How to Apply for United Nations Internship

Undergoing the United Nations Internship will allow you to enter the world of diplomacy and public policy. The United Nations Internship Program is an Undergraduate and graduate Internship for those who want to be given a real chance to work with numerous people. The Internship program suits undergraduate and graduate students who seek input by valuing others’ ideas and expertise. Additionally, it’s open to students who are willing to learn from others.

Overview of United Nations Internship

United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental institution established on 24th October 1945. The organization aims to monitor elections, disarm child soldiers, relieve humanitarian crises, and provide administrative and logistical support. UN is proud of offering solutions to complex problems, such as ending conflict and alleviating poverty, combating climate change, and defending human rights everywhere.

As part of its dream to solve complex problems, the organization created the United Nations Internship Program for undergraduate students and graduates. The United Nations Internship program will allow you to be exposed to high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and contribute to the United Nations analytical work and organizational policy.

The internship is unpaid, and you’ll have to cover the cost of travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses. With this internship, you can demonstrate openness in sharing information and informing people. After getting into the United Nations Internship, working collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals would be best. The two months with an opportunity for an extension of up to six months of experience will help you to learn to listen to people, correctly interprets messages from others, and responds appropriately.

Benefits of United Nations Internship

The United Nations Internship Program offers a range of perks for successful candidates that meet its requirements, which include:

Use the opportunity to know how to establish and maintain productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect.
Access to continuous learning that will encourage you to know about the latest trends in your respective areas of expertise.
It’s a chance to look for innovative solutions to solve problems and to improve the lives of those in need.
It’ll allow you to work in multicultural teams with people from all backgrounds and cultures. They have comprehensive perspectives, experiences, expectations, and approaches.
Lastly, it’ll help you to organize, implement and evaluate each event.

In case you need more benefits of internships, we have a good article here about how to apply for the United Nations Foundation Internship.

Requirements for United Nations Internship

Candidates interested in United Nations Internship 2023 should satisfy the eligibility criteria to make the application successful. Most importantly, applicants should be ready to share praises for team accomplishments and accept joint responsibility for team failures before applying. To become United Nations Intern, you should fulfill the following requirements:

Must be pursuing a first-degree major in a reputable institution or have graduated with a university degree.
Must be able to monitor current developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep updated and anticipate problems.
You must establish and maintain productive client partnerships by gaining their trust and respect.
It would be best to be computer literate in standard software applications.
It would help to be proficient in English and French languages
Must have passion and deep commitment to the United Nations projects and personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter.
You must be ready to interact successfully with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs. These include a readiness to try to understand and tolerate different opinions and views.

United Nations Internship application process

If you want to apply for the United Nations Internship 2023, applicants must apply through the organization’s career page. To express your interest in the internship program the United Nations offers, you must undertake the following steps one after the other.

Fill out the online application.

Firstly, you’ll submit your application and Resume after registering and understanding the job requirements. Once you complete the Inspira application and create a profile, you’ll upload relevant certificates or qualifications such as your transcript, high school certificate, and cover note. The cover note should include your interest in the organization, major, graduation date, and IT skills and programs.

Undergo the Competency-based Interview

The next step is to have an interview meeting with the hiring manager and share your academic experiences with the organization. Please note that only the successful candidates will receive mail from the hiring manager.

Get Offer

As the last step of the United Nations 2023 Internship program, you can start your training and processing once you get a message from the hiring manager.

Note that the application for the undergraduate and graduate internship program runs between 28th October 2023 and 26th January 2024; thus, you have enough time to apply. Also, you don’t need to pay a dime at any stage of the United Nations recruitment process.

Ways to Succeed as United Nations Intern

After meeting the United Nations Internship requirements, you have to be ready when you get the opportunity. It requires applicants to have the ability to work in different teams.

However, when you succeed in the application process, there are several pieces of advice for you.

First, ensure you are discreet and confidential with all unpublished information obtained during the internship. You can’t also publish any documents based on such information.
Then, obtain proof of valid primary global medical insurance coverage. It’ll protect you against accidents and illnesses incurred during the internship.
Lastly, you may get academic credit from your university for the training. Check with your institution to confirm their educational credit policy for internships.

Roles of United Nations Intern

The responsibilities of an intern at the United Nations are enormous and vary according to different departments. Nevertheless, the primary duties of an intern are listed below:

Drafting, formatting, editing, and posting original website content/news stories. These include graphics, photographs, and video.
Helping with the development and implementation of surveys
Providing general office support such as processing, drafting, and finalizing correspondence and other communications; setting up and maintaining files/records; and organizing meetings.
Interns will provide logistic support for organizing public events, guided tours, and briefings.
Developing web content and website maintenance for the institution

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do United Nations interns get paid?

United Nations has both paid and unpaid internships. Some pay between USD 1,000 and USD 1,300 per month. It depends on the United Nations agency you want to intern with.

What are the goals of the United Nations?

A prospective University Nations internship applicant should know that the institution is passionate about training students who will be involved in supporting future work programs and other internal tasks of the Unit.

What happens after an internship in United Nations?

After the internship at United Nations, you can choose different career paths, such as consultant and independent contractor.

How long is the internship at United Nations?

The United Nations Internship runs for a minimum duration of two (2) months and can be extended up to six (6) months.

Conclusion

United Nations Internship provides an excellent opportunity for outstanding undergraduates and graduates that want to work directly with incredible and inspiring career professionals and senior management. With the skills gained from the training, you can monitor ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep current and anticipate problems. It’ll also allow you to experience first-hand what working with United Nations is like.