Friday, October 11, 2013

Week 6 :: International ECE Job Prospects

This was fun. I had already been researching jobs on Vancouver Island, British Colombia, because I have always wanted to move there.

I went to Vancouver Island University for my first search:
http://www.viu.ca/ce/courses/healthandhumanservices.asp#human-services
I found some jobs listings for adjunct faculty (the job I do now for night school) that looked like something I would like to do there. Unfortunately they have no openings. They just list the jobs. They have 3 campuses so that gives me options.

Another source was my friend's non-profit organization based in China. The program is called Manos International and what they do is hire teachers to go into poor cities in countries all over the world and help set up schools to teach the children who cannot get to other schools due to lack of funds or transportation, etc. Their popular program is the cultural education program.
http://www.manosintl.org/cultural-education-program.html
From the site:
The Cultural Education Program is Manos' core program, where volunteers bring enriching youth development activities to our community centers and sites themed on four countries each program year. The Program incorporates fun educational activities that build life skills, while teaching global and cultural awareness.  Over the years, we have studied more than 20 countries with the children we serve. Each country is hosted over a four week session where our Community Centers transform into the country being studied.  Children enter the Centers with their Manos "Passports"  and get an international traveling experience, brought directly to them at their community centers. Volunteers share the sights and sounds of four different countries through planned activities over four week for each country:
  • General education about each country (such as geography, population, language, history).
  • Arts & crafts themed on each country
  •  Indoor and outdoor games, including sports from the four countries
  • And, finally, each four-week session ends with a Cultural Party, where the community centers are further transformed for a grand finale event.
They always have teacher positions open and I have always wanted to help out with this wonderful organization.

Finally, I found UNJobs and they had this job listing that sounded interesting:
http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1378152763408
Tracking Code 302252-818 Job Description
This is a local position. Candidates must have legal authorization to work and currently reside in Kenya, to be considered for this position.
ChildFund Kenya is recruiting for the position of Program Manager and is seeking for a self motivated and dynamic individual to spearhead the implementation of one of its Early Childhood Development project in Nairobi and Coastal regions. The position will report to the Programs Director. The project's goal is 'Assuring the essential of optimal development of infants and young children affected by HIV and Aids'.
Working closely with the ECD Specialist, the Grants Coordinator, affiliated COs, and other stakeholders on the ground, the Program Manager will be responsible for the following:
  • Lead and coordinate the development of Detailed Implementation Plans (DIP) and oversee implementation of the project activities in line with the approved plans
  • Ensure plans are implemented according to approved budget and donor guidelines, and that ChildFund procedures and policies are adhered to at all times.
  • Regularly monitor and evaluate project activities and use the information to improve project quality and implementation; and to pro-actively identify risks related to contract compliance and prescribe, implement and manage corrective action.
  • Timely preparation and submission of quality progress reports that meet the organizations/donor requirements, as stipulated in the contract.
  • Maintain accurate project records.
  • Maintain staff technical proficiency and productivity.
  • Document lessons learnt and best practices for experience sharing and replication.
  • Ensure project staff adheres to the organisation's programming principles, procurement, administrative and financial policies.
Required Skills
  • A Bachelors degree level qualification in Development studies or Social Sciences from a reputable University,
  • Ability to work with minimum supervision and meet strict deadlines.
  • Demonstrated experience implementing programs with Community Based Organizations.
  • Team Player with excellent communication and community mobilization skills.
  • High level of credibility and integrity.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.
  • Excellent communication and report writing skills.
  • Training and facilitation skills and experience are required.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities.
Required Experience
  • A minimum of 3 years experience in programme design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and donor contract management.
Job Location Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya Position Type Full-Time/Regular Salary 180,000.00 - 200,000.00 KES

4 comments:

  1. HI Kim,
    How interesting that you should be interested in moving to Vancouver Island or British Columbia. I have friends from Vancouver Island and after hearing their wonderful stories, seeing their photographs and watching a Travel Channel show on both places I fell in love too. I absolutely love the greenery and the rain that comes with supporting such beautiful, lush vegetation. I once again could not believe how long it has taken me to trawl through websites trying to access all the right information. Many sites have a tab for employment opportunities, but when you try to access it, the page is blank, a lot of the time experience in the field is a prerequisite. The job in Kenya sounds interesting. I wonder if they will have any foreign applicants after the recent tragic terrorist related seige in one of the shopping malls. Kenya is such a beautiful country, and the people I have met from there are such warm, friendly people too. I am assuming the salary is per month. While it may sound like a lot of money in Kenyan Shillings, by South African terms it pays more than the average teacher earns, but when converted into Qatari Riyals it is less than what a Teaching Assistant earns. I know cost of living is calculated into the salary, but still if one has to pay for rent, water and electricity, and security there won't be much left at the end of the day. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Dear Kim,
    I searched through the UNjobs announcements also and followed many web-link leads on jobs. Even though I learned so much during our course of study many of the positions call for a special kind of experience that my career path has not afforded me. It makes me feel old to think of having to gain entry level experience to use the wealth of information I have gathered. Thanks for sharing the information about Vancouver Island. That is not very far for me if I should choose to change jobs. I also found Jody comments about interpreting the wages very interesting. I had gone on the internet to evaluate some of the international wages and compare them to US dollars, but I did not even think about needing to hire security when living in some countries. I recently read job posting for a one year appointment teaching preschool children in China, where it was required to be native English speaking, and even with living expenses paid the $25K salary would not cover maintain a home and the family left behind in the states. It is going to be a challenge to gain international experience if I want to pursue a high level job in an international organization.

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  3. Looking at everyone's post about international positions has really got me thinking. It scared me a little thinking about actually considering something like this. Would I be good enough, up to their standards, can I provide the help they're looking for? It would be a fantastic opportunity kinda like Doctors Without Borders (i think that's what they're called) but with children. You've really chosen some great looking organizations that would offer a great deal of knowledge. What would be the one job out of all the research we've conducted on employment that you would take?

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  4. Hello Kim,

    I think it is interesting that you are interested in moving to Vancouver Island or even British Columbia. Some of the organizations that you have researched are one's that I haven't paid much attention to but I think it would be wise to be more knowledgeable of the things that are going on around us nationally and not just locally. Thanks for sharing.

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