Note that I’m not at all certain I’d decide to do this, even if I got a job offer, but:
The Afghanistan war is a big, geostrategic-game-changing deal. It, and its side-effects, will probably shape the world for my entire life. Accordingly, I’d be interesting in working in Afghanistan - it’d give me a chance to see the place up-close.
Is this a realistic prospect for me? I’m a 27-year-old lawyer, with some litigation experience but no real international law experience. I’ve worked for nonprofits and government, but never the private sector. I was a political science major in college, with a focus on international relations - but I’ve never worked abroad, and I don’t speak any language other than English. (Friends would point out that I don’t even speak that one terribly well.) I graduated summa from college, but smack-dab middle of my (barely top-fifty) law school class.
In terms of the work I’d be willing to do - well, more or less any white-collar position that I’m qualified for. My lack of language skills would probably preclude most direct development work, so I imagine I’d be limited to adminstrative/research/writing work in Kabul, or other major centers of int’l community involvement - I couldn’t just get plunked down in a village somewhere.
On balance, I suspect I probably just don’t have the skills that would equip me to do useful work in Afghanistan. However, if anyone can think of work that I might be qualified for, I’d certainly be interested.
Perhaps the U.S. State Department, Agency for International Development or Peace Corps? Gen. Petraeus and other top Pentagon officers have said that the war there will be won in the civil-affairs sphere and not on the battlefield.
Probably not what you are looking for, but there is a Tim Horton’s there still and they bring people over for about 6 months at a time. I also saw a number of job listings for things like travel coordinators and aerobics instructors.
You can actually travel to Afghanistan as a tourist even, only to some areas but if you apply for a visa in most cases you can get in. (Haven’t done this myself but have spoken to people who have…)
Hahahaha - point well taken. I certainly wouldn’t go as a tourist - if I go there, it’ll be because I’ve a job. And I wouldn’t take a job that didn’t provide thorough, well-thought-out security training - which I’d follow scrupulously. I’m willing to take some calculated risk, but not to endanger myself carelessly.
That’s is exactly the scenario in several episodes that I have seen.
But seriously, it does sound like an interesting idea that you should pursue. I’ve worked in several different countries in Asia and wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.
I had a roommate who was an equally young lawyer who headed to Eastern Europe when the Iron Curtain came down and has been working on issues regarding environmental law regimes and protocols ever since.
I’m gonna guess Afghanistan and Iraq are going to both need similar services soon. Research the likely law firms in the States or elsewhere that would be involved and get talking. I bet they are on it already, hiring the folks who will go do such things and laying the groundwork.
If you go to USAJOBS.com and do an advanced search specifying Afghanistan as the location, it shows 115 federal jobs on offer there. Most of them look medical in nature, but several look to be general white-collar.
Give me a call. I work in a Chamber that deals extensivly in Afghanistan. 95% of the major work in Afghanistan is handled by Pakistani lawfirms and Chambers.
I’m an international development grad student, and most of my friends work in the field. The word that I get is that there is plenty of work in Afghanistan. Most of the organizations there, however, will want you to have a certain amount of experience abroad. I believe four years is a pretty standard requirement, although some organizations have lowered their standards to two years. They don’t want to spend all that money training you only to have you decide you can’t deal with it. Even in the best of circumstances, living in a developing country is tough mentally and physically. You really can’t know how you’ll react until you do it. I can only imagine how much tougher it is when you are a target.
If you have fantasies of communing with the Pashtuns, that’s not what is going to happen. I’m told that expats in Afghanistan live rather cloistered lives. You will probably live and work in heavily guarded compounds, with Landcruisers to take you between them. You will probably spend most of your time with foreigners and elite Afghans. You will probably have limited contact with the day-to-day life of ordinary Afghans.
Anyway, if you want to do this, it’d probably be a career move, not just a little jaunt. Figure out exactly what you want to do with this. Start connecting to people in the development field- go to lectures, consider taking some coursework, get in contact with people in the field, consider moving to DC, etc.
I am a foreign aid worker who specialized in working in conflict and post-conflict societies. I was in Afghanistan in 2002 and most recently in 2009. You can check the websites www.reliefweb.org and www.devex.com. As a lawyer, you could also check for NGOs working in the area of rule of law (a key phrase in your search) look at www.ndi.org, www.iri.org (shudder), www.ifes.org, www.irex.org, www.dai.com.
If you tell me how you would like me to contact you, I’d be happy to go into more detail. I could also pass your CV around if you’re serious.
ETA: USAID is looking for any warm bodies. MSI does the placement for them. Google MSI USAID Afghanistan and you should get hits. I also have the recruiter’s email somewhere if you can’t find it.
I came back to say, don’t worry about lack of language skill. Requirement number one is willing to go to Afghanistan, if you’re not insane or a drunk that is just icing on the cake. If you send your CV out, you will get job offers, and a lot of people will want you to deploy ASAP (like before Thankgiving).
Thanks, Madmonk28! If you’d be willing to show my resume to a few folks, I’d really appreciate it. Could you PM me an email address I could send it to?
IRI is International Republican Institute, an NGO run by the Republican party and I’m a Democrat (it was a little tongue in cheek). I’m in Yemen and about to go to bed, I’ll shoot you an email tomorrow some time during the day here, you’ll have it in the morning your time.