The first of four posts based on alternative careers talks at the Source Event 2008.

‘Should I go into industry?’, ‘Maybe I could try publishing?’, ‘what about teaching?’…there are plenty of ‘alternative’ careers out there for those who want a change from academia. Zonya Jeffrey did something at the extreme end of the alternative scale: gave up a comfortable lab job in London to work in a Tanzanian hospital.

Zonya, who opened the afternoon sessions at the London Source Event last week, gained an MSc in medical microbiology and worked for some time as a microbiologist at Hemel Hempstead Hospital and HCA Laboratories. But she needed a break from the routine and decided to take two years away from an orthodox career path.

She enrolled with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), a charity with 50 years experience in matching up people-with-skills to places-that-need-them in the developing world. The place-that-needed-her was Tanzania, which has a relatively stable economy and government (the miles of sandy beaches were also big factor, she admitted).

After a brief course on the culture of Tanzania, she took up a two year placement at the St Francis Hospital in Ifakara working as a laboratory technologist. Tanzania, like much of equatorial Africa, endures a significant burden of malaria and HIV/AIDS. Much of her time was spent training staff in diagnosis techniques for these diseases, but she also worked with the local population on basic precautions such as putting up mosquito nets and not leaving puddles of stagnant water close to housing.

The placement was an ‘immensely rewarding’ experience. She was always made to feel welcome and felt safe and secure throughout her time in Tanzania, and most people spoke English to a good level. There were challenges, however. Adjusting to the slower pace of life took a little patience, and she received innumerable pleas for money from the locals. And in the hospital it took time for staff to adopt new methods. The key realisation for Zonya was that she had to fit in with them, and not the other way around.

While clearly not for everyone, volunteering overseas in this way might be easier than you’d think. VSO pay for the flights, accommodation and other expenses. They also offer return-to-work coaching, a small grant and pension repayment upon return to the UK. Some volunteers take family overseas with them, and keep up mortgage payments by renting out their property. The experience can also look good on the CV; Zonya has experienced no difficulties convincing potential employers that an overseas placement is time well spent, and soon got a job working as a microbiologist in a Manchester hospital.

If you’d like to know more about volunteering as a scientist in the developing world, leave questions in the comments and I’ll see if Zonya will answer them.