This week the UK Department for International Development have announced that they will be launching a paid 50-week graduate scheme to give recent graduates experience within the development and humanitarian sector. The position is open to UK and EEA Nationals, Swiss and Turkish Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens with an indefinite right to remain in the UK without work restrictions.
The opportunity to work for a year in either DFID's London or Glasgow office (starting in September 2012), with the added advantage of being able to apply for internal jobs, is likely to receive much interest. It is open to all degree backgrounds and those with no relevant experience, making it an excellent opportunity to get a foot on the development ladder. It would be excellent to see some of the positions filled by those with a geoscience background - bringing an interdisciplinary knowledge that would well serve the UK Government's development objectives. The application form can be downloaded from their website, as well as supplementary information.
The scheme opened yesterday, and closes on the 20th March 2012. There will be launch events at a number of universites across the UK over the coming weeks, which give those interested an ideal opportunity to talk with current employees at DFID about their work and this opportunity. These are outlined in detail here, but currently include:
21st January - University of Oxford (with DFID Permanent Secretary Mark Lowcock)
23rd January - SOAS and LSE, London
30th January - University of Glasgow
2nd February - University of Cambridge
6th February - University of Strathclyde
7th February - University of Warwick
8th February - University of Sussex
9th February - University of Cambridge (with Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell MP)
15th February - Univeristy of Edinburgh
20th February - University of Birmingham
21st February - University of Bristol
23rd February - Queen's University, Belfast
28th February - City University, London
7th March - University of Manchester
15th March - London Universities (at SOAS) (with Under Secretary of State Stephen O'Brien MP)
If you decide to apply for this graduate scheme then please be sure to mention Geology for Global Development when asked where you heard about this opportunity.
