An education expert in Ethiopia

International development is as much a business as it is a labor of love, and chances are you won’t choose your next assignment based on the money. That said, compensation is an important part of human resources management, and comprehensive data on salaries and benefits is hard to come by. That’s why Devex is shedding light on the salaries and work of those holding jobs that international development organizations commonly hire for. It’s part of our mission to help aid professionals do good and make informed decisions about their careers. Today’s spotlight is on an international education expert contracted by a global development consultancy for an aid project in Ethiopia. - Position title: girls’ education expert - Seniority: senior-level - Position type: long-term consulting - Year: 2013 - Salary: roughly $450 per day - Benefits: housing allowance and travel for home leave - Sample tasks: perform primary and secondary research to inform strategic development of programs, work with government and other partners to develop programs, devise training programs and manuals for teachers and girls in school clubs, advise on girls’ education and gender, write training reports - Key qualifications for the job: experience working in sub-Saharan Africa; school, teaching and training experience from community level in home country and sub-Saharan Africa; managing large-scale educational programs; project management Ethiopia’s foreign aid job market Ethiopia was the third-largest aid recipient in 2011, according to figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That year, official development assistance to the country amounted to $3.6 billion, with the United States as its biggest bilateral donor and the World Bank’s International Development Association as the largest multilateral donor. According to the World Bank, Ethiopia’s main challenge is to sustain and speed up the progress made toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The country is on course to meeting the MDGs relating to gender parity in education, child mortality, HIV and AIDS, and malaria. Though primary school attendance is up, it will likely miss that MDG target. As such, there remains a huge need for development expertise in Ethiopia. Based on job announcements posted on the Devex website, aid groups are looking for people experienced in project management and capacity building, among other areas. Check out the Devex jobs board for more vacancies in Ethiopia and for education experts. Compensation isn’t everything The details provided in this article were derived from a survey of select development workers stationed in various parts of the globe. Due to the sensitivity of the information, we are keeping the respondents’ identities and organizations confidential. Compensation varies greatly from one job, country or organization to another. Even for the same position, differences in remuneration occur based on educational background, experience and an applicant’s most recent salary, an organization’s need and the sector it operates in, as well as whether it is hiring locally or internationally. Also, some organizations offer more generous benefit packages than others, or they offer perks such as regular travel, training or other career development services that should not be discounted. For senior-level international hires, in particular, benefits such as housing and education allowances often amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year. At the end of the day, aid workers tell us that the chance to help alleviate suffering and lift people out of poverty are well worth any pay cut they may have encountered switching from the private sector. Read more Devex Salary Spotlights!