Trying to break into the humanitarian sector… but doing it differently

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in a transition phase in my professional path within the development and humanitarian sector, and I wanted to reach out to this community to connect, exchange insights, and learn from others navigating similar trajectories.

🎓 I am a sociologist specialised in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, with hands-on experience in EU-funded programmes, migration and refugee inclusion, and social research. My work so far has focused on EU project cycle management, opportunity mapping, policy-oriented research and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), combining both field-based engagement and institutional work.

🚀 I am currently in the process of becoming a freelancer, as a strategic step to build my career path more independently and to remain flexible and available for key training and field-oriented learning opportunities that are essential to enter the humanitarian sector.

🌍 In this context, I was recently selected to participate in an EU-funded training in Uganda focused on peacebuilding and youth advocacy, where I will collaborate with both African and European participants. I see this as a key opportunity to strengthen my field-oriented perspective and connect different regional experiences.

💡 At the same time, I want to acknowledge a structural challenge that many early-career professionals face: access to the humanitarian sector often relies on unpaid or underpaid internships. For those of us coming from working-class backgrounds, this creates significant barriers to entry, and makes navigating this transition particularly complex.

👉 That’s why I’m reaching out:

I would really value connecting with professionals who have experience entering the humanitarian sector, particularly to better understand:

• How to realistically transition from EU development projects into humanitarian roles
• Alternative entry points beyond unpaid or long-term internships
• Pathways into NGOs, INGOs or international organisations

🤝 At the same time, I remain actively engaged in EU-funded and social impact projects, and open to contributing in roles such as:

• Junior Non-Key Expert (JNKE) positions
• EU project management and implementation
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
• Proposal writing, fundraising and donor compliance
• Social research, needs assessments and policy analysis

My current work sits at the intersection of EU cooperation, research and programme implementation, which I see as a strong and transferable foundation to progressively move into the humanitarian field.

If you think my profile could be relevant, or if you have advice or insights to share, I would truly appreciate connecting.

Thank you in advance — and happy to exchange experiences with anyone in a similar situation.