If you are thinking of entering the world of diplomacy and public policy, an internship at the United Nations could be the ideal start for you.

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 UN people.

As part of a UN team, working directly with 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 whatever amount of responsibility you can shoulder; the potential for growth, however, is yours to develop.

Applications from women candidates are strongly encouraged.

The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees). Nor does the UN not concern itself with information on bank accounts.

Note that interns are not usually paid nor are their expenses normally covered. This has led to interns protesting. See our article UN interns protest against unpaid policy. One exception is the International Labour Office, based in Geneva.

Conditions of Internship

You can apply to be a United Nations intern if:

• You are enrolled in a Master’s or in a Ph.D. programme, or in the final year of a Bachelor’s programme; or within one year after graduation from a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. programme.
• You have excellent command of English or French.
• You are neither a child nor a sibling of a United Nations Secretariat staff member.

An internship entails the following

• Duration: The internship programme lasts for at least two months and can be as long as six months. Once selected, you must begin your internship either prior to or within one year of graduation 
• Cost: United Nations interns are not paid. All costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses must be borne by either the interns or their sponsoring institutions.
• Visa: You will be responsible for obtaining and financing the necessary visas. 
• Travel: You will arrange and finance your travel to the United Nations location where you will be an intern. 
• Medical insurance: You will be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship and must show proof of a valid major global medical insurance coverage. 
• Confidentiality: You must be discreet and keep confidential any and all unpublished information obtained during the course of your internship and may not publish any documents based on such information. 
• Academic Credit: You may get academic credit from your institution of higher education for the internship. Check with your university to confirm their academic credit policy for internships

Search current Vacancies

For a list of current internship vacancies see https://careers.un.org/jobopening.

Note this site lists both unpaid internships and paid jobs so you need to find the Category block on the left and select Internship. It might also be useful to click a place near you in the Duty Station block. There are not normally any in the UK but Geneva usually has several. As you click in these blocks, the list of vacancies immediately updates.

Experience of Interns

The video below shows the experience of a Media Communications Intern. The page also includes more information about UN internship.

Other Useful References

Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Internship Programme

UN Employment Opportunities

UN Volunteers page on this website