After directing the organization NGOabroad: International Careers and Volunteering for 20 years, the author wrote this guidebook to help both prospective and active social and humanitarian workers pursue their careers in international development. She has witnessed many individuals miss international job opportunities because they lack knowledge of the realities on the ground or the requisite skills. This practical book fills in the gaps. Chapters detail the common problems of global poverty and injustice and instruct on community-building as a means of creating lasting change. The book is designed for those who wish to work or volunteer abroad in nursing, public health, engineering, education, entrepreneurship, environmental work, women’s empowerment and other fields.

Since 2002, former psychotherapist and social worker Ann McLaughlin has provided international career counseling to help people enter or advance in international development careers. She has done extensive work coaching, training and consulting with grassroots organizations in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the Middle East and North Africa.

Ann McLaughlin

Foreword by Cathryne L. Schmitz, PhD, MSW
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 236
Bibliographic Info: 26 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8711-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4474-5
Imprint: Toplight

• “In this book, Ann McLaughlin takes you around the world, boldly sharing her firsthand, vivid experiences and observations that are insightful, instructive and inspiring to passionately engage you in international social work and development, not only to get a job, but to contribute to making a difference to the world in your own ways.”—Manohar Pawar, professor of social work, Charles Sturt University, Australia, president, International Consortium for Social Development, author of International Social Work: Issues, Strategies, and Programs

• “This is a practical, experience-based book that holds valuable lessons for those working or hoping to work in aid and development. As an international development professional working in Malawi, it’s abundantly clear that the lessons of this book can be a strong start in outlining and overturning many myths about working in international development using straightforward language that is easy to digest.”—Olivia Scott Kamkwamba, Ph.D., executive director, Moving Windmills Project

• “Ann has written a needed book about the skills you need to build to work in International Development. She has clearly seen the community organizing work that we are doing in Puerto Rico. Her book is full of such stories and models to guide people working in international social work and international development.”—Alexis Massol González, executive director, Casa Pueblo