Internship Programme null

About United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations.

Your role

The objective of the internship is to give you a first-hand impression of the day-to-day working environment of the United Nations. You will be given a real chance to work with the UN's people. As part of the UN's team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring career professionals and senior management, you will be exposed to high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and contribute to analytical work as well as organizational policy of the United Nations. Initially, you will take on the amount of responsibility you can shoulder; the growth potential, however, is yours to develop growth potential.

Training, development & rotations

• For developing countries and donors, it represents another form of development aid through the United Nations System. It also provides vast opportunities for on-the-job training in multilateral capacity building for young graduates and enables donors to contribute multilateral capacity development personnel to developing countries where they have no official representation. It can as well support specific goals in promoting and advancing priority areas in priority countries;

• For the United Nations Secretariat and the other Programmes/Funds involved, the JPO Programme represents a significant opportunity for mobilizing additional capacity development resources from some donors. It serves to increase capacity development professional staffing capacity and gives immediate access to human resources with recognized talent, up-to-date general or specialized knowledge and academic credentials. It also allows the agencies to discharge more effectively their increased and complex responsibilities;

• For the JPOs themselves, it offers possibilities for participation in the capacity development activities of the United Nations system as well as, in most cases, immediate exposure to the development processes and interaction in developing countries. It enables them to obtain work experience in the international sphere and offers opportunities for an international career.

Salary & benefits

As a graduate, you can expect £2,500 per annum, depending on the business area you join.

Holidays and leave

Depending on your type of contract, you will be entitled to 18 days to 30 days of vacation per year. In addition, the United Nations also observes 10 paid holidays per year; these differ from duty station to duty station.

You might also be eligible for home leave travel to renew your social, cultural and family ties in your home country; frequency depends on the duty station you are assigned to.

Health insurance

You will be eligible to participate in one of the United Nations-sponsored medical insurance plans. The monthly premiums are co-shared by you and the Organization.

Retirement pension

If you have an appointment of six months or more or complete six months of service without interruption you become a participant in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. A compulsory contribution will be deducted from your monthly salary.

Career progression

The number of sponsored positions varies from year to year and by the donor country. Initially, JPOs are granted a one-year appointment which may be extended, with the agreement of the donor country, and based on a good performance. There is no expectation of being selected for a regular staff position; JPOs may apply for such positions as any other external candidate and go through the regular competitive selection process of the UN.

Work-life balance

Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA) have become part of the modern workplace. They are being globally recognized and adopted by organizations as a tool to increase productivity and to better balance the professional and personal lives of their staff. 

The United Nations strongly encourages staff to use FWA in the Secretariat. Member States have specifically requested the Secretary-General to report on efforts to “enhance the understanding and implementation of the principles of work-life balance and a flexible workforce across the Secretariat.” (GA resolutions 65/247 and 67/255)

Culture & vibe

The transformative power of culture for social inclusion, resilience and sustainable development is increasingly recognized as a key enabler for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marked a major turning point in global efforts to address development challenges and opportunities, as the local authorities and communities take an increasingly important role in this global momentum alongside international and national actors and other relevant stakeholders. Culture is also an essential component of human development, representing a source of identity, innovation and creativity for all, it provides sustainable solutions to local and global challenges.

About you

• You are enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).), or you are enrolled in or have completed, a graduate school programme second university degree or equivalent, or higher)
• You have an excellent command of English or French
• You are neither a child nor a sibling of a United Nations Secretariat staff member

How to apply

1. Searching for job openings

You can look for job openings at the United Nations using the search engine on this website. Most job openings are designed for a specific position in a particular office and duty station (position-specific job openings. There are also generic job openings, which are used to create rosters, i.e., pools of candidates available for immediate selection across the Organization, and Recruit from Roster job openings which are only open to candidates who have already been rostered. The application process is the same for all job opening types. See the Special Notice of the job opening to identify those job openings. You can learn more about rosters in the section below, "Understanding Roster Management".

2. Creating a profile and preparing an application

To prepare an application, you must first register on this website (click here to register). After you have registered you will be welcomed to your Applications Home page, which is where you will fill out and manage your profile, application form and all information relating to your application(s). First, you should create a user profile (My Profile). The information in My Profile includes your name, nationality, contact information and marital status. You can make changes, such as updating your phone number or family status, to My Profile at any time and the information is automatically updated on all job applications you have already submitted.

3. Submitting a job application

If you want to apply for a specific job after you have filled out your application, click Add job to the application. You will have to answer a set of questions based on the job requirements which will allow you to demonstrate relevant experiences, highlight skills and knowledge, describe related published work, acquired licenses, certifications, and training.

After the job application is complete, you can submit your application by clicking Submit.

The United Nations does not accept a resume as an attached document and it is neither considered a substitute nor a complementary document to a completed online application. If any additional information or documentation is required, you will be requested to submit it during the application process.

If you have submitted your job application successfully, you will promptly receive an automated acknowledgment by e-mail. Also, note that once an application has been submitted it cannot be changed for that specific job opening.

4. Evaluation of the application

Your application is evaluated in terms of required and desirable evaluation criteria, e.g., experience, education, and languages. They can be identified in related parts of the job opening of the position you applied to as well as through the Job Requirements questions at the time of your application. You will be invited to participate in assessment exercises and/or a competency-based interview only if it is determined that you meet all the required evaluation criteria and any additional desirable criteria that the hiring manager decides to apply for the screening.

If it is determined that you are not eligible, or only meet some or none of the required or applied evaluation criteria for a particular job, you will be informed, at the appropriate time, that your application was unsuccessful for this job. In this case, you should not be discouraged but apply for other jobs for which you feel you are qualified.

5. Assessment exercise

The assessment exercises might include a written exam, simulation exercise, case study, or another appropriate evaluation mechanism. You will be informed in advance of the time, type, and length of the assessment. f, based on the result of the assessment, you are short-listed for a competency-based interview, and you will be informed accordingly.

If you are not short-listed for the competency-based interview, you will be so informed at the appropriate time. Please note, however, that the type and frequency of correspondence with individual candidates may vary throughout the application process.

6. Competency-based interview

The competency-based interview may take place either via telephone, video conference or in person. You will be notified in advance of the time, duration and means and/or place of the interview. During the interview, UN learns more about your combination of skills, attributes and behaviours that are directly related to your successful performance on the job. Read more about the interview in the section "At your interview".

Sources

The following sources were used in researching this page:

• https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salary/United-Nations-London-Salaries-EI_IE21435.0,14_IL.15,21_IM1035.htm