During her Youth Service in 2018, the subject of today’s #WhatIt’sLike served in the Ministry of Health, where she would learn that volunteering was perhaps a faster way of landing high-paying roles. She would go ahead to spend most of her time volunteering and working overtime to build the experience. And though she wasn’t retained at the ministry where she served, she had spent the last four years working in an NGO and earning a great income.
I read this article on Tackling the cliches about working for an NGO, which I think you should read too, and it led me to explore the dynamics of that sector from the Nigerian perspective.
For this #What It’s Like edition of On These Corporate Streets, Public Health Officer, Adesua Abimbola takes us into the dynamics of working for an NGO in Nigeria: Perks and downsides, as well as how NGOs and different from liability companies.
I.
I finished Youth Service in 2018 and have been a Public Health Specialist for four years now, and I totally enjoy it. One good thing about NGOs is that you know when you’re leaving. It’s contract based, so you know when your work is ending. That way, you can already start pitching for another job.
II.
For me, a typical work life requires me to work all day! Presently, I work with two organizations, but I don’t work for the whole thirty days; the summary of how many days I work is 15 days, which means I have 15 days for my personal life. During those days, I am seriously working for what I get paid.
One thing about NGOs is that you can’t cheat them and they can’t cheat you. If you’re being paid 500k, you are going to work for that 500k. I work from 8-5, the official time, but there are days when I leave the office by 7 pm because I need to round off for that day. There’s going to be an entirely new task for another day.
For someone in the health sector like me, they’d understand that every month, there are targets you have to meet on the field and they have strict timelines. You have to complete, submit your report, and wait for supervisors to read and verify it before you proceed to another task
III.
Sometimes, after a project finishes, getting another quickly is kind of difficult. You could go for five-stage interviews and still not get the job, but once you are in, that’s all!
Another downside to this is the structure across different organizations. This is what I mean; you could occupy a managerial role in an organization, and after that project, you end up being an LG officer for another project. NGOs could be like that; a boss in this organization can be subordinate in another organization.
Plus, you may not really have time for yourself, but rest assured you are getting the money for all your time and efforts, so that isn’t really a problem. During those 15 days when I work, I can barely do anything else. I have to work to get my report complete and just go home to rest. NGO works are target and timeline based and you have to meet them.
And as far as I know, there are no promotions or salary increases. You stay and leave with whatever position you came in with. You just have to keep working on yourself and building your capacity (including connections and relationships) for future projects.
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IV.
As far as I know, NGOs pay better. For instance; my mum works in a university as a level 13 academic staff and receives around 150k, and I get paid four times what she gets, so the difference is clear. The workload might be heavy, especially for those in the health sector, but the pay is worth it, and you wouldn’t be deprived of your pay.
Asides from the good pay though, it’s fun and adventurous. With NGOs, you get to meet new people and visit different places. The only state I haven’t worked in South West is Ekiti State. NGO allows you to get to new places and get new experiences. You get good connections and gain new experiences. For someone like me, I have worked with malaria-centered organizations, HIV, and more, and it has prepared me for several opportunities.
Plus, there are chances of traveling outside the country, depending on your experience. Most NGOs are international and they have their head office outside the country. I have friends who have been invited, after a project, to come over to another country for a new project.
V.
If I had not served in the ministry of health, LMCU specifically, I wouldn’t have known anything about NGOs. I got to know that there are NGOs in the health sector for every state, and where I served, we were advised to volunteer to be able to get NGO jobs. You won’t be paid, but you will serve, get that experience and make connections.
At that time, even after CDS, I would return to the office to work freely, and that was how the opportunities came. There are a lot of NGOs, but volunteering is key to getting an opportunity. From volunteering, you can then go into being an ad-hoc staff, and from there you begin to apply.
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Do you find your job or career path interesting or challenging? I would like to stop by your junction and spend a day with you. Send me a mail @ Ayodeji Falaye and walk me through what it means to be in your industry.