The NGO Sector: Alumna Profile

After an LLM at King’s College London, Bethan Cansfield decided to switch discipline in order to pursue her goal of working in the NGO sector, opting to read the history of international relations at LSE.

“I chose to study the history of international relations because I wanted to learn more about the decisions facing world leaders today and gain a greater understanding of how to influence policy and practice of governments and inter-governmental organizations. My course options gave me the opportunity to develop my knowledge of recent world politics and to study women’s human rights, both of which I felt would build on my degree and would be useful in my career development.”

Bethan succeeded in her ambition, managing to secure a job in the women’s human rights department of Amnesty International, as a campaign coordinator. “The most enjoyable part of my job is that I am able to utilise and develop my knowledge of women’s human rights,” she affirms. “I also have the opportunity to meet inspirational women and men, including women human rights defenders from around the world and Amnesty activists who give up their spare time to campaign for human rights.”

Her desire to work in this particular field is a long held one, and she feels that her MA played an intrinsic role in allowing her to secure it. “I have always wanted to work as in the field of women’s human rights, and through my MA I was able to hone skills and knowledge that played a major part in me getting my current role.”

Does she feel that her MA has contributed to her success post securing the role of campaign coordinator? “Every day I use the knowledge and skills developed in my MA. For example I recently input into Amnesty International UK’s evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.” What in particular, then, was it that she felt that she learned from her master’s? “I developed many useful skills, including research, analytical, and presentation skills. I also found that I built on my skills to prioritise my work and to manage conflicting deadlines, which have been very useful in my current position.”

The benefit of doing a master’s degree over doing an undergraduate one, in Bethan’s opinion, was the increased level of attention that could be dedicated to things about which she was passionate: “My MA gave me the opportunity to look at issues in greater depth and there was more scope to tailor the options to my interests.”  To succeed in a master’s degree, she says, you must have “An interest in the world politics and the ability to undertake work independently.”

A degree in one of the various fields of international elations can open up a wide range of career paths for graduates. Like Bethan, you can pursue a career at an NGO, and of course there is the option of working in a governmental position. Her fellow graduates illustrate this massive range of career options perfectly. “People from my course have gone on to work in a wide range of fields,” she reflects, “from civil servant to journalist to risk analyst.”

Bethan concludes by offering potential graduate some valuable advice, emphasizing the importance to looking beyond graduation before signing up to a course: “I would recommend researching course options thoroughly before deciding on which course to study and to bear in mind what will aid your career development.” Bethan, of course, provides a textbook example of what you can do if you choose your graduate course well – which is to be able to do what you’ve always wanted to do.