Learning world languages such as English, Chinese or French and doing something good at the same time? This is exactly what an internship, traineeship or full-time position in an NGO can offer. As non-governmental organizations, these are often internationally oriented, including various offices around the world. As a result, you will have a lot of contact with people from all over the world during your work, who naturally speak a wide variety of languages.
However, you don't have to worry about communication problems. As a rule, communication in English works smoothly - but you are missing out on a great opportunity. Namely, to learn a new language while working for an NGO or to brush up on your rusty language skills from school. In this article, we show you how to do this and why it can be useful to learn languages such as English, Spanish or French online before you actually start working for an NGO.
Improve your language skills during your NGO work - these are your options
Would you like to kill two birds with one stone in your work for an NGO and polish up your language skills alongside your commitment to a good cause? Then, as mentioned at the beginning, you already have the opportunity to do this in your day-to-day work through contact and exchange with people all over the world.
But if you are serious about pursuing this goal, you should of course approach it with a bit more of a plan. For example, you can take online lessons in the language of your choice - and there is no shortage of options these days. However, many NGOs also offer their own language trainers that you can use while working for the organization.
The following example shows you what language learning can look like when working in an NGO.
Example: Learning French while working for Doctors Without Borders
Using the example of "Doctors Without Borders", we would like to show you how language learning is possible while working for an NGO. Founded in 1971 under the name "Medecines sans frontieres", the organization for emergency medical aid in crisis or war zones is definitely one of the better-known NGOs. The organization was once founded in Paris and is now based in (French) Switzerland in Geneva.
Do you notice anything? Although the organization now operates all over the world, Médecins Sans Frontières cannot deny its French origins.
It is therefore not too unlikely that you will come into contact with French-speaking people during your work for the non-governmental organization - depending on the location and area, of course. Or to put it another way: working for Médecins Sans Frontières offers a great opportunity to learn French.
But what is the best way to go about it? First of all, it certainly makes sense to start learning the language before you actually start work. With French courses offered online, you can even learn from the comfort of your own home while you take care of other organizational matters before you start work.
Thanks to this preparation, it will certainly be much easier for you to talk to French-speaking colleagues during your actual work for the NGO. And in this way, you will manage to improve your French skills along the way - after all, the best way to learn a language is with the necessary practical relevance.
Of course, this principle also works for other NGOs and for other languages such as English, Spanish or Chinese.
Are several foreign languages necessary to work in an NGO?
As already mentioned, NGOs are organizations that generally operate across borders in different countries around the world. Accordingly, many people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds come together there. Does this mean that you have to have knowledge of several foreign languages in order to work there?
If you take a quick look at the NGO job offers on our site, you will quickly realize that a good command of English is virtually mandatory, at least for a job in an international NGO. Knowledge of other languages such as French, Spanish or Arabic is always welcome, but is rarely a mandatory requirement.
Regardless of the exact area you want to work in or the type of NGO you want to apply for, the following applies: knowledge of different languages can definitely be an important plus point for your application. However, you do not necessarily have to have a perfect command of the respective languages. Rather, it is often enough if you can show in advance that you have a basic command of a language thanks to your efforts to learn English, Chinese or French online.