I was hired as a consultant. At that time, I didn't have idea of the different types of contracts that the bank has. Basically, you will work as hard as the staff employees, but you will not have the same benefits and salaries. Consultants can work for a limited time and after that, if they do not get a staff position they need to return to their countries. I thought I could have a chance to get a staff position, but it is extremely hard. In many cases I saw that not the most qualify candidate was hired, the panel chose a person who had connections inside the bank.
I worked at the IDB for four years and I didn't have maternity leave. Once I asked the HR if I get pregnant, what should I do, and they replied to me that I need to use my vacations. Now the policy has changed, but there is some maternity leave but make sure that you have good health insurance because hospitals in the U.S. are very expensive. Moreover, daycare can cost $2000,00 per month.
Staff employees have sick and personal days. On the other hand, consultants do not have those benefits too. It is ridiculous that an organization that says that is improving lives in the LAC region does not care about their own employees. I felt like a white slave and stayed there because I needed the visa. This horrible experience made me feel anxious and with health problems. I was not the only one, many colleagues suffered that too.
If you receive a job offer as a consultant, please compare it to staff salaries. A table can be found in the annual report (google IDB Annual report, I cannot add links here). The living costs in DC area are expensive so don’t come with your family to make ends meet. I would only recommend it for a single person at the beginning of the career to add an international experience to the resume.
