Working abroad offers adventure, friendship with people of other cultures, intimate familiarity with exciting places, and opportunities to make real differences in communities. It also presents countless challenges, ranging from packing and staying safe and healthy to balancing project objectives with on-the-ground realities, working with local officials, and forging respectful and productive relationships. These challenges and many more are tackled in How to Work in Someone Else's Country. Drawing on thirty years of experience as an international consultant in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, Ruth Stark provides guidance for anybody preparing to work in a foreign country.
This easy-to-read guide is enlivened by real-life examples drawn from the author's journals and stories shared by colleagues. Slim enough to fit in a carry-on, this book is sure to come in handy wherever your work takes you.
By:
Ruth Stark
Foreword by:
Bill Bicknell MD
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 351g
ISBN: 9780295996882
ISBN 10: 0295996889
Pages: 174
Publication Date: 23 July 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword by Bill Bicknell, MD, MPH A Note to the ReaderAcknowledgements Introduction 1. Relationship is Everything ... and Everyone is Related 2. The First Step: Figuring Out What Your Job Is 3. The Second Step: Figuring Out Whom You Are Working For 4. Questions to Ask before You Start Packing 5. A Few Travel Survival Tips 6. Keeping Safe 7. What to Do If You Get There and Nobody Wants You 8. How to Make Them Glad That You Are There 9. Living and Working in the Public Eye 10. Working with Your Local Counterparts 11. Meet the Press 12. Dress Code for the International Professional 13. Working with Governments 14. Visiting the Field 15. Presenting Your Message 16. On Gift Giving 17. A Few Notes on Culture 18. Briefing and Debriefing 19. Making a Difference 20. Profile of the Effective International Worker A Few Last Words
Ruth Stark is an international health professional who currently serves as a senior technical advisor in South Africa. She has worked with the World Health Organization, international relief and development NGOs, and national government agencies and institutions,and has taught and published widely on basic health services delivery in resource-limited settings.
Reviews for How to Work in Someone Else's Country
"""A quick, engaging read. Whether you are about to embark on your first volunteer stint abroad or are a seasoned aid worker with a couple decades in the field, open it up."" -- Jennifer Lentfer * How-matters.org * ""Chock-full of tips leisure travelers can use . . . but most valuable are her years of experience building and observing cross-cultural relationships in all kinds of settings."" -- Valerie Rains * Budget Travel * ""Her advice is well written, thoughtfully indexed, and expressed with the same careful consideration that has carried Emily Post's Etiquette through eighteen editions. . . . Stark highlights not just skills critical to people working overseas, but strengths all entrepreneurs must find within themselves to succeed."" -- Joseph Thompson * ForeWord * ""2012 ALA Annual Conference 'Best of the Best' University Press Books for Public and Secondary Schools Libraries"" * ALA *"
