Hello,
I am looking for some advice from anyone with knowledge or experience of NGO work in Vietnam. I currently live in Bangkok and wish to move to Vietnam in coming months, seeking NGO work online is quite a maze of dead ends. I would greatly appreciate any assistance or direction anyone in the know might offer.
I have a masters in Community Development and a range of professional experience. An edited version of my experience cover letter and cv follows for your information:
To whom it may concern,
My name is Gillian Barden. I am from Ireland, 30 years old, and currently living in Bangkok. I wish to be considered for a position with your NGO. In the following paragraphs I give a brief description of my relevant work and education experience.
While completing an MA in Community Development, I spent one semester on placement with the Galway Refugee Support Group. With the GRSG I participated in the day to day workings of a vibrant and dedicated development organisation. Working in a multi-cultural and bilingual environment was a stimulating and engaging experience. My main role was to provide information, advice and advocacy services to refugees and asylum seekers who were often in very vulnerable and difficult situations. I regularly liaised with state agencies with regard to specific cases. I have strong report writing and research skills having created documents and presentations for the Irish Refugee Council, the NCCRI and the Health Service Executive. I have gained a high standard of IT experience throughout my university and professional career. In 2008 I was appointed Director of a small NGO in Ecuador focusing on educating street children to a level where they could be integrated into the national school system with our support. I was in charge of two small schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods; I created a basic administration system for recording students and finances, as well as coordinating volunteers and fundraising.
I am currently working as a Social Studies teacher at the Demonstration School of Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. This has been a challenging and rewarding experience. I am now seeking an organisation I can dedicate my organisational and administration skills as well as creativity to. The last position I held before moving to Bangkok was administration at a leading university for three years. I gained a wide understanding of administrative processes, developed highly refined organisational skills and a flair for event management. I find myself very adaptable to any given task due to my broad base of professional experience, open mind and innovative problem solving. I have excellent communication and people skills and confidence in my ability to meet deadlines when working under pressure. I understand and enjoy the challenges that come with living and working in diverse environments.
I feel that I would make a valuable contribution to your organisation. I would be dedicated to fulfilling my role effectively and thoughtfully with a flexible and enthusiastic approach.
Yours sincerely,
Gillian Barden
CV
Three years experience working in administration, after running an NGO in South America. A committed and dedicated professional with a natural ability to learn new skills with ease, from office processes to software. Excellent listening, presentation, oral and written communication skills. Comfortable in interacting with all levels of the organisation and public. A cheerful and enthusiastic person, with a keen interest in providing good customer service in any environment and someone who enjoys working as part of a team as well as working on their own initiative.
2001-2004: B.A. in Philosophy, and Sociology and Politics - NUI Galway
• Course content included: Political Theory, Cultural Sociology, Deviance, Development and Change,
Contemporary Political Thought, Marxism and Existentialism.
• I received an A for the extended essay in Philosophy and overall an honors degree.
2004-2006: M.A. in Community Development - NUI Galway
• The Programme is centered on providing specialist knowledge of the practical, organisational, managerial and
developmental skills required for the practice of community work. The course increases analytical and
evaluative understandings of the policy contexts and methods within which development practice takes place.
• With a particular interest in migrant issues, I completed a 30,000 dissertation titled: Is Community Formation
Possible for the Asylum Seekers of Ireland? An Exploration of the Role of Community Development and the
Impact of Direct Provision.
• Course content included Theory and Practice of Community Development, Social Policy, SPSS, Introduction to
Business, Techniques of Policy, Research and Analysis, Project Planning and Implementation, Local
Government, Evaluation, Family Support, Group Work and Facilitation.
January 2006: Dept. of Development Sociology, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
• I was invited as part of the Socrates Programme to study at the internationally based development studies
centre. The Department is recognised as one of the world's leading centers for Global Development Studies and
attracts postgraduate students from a wide range of developed and developing countries. Course content
included: Sociology of Rural Development, Projects and Programmes for Development, Governance, Livelihood
and Resources, Rural Politics, Gender and Participation.
Work Experience
May 2013 - Present: The Demonstration School of Ramkhamhaeng University
• I teach 6 grades of Mathayom in Social Studies, Thai History, Geography and World Current Events.
• My responsibilities include: writing lesson plans, creating material on Microsoft Publisher.
April 2010 – April 2012: Trinity College Dublin, School of Medicine – Executive Officer
• In this demanding role I provided administration support to the undergraduate curriculum, for example:
• Participatory Based Learning modules – Administration and tutor coordination.
• Evaluation – I was responsible for all stages of the administration process, from inputting questionnaires onto
SNAP software, to processing at the data entry stage and statistical analysis.
• OSCE and Supplemental exams - Coordinating staff, inputting and processing exam papers on to OMR
software, and processing exam papers and relevant documents at all stages.
• Global Health – I liaised with organisations such as the Red Cross, MSF and Goal to invite guest speakers. I
arranged the timetable and room bookings for lectures and workshops; I arranged a video conference with a
university in Mozambique, and arranged all details from stationery to catering.
• Event Management - I co-organised the INMED national conference and the annual Swan Lecture.
June 2009 – April 2010: Trinity College Dublin – Executive Officer
• Graduate Studies Office - My role varied from processing PhD applications to student cases, dealing with
student, public and staff queries and drafting correspondence.
• School of Nursing and Midwifery - Administration to four postgraduate courses, I was also secretary to the
Mental Health Research Group and to the Psychiatric Forum committee.
June - December 2008: Bruce Ecuador - Director
• I was in charge of running two small schools based in poor communities in Quito, Ecuador. My daily tasks
included: teaching English, meeting with the social worker, and coordinating volunteers.
• From an organisational perspective my role was: developing a model for a long term strategy, fundraising and
event management, networking with local businesses, administration and budgeting.
• Confidence, enthusiasm and a personal approach were key elements to my success.
September – December 2005: Galway Refugee Support Group - MA Work Placement
• I created a report for the Health Service Executive with the MARTA health group concerning the Migrant
Friendly Hospital’s Initiative; I handled general administration and day to day inquiries, as well as organising
and facilitating meetings, and assisting the director with the day to day running of the office. I sat on the
Galway City Partnership advisory committee as well as the Galway Anti-Racism Strategy.
• Occupy, Dublin: Founding member of the Media Team. Responsible for arranging and giving interviews with
national and international media, participated in writing press releases, disseminating information to the public
and fundraising. I also facilitated public General Assemblies and camp meetings. I contributed proposals to
bring structure and help create a cohesive message. I participated in meetings with the Dublin Council of Trade
Unions and c0-organised the first national Occupy Ireland meeting. Through my work with the media team I was
invited to give talks to Dublin Institute of Technology undergraduate and postgraduate journalism students, and
to Ballyfermot College of Further Education media students during their Social Justice week. Lecturers at
Ballyfermot invited me to return with a workshop regarding 'citizen led direct action initiatives and the media'.
• Unlock NAMA: This grass roots activism group seeks to draw attention to the waste of empty buildings held
under the National Asset Management Agency which could be used for community and social use in an
economic climate which sees the resources for culture and education disappear. A more refined method of
participatory decision-making than was practiced in Occupy was employed, with the pillars of our organisation
being research, direction action, and education. I was invited to represent the group at Anarchist Bookfair '12.
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