The work of a conference interpreter is really team work. Several actors and means come into play:
The team of interpreters is there to ensure professional and efficient communication in compliance with the Code of Ethics. The contract links the conference interpreter to the other elements in the chain. All the necessary information about the conference and working conditions are set in it. It is an indispensable tool.
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The exercise of the profession does not follow a linear course, or advance in stages. It really does not make much sense to talk about a career in conference interpretation. There is no hierarchical progression as is the case in public service or in academic life. What we do have are market spheres and decisions made at road forks along the way. One of your options could be joining an international organisation (the UN family or the European Union, for example) forever or for a few years. This option will afford you a lot of mileage in a short time, but may leave you with a certain frustration and the feeling you are in a rut after a few years.

There are several options ahead of you	How do you penetrate each of these markets?	Later, another option could be to become a consultant interpreter
The four we list below are the most common spheres. The idea is to find your way into the work market, and to make it simple: · Private national market · Private international market · Institutional international market · A mix of all of the above.			Work in circles, making them broader every time. Ex: · Your training must have opened doors. Explore those contacts · Most probably the professionals in your region will have organized themselves (associations, unions, etc) Explore those contacts · There are agencies/organisations that use interpreters (research and explore those contacts) · International organisations that have your language combination will most certainly have a recruitment department.			To become a consultant interpreter one needs sense and sensibility. It calls for rapid response, a quick mind, business ethics but can do without improvisation. Organising teams, submitting quotes, recruiting, etc. implies a profound knowledge of the several facets of the organisation of events (contractual, technical, ethical, etc). Useful links: /en/asso/texts/consultant_interpreters.htm /ViewIssues.cfm?Issue_id=21&Collapse=yes /ViewIssues.cfm?Issue_id=21&Collapse=yes /ViewIssues.cfm?Issue_id=21&Collapse=yes
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