Basic requirements

I live in Sweden or Finland and have a valid passport.
If you are not a resident of Sweden or Finland, you should contact the MSF office in the country you live in. You can also contact one of our head quarters in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva or Paris and apply there. Contact information can be found on our international website.

I have traveled or worked in low resource settings
An understanding of the contexts and countries we are working in is a basic requirement to work for MSF.

I am flexible and can handle stress
Flexibility is very important. Many of our projects are in or near areas of conflict. The environment is often chaotic and unstable and we often help large groups of people who are in distress. Even in the more stable areas, the large workload and sharing housing with colleagues represent an additional stress. As international mobile staff, you must cope with a difficult and unpredictable environment. The situation in our projects can change quickly which means your job description may change. The date for the return trip can also change very suddenly as can the composition of your team and your workplace during an assignment.

I am available for assignments of 9-12 months / I am a surgeon, anesthesiologist or obstetrician and available for 6 - 12 weeks assignments.
We need international mobile staff who are prepared to be in our projects for 12 months to minimize staff turnover, thus maintaining the stability and continuity of our projects. Some assignments are shorter because of security, isolation and / or in the case of emergency situations. Primarily experienced international mobile staff are sent to these projects. In addition, a 12 month assignment assures that international mobile staff have a greater opportunity to understand project work and how the organization works. If you belong to any of the following professions; surgeon, anesthesiologist, obstetrician, we requiere a shorter availability because you will most likely be on call most of the time. 

I can collaborate and be part of a team
As international mobile staff, you will live and work with others. Working sessions are long and the standard of living is very simple with little room for privacy. As international mobile staff, you must be tolerant, flexible and confident in yourself. The ability and willingness to interact with people of different nationalities and cultures is central. As well as the understanding the people have different backgrounds and perspectives. 

I have at least 2 years of relevant work experience
All of our international mobile staff must be experienced and knowledgeable, to be able to do a good job under difficult circumstances. You must be confident in your professional role and be able to work independently under difficult conditions. Most of our international mobile staff are also expected to conduct in training and courses for other employees in the projects. Almost all project positions include management; you will lead others so you should be experienced in supervision. There is more information about the exact qualifications we are looking for in specific professions on the respective profession page.

I can work under insecure / unstable conditions
As a humanitarian emergency medical organization, we are impartial in our provision of medical care and base it solely on medical needs, regardless of religion, ethnicity, political or other affiliations. We assist people who have been subjected to various disasters or conflicts. Many of our projects are in areas affected by violence and political unrest. It is therefore important that you, as international mobile staff are as flexible as possible regarding what area you will be working in so that we can ensure MSF's presence in these areas

I'm perfectly healthy and do not require any medicine regularly
In our projects, one can be exposed to harsh conditions both physically and mentally. Therefore it is important that your health can handle these difficulties and that you are not in need of regular medication because there is always a risk that it is destroyed, stolen, or that you end up in a situation where you do not have access to it.

I have read all the pages under "Working abroad"
These web pages try to provide as realistic a picture as possible of what it means to work for MSF in our projects and of the qualifications we are looking for in our staff. We would like you to read through the information and then decide whether MSF is an organization that suits you, your skills, and work experience.

In addition to our basic requirements, our recruitment is also guided by the current operational needs. If there are many individuals with similar competences and experiences available at the same time, we may be more restricted in our recruitment. We aim to always send newly recruited colleagues to our projects in a near future. Therefore you may be advised to apply again in a few months. 

Do you meet the requirements above?