Rebels with a cause
27 Jun 2005
Unless you have a strange immunity to tub thumping pop stars
you’ll have noticed that the Make Poverty History campaign is having a
bit of a do. On Saturday 2 July campaigners, revellers and people in
tie dye will descend upon Edinburgh to demand debt cancellation for the
world’s poorest countries.
For the estimated 400 charities
supporting the event it’s the pinnacle of months of hard work. But for
the PAs of those charities it’s also something personal.
“I
want to feel like I am making a difference,” says Nikki Sturridge, PA
the director of Cafod, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. “I
love knowing that I can help make life better for people caught in
conflict or suffering. It helps me sleep better at night.”
And
Nikki isn’t the only one. If you fancy throwing in the giddy heights of
merchant banking for something more caring sharing then you’ll have
stiff competition. Campaigns like Make Poverty History do well in
luring recruits from the dark side.
“I used to work in the
pharmaceutical industry,” explains Nikki. “But was attracted to Cafod
because I felt cut off from the world. I wanted a job that didn’t
involve lining someone else’s pockets. OK, so I had to accept a lower
salary but I also stepped out of the rat race and now feel part of the
world again.”
Cafod campaigns for dignity for people
regardless of race, nationality or religion as well as fighting for the
world’s resources to be shared equally. For Nikki that means that no
two days are the same and she works with people who she describes as
“effervescent, passionate and enthusiastic”. Not an image that springs
to mind when many of us recall our colleagues or working week.
Nikki
also believes that the charity is a chance to pursue her career dream.
“In my last job, unless you had a certain background there was only so
far that you could progress,” she says. “It is completely different at
Cafod. All the doors are open to me and I can get involved as much as I
like.”
It’s no wonder that the charitable sector is
attracting wannabe campaigners. The fact is that more and more of us
are seeking personal fulfilment at work. And unless you have the chance
to slope off to a French farmhouse and knock out a novel this is one
way of injecting compassion into your life.
Natasha Waas
works for Charity People, a recruitment agency that specialises in,you
guessed it. According to her job candidates come from the commercial
sector because they are fed up with making money for a faceless boss.
They also want to make a better mark on the world. So much so that they
are willing to take monster pay cuts to do it.
“I use to
recruit for the commercial sector,” Natasha explains, “Candidates were
never interested in the job as long as they got the salary and the
benefits. Now I see people who don’t care about the salary as long as
the work makes a difference.”
Luckily Natasha believes that
PAs have a great chance of shifting from the commercial to the
charitable sector because their skills are easily transferable. They
may have to get used to the slightly lighter pay packet though.
According to her the average PA package pays ￃﾂￂﾣ25k. She admits that
there are some cases of PAs taking home ￃﾂￂﾣ30k but these are a rare
breed.
Thanks to the lack of cash in the coffers charities
are also picky about job candidates. That they have little money to
spend means that they have to spend it wisely so are only interested in
great candidates who also prove their enthusiasm for the ’cause’.
That’s
why Tessa Bees got her job at Traidcraft. Hired as PA to the chief
executive, Tessa left her previous role working on university
prospectuses so that she could help the needy as well as contribute to
a Christian organisation, satisfying her own faith.
“Traidcraft
is a Christian organisation, although you don’t have to be Chrisitian
to work here,” she says. “What we have in common is the chance to
create change. I recently cried when I read an account about poverty in
Africa but love doing something about that.”
Tessa covers
all the usual secretarial tasks such as managing diaries and travel
booking while also promoting trade justice. And her chance to do
something practical will hit the jackpot soon when she travels to Cuba
for a fortnight’s placement with fruit producers.
“This
isn’t a nine-to-five job,” explains Tessa. “It is full of people who
really make a difference. It inspires, challenges and gives me enormous
personal satisfaction.”
So how can you get that
satisfaction? In the first instance find out about voluntary placements
within the charity’s offices. These cover anything from a few hours a
week doing mail sorting or office management. They are a chance to gain
valuable experience and be first to job vacancies. Alternatively
enquire about internships which offer applicants several weeks of
unpaid work without any long term commitment.
For Tessa,
though, it’s all about the courage to make a change. “If you have the
personality and the enthusiasm you could be what employers are looking
for. Try it. You never know how much difference it could make.”
Linda Lusingu reveals what her role as PA to Oxfam’s Head and Deputy Head of Advocacy means to her
“I came to the UK from Tanzania 11 years ago and my background is the
reason that I work for Oxfam. I’ve seen the poverty of my country and
family and working with Oxfam means I can do something about it.
I
got my job at Oxfam by volunteering to work in the office so that I
could support the charity. Then when the previous PA left I got the
chance to cover for her while the job was advertised. I applied and got
it.
I support the Head and Deputy Head of Advocacy in their
various roles and the Make Poverty History campaign has been a big part
of that. I met Tony Blair when I look a petition supporting the
campaign to Downing Street and I have spent some time talking to the
public on behalf of Oxfam too. I have also seen Nelson Mandela speak
and have even spoken on behalf of Oxfam in Swahili, my native language,
for the BBC.
On a day to day basis, though, I am busy
managing my boss’ workload. They work at such a fast pace and I have to
stay on top of everything that is going on. It’s a real juggling act.
And it doesn’t help that we do a lot of reactive work too, especially
when we get calls from the media unit.
I love knowing that
by being part of Oxfam and the Make Poverty History campaign I am
helping to change the world. I feel frustrated, helpless and angry at
the poverty of my country, so I have chosen to be positive about it and
use that strength to make a change. But by doing that I am not just
changing the lives of others. I am changing my own life too.”