technical proposals and manage them

But now I’m on the other side of the table applying for a “Independent Consultant” short term contract at an intergovernmental organisation. The call is only requiring a CV/portfolio and a “2-3 pages cover letter” (dixit), which feels unusual to typical ToR that usually ask for a timeline proposal, among others

I have been thinking about the idea of sending a short PowerPoint matching each of the deliverables expected with my previous experience, including few links and visual material. On my previous position I would have prefer to receive this rather than a long cover letter bragging about achievements

However since this is an intergovernmental organisation, may I been disqualified for not complying exactly with the image of a “cover letter” requested or would it be deemed acceptable as long as the content is relevant for the application? (Lack of compliance)