Professional Opportunities with International Children's Organizations

     Through my research this week on identifying my community of practice in the ECE field, I was able to identify three different international agencies that have job opportunities that would appeal to me.

1.  UNICEF is one of the leading international organizations advocating for and protecting children's rights by working to ensure equal access to the services and care needed to help them thrive within their communities in 190 countries around the world.  According to their website, they are "the world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS."  They offer a number of ways to become involved including volunteering, internships, short-term field work, and fundraising work.  However, the most exciting discoveries for me was their virtual job fair, their call for education professionals, and consultancy assignments listed on their employment board.  One job that interested me was Education Specialist P-3 in which I would be assigned to design, plan, implement and manage an education program in a specific region.  Requirements for this position include an advanced degree, 5 years work experience in education and international development, and English fluency.  The list is long and requires more knowledge of international contexts than I currently possess, but I am encouraged to think how I might strive to be a part of this organization in the future.

2.  International Step by Step Association (ISSA) is an organization that was unfamiliar to me.  They connect professionals and non-profit organizations in more than 40 countries mostly centered around Europe and Asia.  According to their website,  "ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of children’s development and learning.  They have an open call for professionals who want to join their efforts.  One specific area they want to recruit is promoting social justice and respect for diversity in early care systems with "transformative trainings" and "inspiring resources".  Through my anti-bias education in this program, my TEFL experience teaching in Czech Republic and Japan, and my professional interest in becoming and educational consultant providing trainings and workshops for teachers and caregivers, I believe I would be qualified for this job.  I will require excellent interpersonal skills, communication skills, public speaking skills, and an ability to see things from different perspective to creatively solve issues, problems or hurdles.

3.  Save the Children is another leading international children's organization.  They provide a myriad of great services to ensure the best outcomes for the world's most disadvantaged children--including those in the United States.  Their pleas for donations and child sponsorship through media ads have always touched my heart, but I had never thought of job opportunities through this entity.  They offer a job board for international and U. S. jobs, and I was surprised by the need for Head Start and Early Head Start teachers in my home state of Arkansas.  The job that was most interesting to me was Early Childhood Development Program Specialist.  Job requirements include training, monitoring and evaluating early childhood programs in collaboration with their other partners.  A Master's degree is preferred and the position requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a proven ability to perform relationship-based work.  It also requires experience as a trainer, mentor or coach, experience with home visits including rural and low-income communities, and a minimum of 3 years experience working with infants and toddlers.  Although it is not an international job, it is with an international organization, and I'm pleased to find new ways to use the knowledge I've gained in this program with my experience to explore many new types of professional opportunities I'd never before considered.




                                                                      References
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved fromhttp://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm