Will my area of expertise be relevant to the internship programs? Which skills and competencies should I have to attract the recruiters’ attention? These, and other questions, are common from UN System internship applicants. A general overview of the main requirements expected by the internship selection process will now be presented. You will then be able to prioritize the organizations that are most suited to your profile.

In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has prepared a comprehensive eBook (available soon) and support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive processes. These services include revising your UN internships application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the United Nations model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services.

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Requirements for the UN Internships

Generally speaking, the most common requirements for the UN Internships are: age; education; area of expertise, competencies, and language knowledge, among others. The requirements vary according to the vacancy and organization. Further details of each requirement are provided below:

a) Age

On the question of age, the UN System accepts internship applicants who are a minimum of 18 years old at the time of application. With regards to the maximum age, the majority of the organizations establishes this as 32, but there are cases that are exceptions to this rule. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) accepts individuals up to the age of 36, and there is no age limit at the World Bank.

b) Education

The educational background required varies according to each internship program, or specific vacancy. Generally speaking, the most common academic requirements are:
• Being enrolled on a graduation (bachelor’s degree);
• or post-graduation program (Master’s or PhD);
• or have recently completed a graduation or post-graduation program (in the last 1 to 3 years).

Some agencies accept applicants who have completed their secondary level education, such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but there are very few agencies with this type of policy.

c) Areas of Expertise

UN System organizations work with various topics connected to global development. In addition to fieldwork, they also need to carry out administrative support activities, like any organization. Therefore, there are internship opportunities for applicants from all academic areas. The following table shows examples of the main areas accepted (the list is not exhaustive):

d) Language proficiency

Proficiency in the English language (oral and written) is fundamental for the majority of the UN System internship vacancies. However, many UN System organizations may request fluency in other official UN System languages, such as: Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin. There is also the case of internships that require fluency in other languages, which is particularly true in the case of field offices.

e) Nationality

The majority of the agencies require applicants to be nationals from one of their Member States to be able to apply for internship vacancies. However, others do not impose this prerequisite, accepting applicants from all countries, as is the case of UNICEF, UNCTAD, UN-Habitat, UNOPS, WFP and UNWTO, among others.

f) Restrictions

With regards to restrictions, the main one is that applicants do not have a direct relationship with United Nations employees. In other words, they are not parents, children or siblings. Another very common restriction is that applicants have not taken a previous internship at the organization, or its subsidiary units.

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