In this course you will deepen your understanding of your country of destination. You will better comprehend different perspectives and will be able to act more effectively and successfully in the context of social and cultural differences.

You prepare yourself for your work and personal life in your partner country using a country-specific selection of topics and focal areas while taking into account your interests and previous experience.

• You look at and reflect the framework conditions, backgrounds, structures, and processes in your country of destination –social, economic, environmental, (development) political, (inter)cultural, and historical circumstances.
• You learn more about important stakeholders, the social groups, and the organisations in the country (societal/ethnic groups, political interest groups, relevant NGOs, etc) and will practice communication and behavioural patterns in your working and everyday life contexts.
• You prepare yourself for dealing with conflicts, violence, and fragility as well as special situations such as crisis and threat scenarios, and for dealing with minorities, gender aspects and role expectations for international experts.
• You identify possible areas of tension between the cultural, social, and political circumstances in your mission country and your own professional and personal goals
• Methods: various interactive methods such as learning conversations, media inputs, case studies; individual and practice-oriented work in small groups; integrated self-learning sessions for deeper immersion

Our trainer pool consists of country experts with personal living and working experience in more than 130 mission countries.

This offer is part of the BMZ-financed preparation for assignments abroad. The content is not specific to GIZ.​

After completing the course, you have the option of further practical counselling with your trainer.

We recommend combining this course with the course “Dealing with complexity and diversity in the international context".