What is work and life in the field
like?
What job openings are
most urgent?
Do you only take on
doctors and nurses as field staff?
Can I work for MSF
for a short period?
What is the
salary?
What languages do I
need to speak to work for MSF in the field?
Can I choose the
country I want to work in?
Is it mandatory to
have followed a tropical medicine or tropical health care
course?
Do you send couples
to the field to work in the same project?
Can I take my
partner/family with me?
Am I
ensured?
Do you offer mental
health support?
Is there an age
limit for MSF field staff?
Do you have
special information meetings?
What is
work and life in the field like?
MSF often works in conflict or post-conflict settings, and
frequently in rural and isolated areas. The standard of living and
the climate can be quite different from what you are used to, and
you will face professional challenges with little equipment and
resources available. In short, nothing is the same as back home and
you will enter a completely different world.
You might need to get along without running water or electricity,
live in small quarters (maybe a hut), and your toilet could be a
hole in the ground. Roads are often scarce and primitive,
communication possibilities limited. Your freedom of movement can
be limited for security reasons. The poverty found in a country can
be shocking. You will often need to get used to being in the
vicinity of armed men. In short, it will take a lot of energy to
get used to it, but we promise that the experience will enrich
you.
Read stories from our field staff about their experiences:
Work & Life in the
Field
What job
openings are most urgent?
We have a great shortage of French-speaking staff. As most of our
projects are located in French-speaking countries in Africa,
speaking French is an absolute asset to get posted. Next to
French-speaking staff, we are urgently looking for medical doctors,
biomedical specialists and water and sanitation specialists.
Do you
only take on doctors and nurses as field staff?
No. The majority of our staff has a medical background, but we also
need skilled support staff such as logistical, technical and
financial personnel.
Can I work
for MSF for a short period?
No, in order to do our work in the most qualitative and effective
way, we will need you to work for 9 -12 months in one of our
projects.
What is
the salary?
MSF field staff receive a stipend or allowance for expenses. This
covers costs that you incur in connection with your departure and
stay in the project country, running costs in your home country and
some expenses upon return. The field staff allowance amounts to
approximately € 750 per month.
What
languages do I need to speak to work for MSF in the
field?
English is the official MSF language in our
projects. An ability to speak French is highly desirable. Speaking
another language such as Spanish, Portuguese, Russian or Arabic is
an asset.
Can I
choose the country I want to work in?
The short answer is no. MSF asks all our field staff to be flexible
and willing to work where you are most needed. However, special
skills and/or restrictions are taken into consideration. Once a
position is offered, the final decision to accept a post is made by
you.
Is it
mandatory to have followed a tropical medicine or tropical health
care course?
We require nurses to have taken a tropical course or have relevant
work experience in developing countries, next to having at least
two years of work experience in their home country. For medical
doctors, midwives, biomedical specialists and other medical
professionals a tropical course is not mandatory but will be an
asset. Here are some useful addresses for relevant courses:
Medical Doctors:
- Netherlands Tropical Course at KIT (Royal
Tropical Institute) in Amsterdam. For more information, visit
http://www.nvtg.org/.
Other medical staff:
Do you send couples to the field to
work in the same project?
No, our policy is not to
take on couples. Living conditions in the field and the need for
team cohesion make it impossible for us to place couples in the
same project. Furthermore, it would be very unlikely that two
suitable positions would arise in the same project at the same
time.
Can I
take my partner/family with me?
In principle, it is not possible to take your partner or family to
a project country, predominantly due to safety reasons. A few
projects are suitable for families, which usually involve
co-ordinator positions in the capital city of a project country.
However, before being placed in a co-ordinator position, you will
first need to have some years of work experience within MSF
projects. Co-ordinator positions are typically second- level steps
in your career within MSF.
Am I
ensured?
MSF has a special travel insurance package
for all of its field staff covering costs involving healthcare,
disability and liability on top of your own basic health
insurance.
Do you offer mental health support?
MSF field staff can find themselves facing situations that can have
a strong psychological impact. MSF's Psychosocial Care Unit offers
a full circle of support for field staff both before and after your
mission and has a large referral network of specialists for further
psychological therapy. When necessary, they will also give you
counselling, training and support in the field. MSF field staff are
always welcome to contact the Psychosocial Care Unit should they
experience problems which might be related to their work for MSF in
the field, even after some time has passed since their last mission
(late effects).
Is there
an age limit for MSF field staff?
In principle, MSF-Holland (the Dutch branch of
MSF) recognises a retirement age of 65. Exceptions to the
retirement age are considered up to the age of 69. However,
MSF-Holland will not employ individuals older than 69, as we cannot
get the necessary expatriate insurance for them, something we find
mandatory to fulfill our duty of care as an employer.
Do you
have special information meetings?
Yes. We organise information meetings at regular intervals during
evening hours. At these sessions, we discuss in detail the various
positions in the projects and MSF’s mission and work. At these
meetings, you have the opportunity to ask specific questions. Field
and office staff are on hand to share their experiences and answer
any questions you have. As these meetings have limited capacity, we
sometimes must make an initial selection regarding those invited to
attend.
Therefore, if you are interested in
participating in such a meeting, we ask you to send your CV in
advance to informationmeeting@amsterdam.msf.org
Upcoming information meetings
Tuesday, 7th of September
2010 (19:00 - 21:45) for all positions.
Location: MSF-Holland, Plantage Middenlaan 14,
1018 DD Amsterdam, the Netherlands.