8 ways to start a UN job
Where should you begin your career search to finding a UN job?
Top tips shared by a UN insider
There is not simply one single route to finding a UN role there are many, this post will share the possible routes to a job in the UN.
So lets start with the type of roles you can apply for to begin your UN career journey:
Regular Staff at the UN
Temporary Staff
Young Professional Programmes often referred to as UN YPP
Language based roles requiring an assessment
Volunteering
Internships
Junior professional officer programme (formerly the associate expert programme)
Consultants
There is also one last route which is commonly over looked which is project or programme based work through an external management consultancy such as Deloitte but this may require you to have some specialist background knowledge on your field so is not a route for an entry candidate.
1. Regular Staff at the UN
The main headquarters of the UN houses the regular staff of the UN and the following role grades.
Senior positions (these are referred to as SG, DSG, USG)
Professionals and directors (these categories are referred to as P & D)
Administrative Officers (referred to as G, General Service)
Local Officers (National Officers)
Employees "in the field" (Field Service)
These roles typically require at least 3 years of experience in a relevant field, post graduate studies such as Masters and additional languages will also stand you in good stead for these categories of role. However for those looking at entry-level positions or with less experience the best roles to look for to get your foot in the door are the local officers and administrative officer roles, as with any UN role there is a lot of competition so tailor your application.
2. Temporary Staff
These roles provide an opportunity to find a vacancy in the UN for candidates looking for a career move but perhaps not yet ready to take the leap to a permanent role or possibly looking to find a stepping stone to build a UN career. These roles are targeted to those with experience and range in their contract length from as little as 3 months to a year.
3. Young Professional Programmes often referred to as UN YPP
Every year the UN opens up recruitment to the next generation of young talented individuals and it requires a lengthy application and selection process with the end goal of being offered a professional category position at level P-1 or P-2. A common route into the UN for many however a special piece of guidance here is the programme is to cater for candidates in countries where there is little representation in the UN. It is also worth noting this is again very competitive with limited spaces diminishing every year. If you feel you fit this criteria start by reviewing the UNYPP site.
4. Language based roles requiring an assessment
Are you a translator or editor? Then you are best placed for this route in to start your UN career. The UN runs a programme for translators and editors with to build its interpreter skillbase. The key here is to know the UN official languages and be skilled in at least 3 of them to high proficiency.
The Official UN languages are English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic but those with German may also benefit given the UN has headquarters in Vienna, Austria and also Geneva Switzerland.
All candidates go through standard recruitment consisting of:
Application
Written test
Oral test
If you succeed you will be placed on the UN roster, think of the roster as a gateway to allow you to apply for professional posts around the globe working for the UN. Top tip here, if you are serious to simply secure a chance to work for the UN, then look beyond the typical UN headquarters of NYC, Vienna & Geneva as these are the most popular.
5. Volunteering
Volunteering at the UN comes in 2 forms:
UN Youth Volunteer programme (open to candidates aged 18 - 29 years of age)
No specific work experience or postgraduate diploma is required for this programme. The individual volunteer posts may have specific sets of preferred skills so adapt your application to the post you find.
UN Volunteers (open to candidates aged 25 years of age and above)
You will require a postgraduate diploma and at least 2 years of experience with language proficiency in English, French or Spanish
Please note volunteers do receive a monthly fee (not a salary) to cover daily expenses such as accommodation, food and transport
As with most volunteer programmes the opportunities are likely to be higher in areas with high demand for support such as South Sudan or countries in need of support for relief efforts.
For more information visit the UN volunteer site
6. Internships
Are you in higher education looking to build your experience or simply keen to try your hand in the UN?
The UN offers a unique opportunity to apply yourself to many different job types in UN locations across the globe including the headquarters located in Nairobi, New York, Vienna and Geneva.
The key thing to note though is for those not able to support themselves financially all internships are not paid. Also unlike many other industries, where an internship is a building block to a possible role when you finish, the UN organization you intern with are not permitted to offer you a role after the internship.
See this opportunity as a way to begin your UN network and find from the inside which role you aspire to so you can build your skills and apply to the right future role. See more on the UN official site
7. Junior professional officer programme (JPO is formerly known as the Associate Expert programme)
The UN JPO is suitable for those skilled graduates seeking to apply their skills in the UN after finishing University and having already gained significant experience (2 years minimum). The programme is centred on those that have studied in the following fields:
Political science
Social science
Law
Human Rights
Programme Management
Public Administration
Economic Affairs
Environmental Affairs
Gender Affairs
For more information visit the UN JPO page
8. Consultants
Do you have specialist skills? Be those in Information Technology, Design, Social Affairs or perhaps medicine, then the consultant role is perhaps the best route for you. See the UN official Consultant page for more details on the most recent consultant jobs available.
Get in touch to see how we can help you with your UN career search or join our next Challenge event to network with those already working at the UN and other international development roles.