Travelling abroad as an aid worker is increasingly popular, because it offers some in- depth experience of a country plus the challenges and satisfactions of helping some of the world's neediest people. But it's no longer a game for amateurs.

The myths

"So what do you do?"—"I work for a humanitarian relief organisation... Actually I've just come back from Afghanistan."—"Oh."

This is usually followed by one of the following stock responses:

a) "How fascinating, did you have a nice time? You haven't got much of a tan, though."

b) "How wonderful. I do think you people are doing a brilliant job out there."

c) "Don't you think it's immoral to support communities of such extremists?"

d) "What a bunch of cowboys!"

There are many stereotyped images of aid workers, even within the sector itself. Mercenary, missionary or misfit? Or, in one of their latest manifestations - Land Cruising, Caterpillar boot-wearing, Marlboro-smoking, bullet-dodging, hairy-legged war hero -'le macho. As a French survey in 1995 revealed, there is a certain thrill associated with aid workers: the ideal French lover, apparently, would be a doctor working for Médicins sans Frontières and offering an irresistible combination of intelligence, confidence, professionalism, adventurous spirit and sex appeal - oh, and a little altruism as well.

The truths

The views of aid workers are as varied as the people who choose to do this kind of work. All but a few would agree, however, that it is an experience that challenges your perspectives on life, work and social ethics. In my experience as an aid worker, this kind of work allows you to meet the most remarkable people and develop the strongest of relationships with colleagues from many countries.

The work itself can involve a level of responsibility that would be beyond most people's dreams (or nightmares) at home. This is matched by an intense degree of emotional and physical energy, combined with an equal measure of frustration in the face of antiquated and bureaucratic procedures overseas, for instance, or the laborious paperwork required to clear customs and satisfy donor reporting requirements.

The working environment tends to involve hard work in hot, sticky, mosquito-ridden and remote locations with unreliable water and electricity supplies. But many new aid workers are surprised by the level of technology available to support them, including high-tech satellite communications equipment and well-maintained four- wheel drive vehicles. They may also receive considerable support from domestic staff, employed to maintain the cars, clean the house, cook and even do the laundry, so that aid workers are free to do aid work.

But many organisations avoid this type of conspicuous consumption and find some kind of middle ground. In my experience as a volunteer in Gaza, home was a shared three-bedroom villa surrounded by orange and lemon groves, and transport was a half-share in a dilapidated Renault 4, whose rattling shell gave year-round ventilation but limited protection from stone-throwing youths.

The diversity of staff living standards, as well as general terms and conditions, will depend largely on the resources of the agency you choose. Some overseas staff find themselves posted to a far-flung corner of a country by themselves, while others may be living with a team of twenty- to thirtysomethings and attending NGO (non-governmental organisation) parties in villas in the sun.

On a serious note, any prospective field worker should be aware that aid work is almost inherently a risky business. Staff are vulnerable to disease, to theft, and to being stopped at tense checkpoints by Kalashnikov-toting boys. At worst, aid workers have been a specific target for kidnap or violence. Not all aid work is carried out in conflict areas, but much is conflict-related. It is essential to consider such issues in decisions about where, when and which organisation to choose.

Security management while overseas takes many forms, from armed guards to simple strategies such as adopting appropriate dress codes. When I was in Gaza, a 35-minute drive from Gaza City to the nearby town of Rafah would require a few quick changes: first there was some nifty work with a headscarf to create the impression of a modest, respectful, culturally sensitive woman showing solidarity with the Palestinian refugees; then at the Israeli military checkpoints the scarf disappeared as I metamorphosed into a hair-tossing young Western thing.

Professional considerations

More and more professionals are taking time out from work, or making a deliberate move away from the mainstream. Their motivation may be a desire to do something in response to the world's disasters that they see unfolding in the news, to teach their professional skills to others who desperately need them, or to learn new professional skills and experience in a fresh geographical and cultural environment - or a combination of all three.

The development of the 'global village' means that companies are now looking for global managers. So if you are to hoping to transfer your skills to something more meaningful that satisfies an aspect of your social conscience, or to develop your skills in a truly international context, this may be the path for you.

Aid workers as amateur enthusiasts are a dying breed. Increasingly they are being replaced by highly competent professionals, who work to agreed sector-wide standards and are monitored by donors who demand high levels of accountability and cost-efficiency.

Experienced aid workers, particularly those in senior management positions, can expect to command competitive salaries and benefits packages. The levels of responsibility commensurate with these posts should not be underestimated, however. Operational budgets frequently run to millions of dollars, and are implemented by large numbers of staff.

In less senior posts, remuneration for aid workers varies enormously. The minimum you can expect is to have all expenses covered for the period of work, plus a monthly allowance to cover any ongoing costs you might have at home, such as your mortgage.

What kind of people become aid workers?

Most aid agencies do their best to avoid recruiting people who fall into the stereotypes mentioned at the beginning of this article. It should be noted that war-hungry adrenaline junkies are almost universally unwelcome in the field.

In reality, a broad range of skills and professional backgrounds is potentially in demand from developing countries. VSO, for example, requires experienced professionals from many sectors, including industry, business, media, education, agriculture and more. Even organisations that have a specialist focus, such as the British medical agency Merlin, will want not only medical staff but also all manner of other personnel able to provide the programme with vital support services, such as mechanics and accountants. What unites almost all aid workers is the capacity to be functionally and intellectually flexible, with a skills tool kit that includes some heavyweight common sense.

Other personal requirements include a certain sensitivity and concern for the welfare of other people. But this must be focused by keen pragmatism and a strong determination to make a professional rather than emotional contribution. Even in disaster relief, field workers have to remember that their aim is often to transfer knowledge appropriately into another community.

All this is neatly summed up in S. George's description (albeit satirical) of the ideal aid worker:

This vision found echoes in an article in People Management, which likened the level and diversity of competencies required of field staff to that of the most senior executives in most companies.

And as if this were not enough, there are still more requirements. The prerequisite skills and experience must be complemented by an ability to live and work in close proximity with a very mixed team of people, often in a harsh or demanding physical environment.

A survey of aid workers in 1995 revealed that health professionals form the single largest functional/professional group sent overseas. Support staff, including managers, administrators and logisticians, made up the second largest functional group (28 per cent of the 3,000 appointments), followed by teachers and trainers (12 per cent). Other highly sought-after specialists are those who can offer skills in engineering, agriculture, construction, business development, social work and mine clearance. The survey indicates a general lack of opportunities for unskilled volunteers to work overseas. This is a trend that is set to continue, as many agencies are increasingly concerned with providing appropriate training for host country nationals, enabling them to take on the responsibilities that were once the domain of expatriate aid workers.

How to get into aid work

Make a few calls to big charities and you'll find the story is the same. You need at least two years' field experience before they will even take a look at your CV. But don't get disillusioned and don't be put off - you are not going for the easy life, after all.

There are some 116 international NGOs in Britain alone, so there is something out there for everyone. But it may take you a while to achieve the right match between what you are looking for, what the agencies are looking for, and what positions happen to be available at the time. NGOs are inundated with people genuinely wanting to help, but to get a look-in you need the right personal qualities as well as the technical/professional skills and experience.

Whatever your profession or work history, all the agencies will want to see you demonstrate some pretty sound skills and an ability to apply them in a relief or development context. Increasingly they like to see an aptitude for transferring your knowledge to your overseas colleagues, both national and international.

There are times, of course, when you just happen be in the right place at the right time, and that is likely to be in the field itself. Merlin, like many other respectable agencies, has a rigorous recruitment process but is not over-burdened with bureaucracy: a chance meeting in the field with the right person might well turn into a genuine work opportunity.

My strategy for entering the sector led me down the quick and well-trodden path of training as a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (EFL). On condition that I passed the course, indeed, I was promised a job even before I had started. A major plus of being an EFL teacher is that you can find work anywhere, and the nature of the work takes you right into the heart of a community - giving you a intriguing insights into people's culture, lifestyles, interests and preoccupations. This was how I came to be among the Palestinians in Gaza.

Before you make that first step towards meeting a new challenge, do give your personal circumstances some serious thought. Consider, for example, the impact that working overseas might have on your partner, your children, your friends and family; what financial commitments you are obliged to maintain; what training courses, work opportunities, births, deaths or marriages you may miss while you are overseas.

And if you can't get in

The agencies

Aid agencies, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. There are fat cats, rebels with a cause (as well as those without), cowboys and 'happy- clappies'. An agency might be a community-backed band of two people with a truck and a map of Eastern Europe, or conversely it might be part of the United Nations family with an international task force and the bureaucracy to go with it.

The NGO jungle can at first glance be daunting, but once you cut through the thickets of marketing, the interior reflects a high degree of biodiversity. There is a huge variety of technical, professional and geographical specialisations, ages and sizes, levels of bureaucracy, and operational focus.

The most widely known UK sending agencies fall into two main categories: development work and emergency relief. The majority of agencies (88 per cent) focus primarily on long-term development objectives. During the Nineties, however, many agencies chose to diversify into emergency relief work, in response to demand on the ground. Only nine agencies of the 116 surveyed by IHE and People in Aid specialise in relief.

All agencies will have their own selection criteria, requirements, terms and conditions, which you need to consider when choosing which to approach. A summary of the main agencies and contacts can be found in the fact boxes above. It should be stressed, however, that this is only a tiny sample of the better-known agencies, selected from many others that are looking to recruit the right staff.