Conditions on assignment

Before you fill in the application form, we recommend you think carefully about the reasons leading you to make this important decision. Do you have romanticized ideas about what it is like to work on assignment with MSF?

We strive to provide access to health care for communities who are extremely vulnerable in countries where the following situations occur or may be imminent:

• Human rights violations may occur.
• Homosexuality may be a criminal offence.
• Women, children and men (depending on their social, ethnic or tribal background) do not have rights recognised in other countries.
• Rape is used as a weapon of war.
• Infectious diseases and epidemics are widespread.
• Many people do not have access to basic health care and medicines.
• People are traumatized by what they have experienced (e.g., in connection with a natural disaster or war).

Médecins Sans Frontières is looking for staff with personal, technical and professional qualities that enable them to adapt easily to different cultural environments, difficult living conditions and stressful situations. Flexibility and adaptability are two essential qualities when working with Médecins Sans Frontières. 

Safety and security

The safety of our patients and staff is the highest priority for Médecins Sans Frontières. Our teams often work in unstable areas where their lives may be at risk. Safety training, plans, guidelines and protocols are in place to reduce risk and are tailored to the safety hazards of each project.

While working on a project, you represent MSF 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when you are off duty or on vacation. Together with your team, you are responsible for your own safety and the safety of your team.

MSF security regulations may restrict your freedom of movement or your ability to interact with local people outside of working hours. Our staff must respect any curfews, and their off-duty time may be limited to remaining within MSF accommodation premises. These circumstances should be considered, especially if you are concerned about freedom of movement and do not like to stay in one place for long periods of time.

Please refer to the Security on assignment section for further details.

Living conditions

On Médecins Sans Frontières assignments abroad, our internationally hired staff must adapt to different food, accommodation, pace of life, forms of entertainment, languages and teams. In short, it's a different lifestyle that may mean less privacy and rest than you're used to.

You won't have a private bathroom and you may not be able to do your favourite sports for the duration of your assignment.

Médecins Sans Frontières projects are sometimes located in areas with difficult climatic conditions (extreme heat or cold, high humidity and heavy rainfall or, conversely, arid desert, etc.).

Depending on your project location, you may stay in a mud hut or tent without air conditioning or a fan, you may have to endure the presence of pests and other undesirable animals (e.g. snakes, spiders), and you may have to put up with power cuts or poor food selection, all for many months.

On the other hand, you may find yourself living in a spacious house with good amenities including air conditioning, perhaps even housekeeping, while helping people who are struggling to survive in the most oppressive conditions. For some people, it is very difficult to live in such contrast.

That's why it's a good idea to ask yourself how important and necessary material comfort is to you before you apply.

Stress

Humanitarian work in a crisis environment involves many stressful situations that can also significantly undermine your motivation. These may include strained relationships with other team members, health problems, separation from friends and family at home, lack of safety and privacy, frequent project changes, poor relations with local authorities, poor living conditions or food, etc.

Think about how you deal with stress in your daily life. Be honest with yourself. If you tend to worry about problems in normal situations and try to avoid them at all costs, then working for Médecins Sans Frontières is likely not the right choice for you. As a member of a project team, you will be regularly faced with problems and challenges.

Personal and family life

Working in a distant country usually means leaving your loved ones behind for long periods of time, sometimes up to 12 months.

For some people, humanitarian work is a form of therapy or an escape from a difficult personal situation. However, it is definitely not a good solution to those things. Think about how your life at home will be affected by the decision to leave home for an extended period of time.

Also consider what working in a difficult environment will do to your psyche. Going on assignment may seem like an exciting adventure, but you may feel very differently when you return from the project where you have potentially faced traumatic events. This can affect both you and your loved ones.

Clash of cultures

Working in an unfamiliar cultural environment brings with it the risk of communication problems and misunderstandings. For example, you may be working in a country where cultural practices may differ from what you are used to.

Of course, previous experience living and working in countries with different cultures is always an advantage. Tolerance towards people who behave or think differently is an absolute must. Try to answer honestly whether you can really respect people with different views and cultures and whether you can share a living space with them.

Throughout the history of Médecins Sans Frontières, tens of thousands of internationally hired staff have gone on assignment, and many have found the experience very valuable, despite the challenging conditions. For many of them, it has changed their lives. Working for our organisation is more of a gesture than an adventure or a financially lucrative career move. Those who choose to do so should do it in solidarity with people facing crises around the world.