[angie101]

HI,

I have a question. I am a senior in high school, and I am trying to make plans on what to go into in college. I want to deal with international adoption.

Could anyone tell me what I would need to major in. And what careers are out there for me?

My dream is to open an international adoption agency, but I do want to travel to other countries to help with adoption and in orphanages?

Does anyone have any ideas?

Any help would be very appreciated.
Thanks
Angie

[sak9645]

The biggest need that most adoption agencies have at this time is for social workers. These are the people who conduct homestudies and counsel all members of the adoption triad (children, birthparents, and adoptive families). Some social workers wind up running agencies. Go to the website of the National Association of Social Workers to learn more about the social work profession. People can obtain bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in social work.

Many adoption agencies are not run by social workers. A common credential for an agency head is a law degree. A law degree is useful in the adoption field, because it is important for agencies to comply with state, federal, and foreign country laws. It is also useful because, alas, adoption agencies sometimes get sued. A lawyer can help an agency develop policies and procedures that will be fair and ethical, and that will protect it in a lawsuit. To become a lawyer, you will need to attend law school after you finish college.

Unless your state requires a specific degree for agency heads, you can often run an agency without being a lawyer or social worker. However, to do a good job at it, you should have an excellent background in non-profit management. You should understand such things as marketing, financial management, personnel policies and management, public relations, government relations, and so on.

Some people who run or work in adoption agencies come to their position because of familiarity with a particular country. As an example, they may be involved with an agency's Russia program because they are native speakers of Russian, have worked in Russian orphanages, can advocate well with the Ministry of Education and others in Russia, and so on.

Large agencies may have need of accountants, public relations experts, fundraisers, and specialists in other areas, including government relations.

Unfortunately, one thing you will find is that, without some very specific skills, such as those I mentioned above, you will find it rather hard to get a professional position in an adoption agency nowadays. You will be able to work solely as support staff or as a volunteer. Most agencies run very "lean" operations, because they simply do not have enough money to hire professionals. Simply loving children and believing in adoption will not be enough.

Sharon