James Morris, intern for the Director at UNRIC in Brussels
Part 2—the Inside Word
My last article gave you the basics about getting jobs in the UN system. This one comes from an insider with advice I've heard and collected about starting your professional UN career. You won't find any verifiable, official UN information – you can find that information online easily – so there are no guarantees, but hopefully this will give you some tips that aren’t so easy to come by.
We're all interns and many of us are probably hoping that this will open the doors to the world of the UN. And it does. A major part of getting into the system is knowing the system, and a UN internship will at least give you a head start. Moreover, knowing people on the inside means that you're likely to have people who can; 1. let you know where (which agency, duty station) you've got a good chance at finding something, 2. put you in touch with someone who might be able to help you out (networking), and 3. give you a reference from within the system.
Sometimes short and fixed-term contracts are possible for intern-level people: like an internship but paid. It seems that only some agencies practice this, but if you've got a contact at the agency, ask them about this possibility. In many cases it can lead to subsequent short contracts, if not something slightly more long-term.
UNV, the UN volunteers programme is another option, but one where you're going to have to have some good experience behind you already. Many of these positions require you to have about 5 years of professional experience in a certain field. Keep this in mind if you aren't already at that stage and/or apply anyway as you never know your luck!
In the meantime, keep applying, complete the National Competitive Recruitment Exams (NCRE) if you're eligible, keep your knowledge up-to-date including advancing your university studies and maybe consider learning another official UN language. ■
Part 2—the Inside Word
My last article gave you the basics about getting jobs in the UN system. This one comes from an insider with advice I've heard and collected about starting your professional UN career. You won't find any verifiable, official UN information – you can find that information online easily – so there are no guarantees, but hopefully this will give you some tips that aren’t so easy to come by.
We're all interns and many of us are probably hoping that this will open the doors to the world of the UN. And it does. A major part of getting into the system is knowing the system, and a UN internship will at least give you a head start. Moreover, knowing people on the inside means that you're likely to have people who can; 1. let you know where (which agency, duty station) you've got a good chance at finding something, 2. put you in touch with someone who might be able to help you out (networking), and 3. give you a reference from within the system.
The 8 UN headquarters duty stations are New York HQ (NYHQ), Geneva (UNOG), Vienna (UNOV), Nairobi (UNON), Bangkok (ESCAP), Addis Ababa (ECA), Santiago de Chile (ECLAC) and Beirut (ECSCWA).
Sometimes short and fixed-term contracts are possible for intern-level people: like an internship but paid. It seems that only some agencies practice this, but if you've got a contact at the agency, ask them about this possibility. In many cases it can lead to subsequent short contracts, if not something slightly more long-term.
UNV, the UN volunteers programme is another option, but one where you're going to have to have some good experience behind you already. Many of these positions require you to have about 5 years of professional experience in a certain field. Keep this in mind if you aren't already at that stage and/or apply anyway as you never know your luck!
NCRE applicants must (a) be a national of any of the participating Member States; (b) not be more than 32 years old by the end of the exam year; (c) hold at least a first-level university degree relevant to one of the offered occupational groups; and (d) be fluent in either English or French.
In the meantime, keep applying, complete the National Competitive Recruitment Exams (NCRE) if you're eligible, keep your knowledge up-to-date including advancing your university studies and maybe consider learning another official UN language. ■
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