Aid workers are the persons most closely involved in delivering aid – from disaster relief after natural disasters to development work in capacity building of National Red Cross or Red Crescent societies around the world.
Every year the Finnish Red Cross (FRC) assigns around 150 aid workers, within the Red Cross know as delegates, for various missions. The missions and contracts vary in length from a few weeks to several years.
Are you a professional in your field of work? Do you have good language skills? Are you flexible, cooperative and used to working in harsh conditions? If you want to work for the Red Cross in the field, you should have these skills. The delegates that are assigned for missions in the field are members of the FRC’s international delegate reserve.
The Basic Training Course
To join the international reserve you have to attend the Basic Training Course for Future Delegates (BTC). It’s a week long course in English. During the course you’ll learn about, among other things, the history of the Red Cross Movement, the movement’s principles, its modus operandi, the structure of the organization, about disaster response and development work and about the physical and mental safety and security of aid workers.
The BTC is arranged twice a year and you can apply for a place at the course throughout the year. The next course will be arranged between the 22nd and 28th of October 2011. The course fee is €120.
What we are looking for
To be a successful candidate for the FRC international reserve you should fulfill the following basic criteria:
- You are between 25 and 55 years of age.
- You have an education in and at least three years of experience from your field of expertise.
- You are fluent in written and oral English.
- You are flexible and can adapt multicultural as well as unexpected situations.
In addition to this the following criteria will give you an advantage:
- Knowledge of French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Experience from project management and training.
- A university (or equivalent) degree.
- Background in an organization such as the Finnish Red Cross.
Professional background and experience
We are looking especially for people with the following professional background:
- Disaster Management (disaster preparedness, disaster response, recovery).
- Project Management (project planning, administration, evaluation and development, training).
- Organizational Development (professional background in organizational work, especially with the Red Cross).
- Financial experts (budget management, auditing, reporting, financial administrative systems).
- Logisticians and construction workers (procurement, storage and transportation, construction work, for example basic reconstruction of hospitals).
- Information experts (internal and external communication, training).
- Anesthetic doctors and nurses.
- Gynecologists.
- Midwifes.
- Chirurgical nurses.
- Experts in Basic Health Care.
Delegates from the FRC work in bilateral projects between the FRC and one or more National Societies. They also work under the IFRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or for the ICRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross. The FRC pays the delegates salary and the financial resources are taken from the disaster relief fund.
For delegates in the FRC international reserve there are a number of advanced training courses arranged every year. The topics of the courses are such as disaster management, security and organizational development.
If you need any further information, please contact the FRC headquarters.
Please note that the Finnish Red Cross does not send volunteers for international missions. If you are interested in volunteer work, please be in contact with the offices of your Red Cross district.
email
print