Aid worker

Aid workers help people in overseas countries affected by human-made and natural disasters like wars, outbreaks of disease and earthquakes.

In this guide

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

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

Working environment

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.

Career path and progression

You can develop your own unique career path by working with different organisations and in different parts of the world.

With experience, you can move into senior management or advisory positions, making decisions on how relief efforts are co-ordinated.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

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

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

Most relevant

  • Geography - Aid workers need to understand the physical and human geography of the regions where they work, including natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, and droughts. Knowledge of development issues, population distribution, and how environmental factors affect communities is central to planning effective relief efforts.
  • Modern Foreign Languages - Aid workers operate in countries around the world and often need to communicate with local communities, officials, and partner organisations in languages other than English. Being able to speak French, Spanish, Arabic, or other widely spoken languages is a major advantage when coordinating relief efforts on the ground.
  • Economics - Aid workers monitor budgets, allocate resources, and make decisions about how to distribute limited supplies effectively. Understanding economic development, poverty, trade, and how financial systems work helps them address the root causes of crises and plan sustainable recovery programmes.
  • Sociology - Aid workers need to understand how different societies are structured, including issues of inequality, power, gender, and cultural norms. This knowledge helps them design programmes that are sensitive to local communities and ensures aid reaches the people who need it most.

Also relevant

  • Politics - Aid workers often operate in conflict zones and work alongside governments, the United Nations, and non-governmental organisations. Understanding political systems, international relations, and how power dynamics shape conflicts helps them navigate complex situations and advocate for affected populations.
  • Environmental Science - Aid workers respond to disasters linked to environmental change, such as droughts, flooding, and disease outbreaks connected to water quality. Understanding ecosystems, climate change, and sustainable resource management helps them plan longer-term recovery and resilience programmes.
  • Biology - Aid workers often support healthcare programmes, respond to disease outbreaks, and distribute medical supplies. Understanding how diseases spread, basic human biology, and public health principles helps them coordinate effective health responses in crisis situations.
  • English Language - Aid workers write detailed reports for donors and partner organisations, and communicate with people from many different backgrounds. Being able to write clearly and persuasively – whether in funding proposals, situation updates, or policy documents – is an essential part of the role.
  • Law - Aid workers operate within frameworks of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and refugee conventions. Understanding legal protections for civilians in conflict and the rights of displaced people helps them advocate effectively and ensure their programmes comply with international standards.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • volunteering
  • working towards this role

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:

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

More Information

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.

Career tips

Follow aid organisations that interest you on social media to find out about opportunities. Think about small organisations, as well as the bigger, more well known ones.

You could also develop useful skills, like languages, first aid or driving. Local people are now most likely to be recruited to do the frontline jobs during emergencies, so having specialist skills or knowledge they may not yet have, will give you an advantage.

You'll need to be willing to work long hours in challenging and often dangerous situations. You'll also need to show flexibility as well as being sensitive and culturally aware.

Professional and industry bodies

You may find it helpful to join an organisation like the International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection for training and development opportunities.

Further information

You can learn more about working in international aid from:

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