The Global PACT Challenge

Are you Global PACT Intern Material?

No everyone is. Interning with Global PACT is definitely not for the faint of heart, the timid, the "please, sir, show me what to do" kind of intern. Interning at a Global PACT partner organization requires someone who can take responsibility, work without supervision, deal with ambiguity, handle office politics, and in every way operate in an adult, professional environment. Global PACT organizations are small and lean; they do not have human resources staff to train and guide interns, nor do they provide staff for interns to shadow. They don't have time for interns who don't pull their own weight.

More generally, working for an NGO in a foreign country, whether one located in a small, isolated location or one located in a huge, crazy developing world city, places special demands on you that are not experienced at a normal internship. You will be working with a small team of international professionals in a foreign organization and in a foreign community. The work is demanding and the hours are long – made all the longer by the fact that your local partners will not understand your sense of urgency. You will not speak the language and will be frustrated by both your inability to communicate and others' routine failure to tell you what’s going on. And even when you do “know” what’s going on, all of your cultural cues will be so off that you won’t understand. Still interested?

You understand why Global PACT seeks individuals who have excellent interpersonal and diversity skills, lots of patience, perseverance and endurance. We also require initiative-taking individuals who are entirely self-starting and self-managing; because our local partners do not have the time or staff to hold hands.

If these characteristics describe you, you are ready to be a Global PACT intern.