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Working life at Oxfam

Working for Oxfam will open up the world to you and enrich your career in a way that no other poverty charity can do. Here are some of the kinds of people you might meet, and a taste of life working at Oxfam.


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In their own words

Seeing people learn from your experience, or sharing a joke, even a glint in the eye, an honest smile and a feeling that what we do really makes a difference: this is the best thing about this job.


Jonathan, Bangladesh

Every job at Oxfam is a responsible one. I am proud to say that my years here have been among the most rewarding of my career.

Barbara (Former Chief Executive)

I work in a team of about 18 and we all get on really well inside and outside of work. I'm more than aware of how rare that is in a workplace. The upshot is I don't feel like work is a chore at all, even when projects get tough.


Mike, Oxford

Whether you're a member of staff, a volunteer, or an intern, something fuels your dedication to the Oxfam cause. We all get out of bed, occasionally pull our hair out, and run around stairwells and disaster zones for our fellow humankind.


Beth, Oxford

In pictures: Life at Oxfam

Photo 1/10 photo by: AFP

Oxfam campaigner 'Push' questions David Cameron at Oxfam headquarters in Oxford. The questions – on how Cameron would tackle global poverty – came from staff and supporters.

  • Oxfam campaigner 'Push' questions David Cameron at Oxfam headquarters in Oxford. The questions – on how Cameron would tackle global poverty – came from staff and supporters.
  • Chris, Oxfam youth team member and campaigner, talks to festival-goers at Glastonbury about the issues Oxfam works on. Oxfam staff and volunteers head to Glastonbury every year to campaign and steward – and each year we send more than 5,000 people to help out at festivals.
  • Sri Lanka: Oxfam chartered trucks deliver life-saving equipment to families in camps following the Asian tsunami. Many local staff were personally affected by the tsunami – some lost their homes – but, having found shelter for their families, they came to work.
  • Jamie sorts books at an Eastbourne Oxfam shop. "You get a really interesting mix of people coming in: fashionable women wanting bargains, rugby boys wanting dresses! I meet some really great people."
  • Staff on a team-building day begin to piece together a water tank at Oxfam's emergency warehouse at Bicester, near Oxford.
  • Thamina and Una sort goods in one of Oxfam's 750 shops. Working in our shops you'll help generate more than £76m every year to fight poverty and suffering.
  • Noni, Oxfam livelihoods officer, shows a colleague sanitation information on an Oxfam noticeboard in Indonesia, as part of a plan to supply water to a village nearby.
  • Islamabad: Marie, Oxfam Air Operations Manager, supervises the lift off of a helicopter chartered by Oxfam. Each morning during our Pakistan earthquake response in 2005, Oxfam loaded the helicopter with relief cargo to deliver to mountainous areas.

Life in the field

Jenny's story

"Keep with it - you will get there if you have 100% passion to work in the humanitarian sector!"

Blessing's story

Blessing gives some advice and talks about his career path to becoming a Humanitarian Support Person with Oxfam.

What others say about Oxfam


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