As an early childhood educator I have a
responsibility to continue my professional growth. That growth includes
exploring employment opportunities that address issues in the early childhood
field globally. Children and families throughout the world face many different
problems for which they need support. Within many international organizations
there are employment opportunities that allow me to make a difference in the
lives of families and children. Recently I explored three such opportunities.
Save
the Children (2012) is an organization with a mission to embolden the
advancement in the way people and governments around the world serve children “and
to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives” (Save the Children,
2012). Changing the lives of children and families is an aspiration of mine.
Within this organization I would be capable of making that change worldwide. Save
the Children often provide emergency services in areas of the world ravaged by
war, environmental disasters, and economic depravity. These emergency services
include educational supports. The organization has many openings for emergency
relief personnel, but there is one open position that I found appealing. They
are seeking an “Emergency Education Cluster Coordinator” (Save the Children,
2012). This position requires the applicant to coordinate emergency educational
efforts in an attempt to provide continued education to children in countries
or cities where an event has caused a halt in such education. The applicant is
required to have excellent communication skills, applicable education,
experience leading highly collaborative groups, and experience in humanitarian
response. I do not qualify for this
position. I have no experience with humanitarian aid, but I think that it is something
that can be achieved.
Free
the Children (2012) is an international organization dedicated to providing
children with the tools and education they need in order to become citizens of
change in their communities. Removing barriers such as poverty, access to
education, and unfair child rights laws is one of the many goals of this
organization. Armed with a passionate belief that children need supporters of
their rights throughout the globe, I looked for opportunities within this
organization. They currently have an opening in Toronto, Canada for a Partner
Relations Coordinator (Free the Children, 2012). The applicant would have the
responsibilities of managing projects and coordinating different departments
within the Free the Children organization. To qualify, I would need a
post-secondary degree in an applicable field, strong oral, written, and analytic skills, and an outstanding work ethic. I am not well-versed in
organizing different collaborative groups within a charitable organization, but
with experience and practice, these skills may be achieved.
The
Association for Childhood Education International (2011) is an international
organization with the purpose of helping educators recognize and value the
uniqueness of individual children, and working globally on the quality and
equity of education for children from infancy to adolescence. Education of
children is the basis of my professional career. Furthering my efforts to
promote education worldwide could provide enormous professional satisfaction
for me. Therefore, I researched opportunities within this organization. While I
could find no employment opportunities per se, Association for Childhood
Education International (ACEI) is looking for executive board members. From
applications, they will nominate people who are educators from the global
community, are from the nonprofit management sector that influences the impact
of education, and /or are practitioners and academics in the education field.
They would need to have a commitment to ACEI’s mission and goals, as well as
being representative of different nations, and possess strong leadership and
skills. I do not possess the skills and qualifications necessary for this
position, but may be capable of entering into this organization as an intern or
a low level position.
It
is difficult to imagine myself working in another country. The thought of being
unfamiliar with my surroundings and of feeling lost in communication due to
language actually frightens me quite a bit. I have never really been an
adventurous person. However, I seek to adhere to the advice of “do something
every day that scares you.” If I do adhere to this advice, I think I would be quite
capable of making a positive difference in the lives of children and families
on a global level.
References:
Association for Childhood Education International.
(2011). Qualifications for candidates for the acei executive board. Retrieved from http://www.acei.org
Free the Children. (2012). Careers.
Retrieved from http://www.freethechildren.com
Save the Children. (2012). Careers. Retrieved
from http://www.savethechildren.org
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThe position you discussed with Save the Children sounds really interesting. Working in areas that have experienced disaster or conflicts that limit accessibility to education would definitely be a huge challenge!
I appreciate your thoughts on working in another country. I would love to live and work in another country as I think the experience would be life changing.
Thank you for your insights into international careers!
Teri