At some point in their academic or professional careers, those with a strong moral compass, a desire for international humanitarianism and an optimistic hope for peaceful coexistence have at least once considered joining the United Nations. Unfortunately, that thought process usually ends at the “consideration” point, because most people aren’t sure of where to begin to even get a foot in the door at the UN. Not even the UN’s own website makes it entirely clear what all is available to you. We have compiled a list of options to get involved.
There are a few basic requirements to getting into the UN, so before you begin looking at specific opportunities, it is important that you have the following: a command of at least one working language, which includes English and French; an advanced degree from a university; ideally prior work experience; and professional experience depending on the level at which you hope to enter. It doesn’t hurt to know another language outside of the core UN languages, but that isn’t a requirement for most of the available jobs. If you’ve ticked off these boxes, you can begin to explore more specific opportunities within the UN.
UN Internship Programme
The Internship Programme has the lowest level of entry
requirements to join. There are more than 4,000 interns in New York alone. To
become a part of this programme, you need a master’s degree or Ph. D., but you
may also qualify in some instances if you are in your last year of a bachelor’s
programme. In most cases, your internship will last between two and six months.
While you don’t get reimbursed for expenses and paid a salary as an
intern in most cases, we only recommend to apply for the paid internships.
There are groups working to change this to help get internships better pay, both
in the United Nations and beyond. In some cases, you will find autonomous
programmes within the UN that pay their interns. Furthermore, there are
different national internship programmes that are funded by national
governments that will help the intern receive pay for their time.
UN Volunteer Programme
There are more than 7,700 volunteers across 86 countries
involved in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations as well as assisting in
international development projects, and many of these projects come from
various developing countries.
The programme allows you to gain knowledge that can be
transferred to work in other similar fields. It is important to note that the
UN makes clear that any potential volunteers have a better chance of being
accepted into the programme if they have diverse technical and professional
backgrounds, and there are certain backgrounds and areas of expertise where
volunteers are requested more often. Those who apply for and become volunteers
within the United Nations should be prepared to be sent off to various regions
of the world, and the ability to adapt to fast-changing working and living
circumstances is a necessary skill.
Short-term contracts lasting a few months and long-term
assignments that extend past 12 months are available as a volunteer. Those
volunteering must be at least 25 years old in order to get financial support,
an annual leave, a volunteer living allowance and basic insurance.
Junior Professional Officer Programme
More competitive than the intern and volunteer programmes,
the JPO position is sponsored by local governments and is available if your
government offers this opportunity. Positions within these programmes are more
competitive in nature than the other two choices previously mentioned, and the
participants are assigned to one of the country offices that play a role in
assisting developing countries.
Junior Professional Officer positions are each funded by the
officers’ national governments, and those who successfully apply and are
accepted will be given a fixed-term contract that will often be renewed for an
additional year-long contract at the end if the performance of the officer is
deemed satisfactory. There are certain governments that even offer assignments
for as long as four years, and the pay that you will receive will align with
those who are in entry-level positions within the United Nations.
JPOs are normally offered one-year contracts that can be
renewed for those who are younger than 32 years of age and have a master’s
degree or an equivalent degree in a discipline that is related to development.
A minimum of two years’ experience working as a paid professional in a relative
field is also required, especially if that experience comes from working in a
developing country. Written and spoken proficiency in one of the three official
working languages
of the UN, including French, Spanish or English, is often required. Soft
skills like strategic, critical thinking and a commitment to the work of
development and human rights are a plus.
Young Professionals Programme
Through the YPP, young professionals can begin a career
serving as a civil servant on an international level. The position requires an
entrance exam and follows up with professional development programmes once
successful applicants have begun their work at the United Nations. The
programme also has the highest level of skills required to join the field.
In order to begin your path toward becoming a Young
Professional within the UN, you need to make sure that your country is
currently participating in the annual recruitment exercise, because
participants change from year to year. Once you have confirmed this, you will
need to carefully review the different job openings that are available for the
exam area that you have an interest in. You can find these job openings listed
on the YPP website.
Finally, you can begin to apply to the job opening of your
choice through the online application portal known as Inspira. If you are
successful applying, you will receive a notification that states you have been
invited to take the exam to hopefully advance into the position within the United
Nations that you have applied for.
The Young Professionals Programme is similar to the Junior Professionals Officer Programme in that applicants must be younger than 32 years old. Candidates must also have at the very least a first-level degree from a university in a field that has relevancy to one of the exam areas. These areas include Public Information, Finance, Administration, Statistics, Legal Affairs and Social Affairs. You must also be fluent in either French or English.