Overseas Jobs
International humanitarian jobs with the British Red Cross
Our international delegates are normal people doing extraordinary things to support those in crisis overseas.
We respond in emergency situations in times of conflict or natural disasters. We also support longer term recovery programmes.
We’re part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and we believe in the power of kindness.
Humanitarian jobs abroad
We hire experienced aid workers from a wide range of professional backgrounds, which include:
- Logistics
- Water and sanitation
- Food security and livelihoods (FSL)
- Public health, nursing and medicine
- Tracing, protection and detention work
You will need:
- experience in international and cross-cultural settings
- tact, diplomacy and great communication skills
- to cope with extreme and resource-poor environments
- specific expertise dependant on the role
We're always looking for people with additional language skills, including Arabic, Spanish, Russian and French. For some roles this may be mandatory.
Working for the British Red Cross overseas
You could:
- Be part of British Red Cross programmes overseas
- Be part of our global standby workforce by joining our the Emergency Response Units (ERU)
- Be seconded to the wider Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the IFRC and ICRC.
Secondments with the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works to aid and protect those caught up in conflict and other violent situations. Roles with the ICRC are located in areas experiencing or recovering from armed conflict.
The ICRC recruitment process includes:
- HR interview with the British Red Cross
- Technical interview with the ICRC
- Selection day with the British Red Cross in London
You may also need to take language and other tests relevant to the role.
Search for roles with the ICRC
Secondments to the IFRC
We also send people to work on International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) programmes around the world.
The IFRC mobilises assistance for international emergencies and promotes co-operation between 190 national societies.
Search for roles with the IFRC
Join our ERU roster
Emergency Response Unit (ERU) roles involve being on call, ready to deploy for a month wherever crisis strikes. You’ll undertake a full training programme, which can take up to six months. Once you’ve successfully passed the training, you will be on call for at least one month a year.
Being on call means you will need to:
- be able to travel at short notice (24 - 48 hours) to relief operations during the on call period.
- be within 8 hours flight time of London
- have the required visa to enter to the UK
If you are employed elsewhere but can be released at short notice, you are welcome to apply.
Overseas employee benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits for British Red Cross staff based overseas which include:
- Travel to and from the deployment
- Arranging visas and work permits
- Accommodation while on deployment
- Daily living allowance while on deployment
- Access to professional health support and counselling services
- Travel, medical and life insurance coverage
- A pension, which you can join at any point in your contract
- 36 days leave allowance, including public holidays
- Professional development opportunities, training and secondments.
Application process
Your application will be screened by our international HR team and the technical team involved. If successful, you will be invited to a selection process. As part of the recruitment process, we will need:
- at least two references
- medical clearance
- an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/or international police check.