We currently have around 175 international staff working for MAG across programs in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Our international staff enjoy the “feel good factor” of working and genuinely making a difference to people’s lives on a daily basis. For our staff, there is no greater reward than being able to release land to a community for their use.
The majority of our international staff are appointed on open-ended contracts, offering job security and the chance to develop with MAG. For example:
• 72 percent of our senior managers based overseas have been promoted from within MAG.
• Over 50 percent of our staff have worked for MAG for more than two years.
Our people overseas
We recruit a range of staff, both technical and support staff, in order to deliver our lifesaving work. Our technical staff have the expertise to oversee the safe clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Our support staff have the skills to ensure that operations run effectively and efficiently. Usually our technical staff have military backgrounds and our support staff have experience in the humanitarian aid sector which creates a dynamic mix of skills, all working to save lives and build safer futures.
What we look for
For many of our international roles we demand a high level of experience in order to train our national staff, who are highly experienced in a number of locations. Other than the skills you need to do this, we seek staff who are:
• Committed to our humanitarian mandate
• Able to live and work as a team; the hours may be long and living conditions may be basic
• Experienced enough to work in developing countries
• Committed to our capacity-building mandate
• Able to be flexible and adaptable in response to changing needs and environments
• Able to speak a second language (desirable)
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International staff salary and benefits
People choose to work for MAG because they want to use their skills to make a difference. We also offer a range of benefits including:
• Salary: MAG’s salaries will always be balanced by a desire to direct as much of our funds as we can towards the work we are undertaking. However, our salaries are fair and benchmarked in the NGO and mine action sector.
• Annual leave: six to eight weeks a year, plus public holidays.
• Hardship benefits: in recognition of some of the challenging conditions in some of our locations, we offer staff a hardship allowance and additional annual leave.
• Cost of living allowance: a contribution towards daily living costs, currently between £4,000 and £8,000 per year, depending on location.
• Accommodation
• Flights: MAG provides three return flights home per year. MAG will cover the cost of any visas, residency or work permits.
• Insurance: all international staff are automatically covered by MAG’s comprehensive insurance package, including: personal accident and medical expenses insurance; death by natural causes insurance; access to 24-hour medical assistance, including evacuation and repatriation. -
Health and welfare
We hope our staff won’t get ill while working for us, but we do recognize that some of the locations in which we work may challenge physical and psychological health. The health and welfare of all staff is of paramount importance to us and therefore staff can expect:
• Travel health advice appropriate for your deployment.
• Vaccinations and anti-malarials if required.
• Company sick pay.
• Biennial medical assessments to ensure our staff stay well.
• First-aid kits.
• Health and welfare handbook, with guidance on a range of subjects. -
Training and development
We recognize that the development of our staff is key to our success.
We encourage staff to continue with their personal development while working for us, not just on formal training courses but on a day-to-day basis. All staff are expected to be in control of their own learning and development.
Underpinning all of this is our annual appraisal system which allows achievements to be recognized and skills to be developed. All staff have clear objectives and the support they need to meet them.
We embrace different learning styles and encourage our staff to share knowledge, which is particularly important for our international staff who are all expected to develop the capacity of their national staff.
