Since its inception, the United Nations has provided the world with some solutions that have made the world better in diverse ways. One of these solutions is the availability of internship opportunities. These opportunities are available to all individuals provided that you meet the requirements. These internship opportunities are provided every year and several people have engaged in such opportunities all over the world.
The main aim of the United Nations internship is to provide a first-hand idea of the day-to-day activities that go on within the United Nations and also United Nations Internships will provide certificates for all interns.
Every individual who makes it as a United Nations intern is given a real chance to work with the staff of the United Nations as these individuals will be part of the United Nations team.
They will work directly with outstanding and inspiring career professionals as well as senior management. Individuals who become United Nations interns will also be given the opportunity to attend high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and also contribute to the United Nations analytical work.
Before you proceed to apply as an intern at the United Nations, you should note these down;
The duration of the internship program is between two months and six months. All selected individuals are required to begin their internship either prior to or within one year of graduation.
You should also bear in mind that being a United Nations intern does not come with a salary. All costs regarding travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses must be catered by either the intern or their sponsoring institutions.
Additionally, the intern is fully responsible for obtaining and financing the necessary visas.
Travelling to where you will work as an intern comes at your own cost.
In case you become ill or have an accident during the internship period, you will be responsible for all costs incurred during the internship and must show proof of valid major global medical insurance coverage.
Since the United Nations is not just a common entity, confidentiality is held in high esteem. The intern is required to be very discreet and also he or she is required to keep confidential any and all unpublished information obtained during the course of the internship. He or she may not publish any documents based on such information.
One advantage of the internship at the United Nations is that the intern may get academic credit from his or her institution of higher education for the internship and the applicant must check with his or her university to confirm their academic credit policy for internships.
Also, females are highly encouraged to apply for internship opportunities.
The United Nations charges no fee at any stage of the recruitment process and also the United Nations does not take bank account information from applicants.
The United Nations uses a competency-based interview process during its application process. During this interview, the applicant is asked about his or her past behavior and experience as this is perceived as the best indicator of future performance. More about this competency-based interview process can be accessed through the URL https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI&lang=en-US.
There is a seven-step application process that any individual who is interested in working with the United Nations must know. These steps are;
Searching for job openings
Creating a profile and preparing an application
Submitting a job application
Evaluation of the application
Assessment exercise
Competency-based interview
Selection notification. At this stage, the applicant is notified and if you do not receive any notification after submitting your application, then it was not successful.
To know more about the above mentioned processes, visit the URL https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AP&lang=en-US.
Who is qualified to be an intern at the United Nations?
The United Nations internship opportunity is open to everyone in the world although the applicant must be fluent in English or French or both. However, there are exceptional cases where some applicants get the opportunity to work as an intern at the United Nations without fulfilling all the requirements. Aside from the requirements above, the applicant must fulfill the following;
The applicant must possess excellent communication skills
The applicant must be exposed to some of the world’s recent technologies
The applicant must be highly professional
The applicant must be good at planning and organizing.
The applicant must possess the right educational qualification. He or she must be enrolled in a Master’s or in a Ph.D. program, or in the final year of a Bachelor’s program; or within one year after graduation from a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. program.
Additionally, the applicant must not be a child or a sibling of a United Nations Secretariat staff member.
What to do before you apply
Before applying for the internship opportunity at the United Nations, the applicant must do and have the following;
Create an account. The account creation is a simple process and you can do that through the URL https://inspira.un.org/psc/REGISTER/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_HM_REG&languageCd=ENG. Once you register, you will be required to log in and complete your profile.
After filling in your profile with your details, you must proceed to search for the internship and apply for it.
Before submitting an application, the United Nations recommends that the applicant ensures his or her details are well-presented.
Internship opportunities are country-specific and below are some of these opportunities;
New York, UNITED STATES (URL: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=IP&lang=en-US)
Geneva, SWITZERLAND (URL: http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006AC19C/(httpPages)/BE8ACD4E8CD424F2C1257CE60042D970?OpenDocument)
Vienna, AUSTRIA (URL: http://www.unvienna.org/unov/en/job_internship.html)
Nairobi, KENYA (URL: http://www.unon.org/content/internship-programme)
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA (URL: http://www.uneca.org/pages/opportunities)
Bangkok, THAILAND (URL: http://www.unescap.org/jobs/internships/)
Beirut, LEBANON (URL: https://www.unescwa.org/work-us/vacancies/internship-programme)
Santiago, CHILE (URL: http://www.eclac.org/cgi-bin/getProd.asp?xml=/noticias/vacantes/default.xml&xsl=/acerca/opor-tra-i.xsl&base=/tpl-i/top-bottom.xsl)
You can also explore other internship opportunities through the URL https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=SJ&vacancy=All&lang=en-US. You can find the specific application deadlines via the listed URLs as there are different deadlines for all the jobs.
If you are interested in internships with other United Nations funds and programs, you can apply with them directly and this can be done via the following links;
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (URL: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/jobs/types-of-opportunities/internships.html)
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (URL: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_internship.html)
United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) (URL: http://www.unfpa.org/jobs/unfpa-internship-programme)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) (URL: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Internships-and-volunteering.aspx)
United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) (URL: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c49d.html)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (URL: http://www.unep.org/vacancies/)