What skills do we need?
VSO recruits skilled and experienced professionals from a wide range of backgrounds including education, health, business and management, and natural resources. VSO volunteers usually have a professional qualification in their field as well as a minimum of two years’ experience. As well as professional skills they must have the right personal qualities, which include confidence, flexibility and the ability to work effectively with others.
Education
We recruit primary teachers, education managers and special education needs teachers. Education manager volunteers work in a variety of different areas, including curriculum development, monitoring and evaluations, school management and national quality standards. Primary teachers work with groups of schools and teacher training colleges on areas such as teacher training, resource development, and effective teaching methodology. Special education needs teachers work to improve the provision of education for children with disabilities.
Heath
We recruit hospital doctors with surgical skills, obstetricians and gynaecologists, paediatricians, and doctors with experience of HIV. We are also actively recruiting nurse trainers, community nurses and midwives. Another significant need is for therapists from a number of disciplines including occupational, physio and speech and language. Health management professionals are needed to develop hospital management systems through staff development, budget planning and resource management.
Business & management
Nearly half of all business placements are for Management Advisers. Other key skill areas include small business advisers, financial managers, HR practitioners, fundraisers, communications professionals and advocacy advisers. These volunteers work within local NGOs, civil society organisations and government offices, improving management processes and structures.
Technical and natural resources
The natural resource skill areas we recruit in are agriculture, coastal resource management, fisheries management, and horticulture and natural resource management. We occasionally receive requests for foresters and livestock specialists. In the technical sector, we recruit town planners; engineers and occasionally building maintenance/site supervisors.