How to get paid internships in the U.N.?

Are you interested in starting a career in International Development, maybe with the United Nations?

From my experience one way to start a career in international organizations such as the UN is through an internship.

There are quite a lot of UN organizations that offer internships opportunities especially in summertime.

Why is an internship in an international organization of such great value?

• it’s a great experience

• a good chance to get your foot in the organization and potentially longer term a job

• huge advantage to have a UN reference on your CV which may help you to get a job in another organization

• an opportunity for you to discover new parts of the world, new cultures and people.

But are those internships paid and/or do they come with some social benefits?

In light of the increased criticism for the UN’s unfair internship policy over the last few years, some United Nations organizations and agencies have finally adjusted their policies related to interns. Unfortunately, still until today some prestigious UN institution continue to benefit from thousands of unpaid interns who, after having passed a demanding set of criteria, work full-time for up to six months without having any basic costs covered. Sadly, this also resulted in missing out on qualified and interested students and early-career professionals who simply cannot afford to work for free and seek work experience in other organizations.

However, luckily there are several UN agencies that pay for internships and award compensations e.g. some offer contributions towards their living costs.

We listed some of the top 5 paid internships at the United Nations systems:

• UNICEF

• UNSSC

• UNOPS

• UNAOC

Some internships like for example this CTBTO Intern vacancy here https://career2.successfactors.eu/career?company=ctbtoprepa&career_job_req_id=405&career_ns=job_listing&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH may have certain qualification’s for applicants such as candidates for an internship must be at least 18 years of age and no more than 35 years old and/or criteria’s related to the field of studies e.g. “the applicant must have completed at least two years of full-time study that will lead to the award of a degree in scientific, engineering or technical field.”

Download UCC’s application guide or reach out to us if you need further support for your application https://unitedcareercoalition.org/how-to-work-in-the-un

In our next blog post we will share more information on what degree/diploma/certification you should study to work at the UN.