You can do a degree that will give you specialist skills, which will be useful in humanitarian work, for example:

• medicine or healthcare
• education
• languages
• engineering

You could take a subject that will give you a wider understanding of global issues, like:

• economics
• international development
• law
• social policy
• environmental science

After completing a degree, you can study for a postgraduate course in:

• international development
• humanitarian aid
• disaster management

It's important to get relevant work experience through volunteering, internships or year abroad opportunities.

Your university careers service can help you find suitable vacancies like those offered by organisations including:

• Charity Works
• Relief Web

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 3 A levels or equivalent
• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

To get a paid job as an aid worker you'll need experience, so most people start out as an unpaid volunteer.

You can begin by volunteering for a charity in the UK. You can also get involved with charities while at school, college and university, through student groups and societies. Most jobs involve office-based work at first but can lead to a wide range of opportunities.

You can find UK volunteering vacancies on Do IT, or by going directly to the websites of charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Some experience of living and working overseas may be helpful.

You can also apply for internships with charities and NGOs while you're at university. Entrance to these is very competitive.

You can apply directly for jobs if you're an experienced professional. As well as professions like nursing, healthcare, teaching and engineering, you'll find organisations often look for experience in administration, project management and logistics.

Aid organisations like RedR UK run courses for experienced professionals, who want to put their skills to use in humanitarian aid work.

You'll need:

• sensitivity and understanding
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• excellent verbal communication skills
• excellent written communication skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll need to:

• pass a medical check
• pass enhanced background checks

As an aid worker, you could:

• provide emergency aid like food, shelter and medical supplies
• organise transport and the delivery of goods
• recruit, train and organise local people to work as staff and volunteers
• write reports, monitor budgets and do general administration
• work with other agencies and government officials in affected areas
• collaborate on building or engineering projects
• support communities longer term, for example, to roll out healthcare or education programmes

You could work in remote rural areas or be based overseas.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.