- Name: Diane Tisdall
- Age: 26
- Current location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- Home town: Toronto, Canada
- Education: Masters in International Affairs
- Current position: Resource Development Manager, World Vision International
- Organization description: World Vision International was founded in 1950, and is active in over 90 countries. They began working in Mongolia in 1993, focusing their programs on healthy living, education, child protection and economic resilience.
- Bio: With a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, Diane Tisdall has worked in community development in the jungles of Argentina, worked on policy development for the G8 and G20 summits with Global Affairs Canada, and currently lives in Mongolia, expanding private sector support for World Vision’s programmes in the region.
- Countries I've worked in: Chile, Argentina, Canada, Mongolia
- Sector / subsectors: International Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Resource Management
- Areas of expertise: International Development Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Foreign Affairs.
- Country: Mongolia
- Region: Central Asia
- Sector: Business, International development
- Degree subject: International relations
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Who are you and what do you do?
Meet Diane Tisdall. She tells us about working for the largest NGO in Mongolia, and the goal of getting Mongolians to help other Mongolians.
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How did you get to where you are? Tell us about your career trajectory.
Diane tells us about her first field work experience in Rwanda, that made her realize she needed to go back to school.
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You mentioned feeling out of your depth in those first couple of field experiences. Can you tell us about the challenges?
Diane talks about putting in the time to build real relationships and connections in the countries you’re in.
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What is a typical day or week like for you?
Diane talks to us about her typical day, working with partners like the UN and MobiCom, Mongolia’s largest cell phone provider, to create projects that will better the lives of rural Mongolians.
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So why Mongolia? And how did you find your position?
Diane tells us how Mongolia came up on her radar and how LinkedIn helped her find her current role.
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What are some challenges you’ve faced working and living in Mongolia, in a cross-cultural environment?
Diane talks about challenges, including a slumping economy, language barriers in rural areas, and appreciating Ulaanbaatar.
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You mentioned a lot of your time is spent in Ulaanbaatar, but can you tell us about some of your experiences in the field?
Diane talks to us about going into the field, including monitoring polling stations during the national election, and how to buy milk in rural Mongolia.
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Are there misconceptions about what you do?
Diane tells us that using Google to image search Mongolia is definitely not an accurate picture of her lifestyle, and how she is getting opportunities in Mongolia that she may not have had back home.
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Do you have advice for getting your foot in the door in this sector?
Diane strongly encourages taking advantage of international youth internship programs through the Canadian government, or otherwise.
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You worked both with Global Affairs Canada and now World Vision Mongolia. Can you tell us more about those organizations, and different areas of their work?
Diane talks about the different areas within Global Affairs and World Vision, and gives insight on how they break down, from working in programming, or being the accountant.
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You completed a master's - did it help you? Are there other certifications you hope to pursue?
Diane tells us why she found her master's to be helpful, and other certifications and education she hopes to pursue.
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What abilities and qualities does someone need to succeed in this line of work?
From checking your biases to being able to have a laugh - Diane gives us her must-have qualities for succeeding internationally.
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You mentioned cold calling and reaching out to people on LinkedIn. Do you have tips when it comes to networking?
Diane talks about her techniques when it comes to finding cold contacts, and sending out emails, and why heading out to the that work event will be worth it, even if it’s just for the free cookie.
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What would you say to someone who was about to embark on an international experience?
It’s always worth it, even if you get bed bugs.
