In the past and recently people have asked questions about joining the UN. So here is another attempt to disseminate information. Please note the following before you ask questions.
No i can’t get you a job.
No i don’t want to get you a job without you doing any work.
You earn your job like the rest of the world unless you are from a P5 country or Japan.
All questions will be answered with the official version meaning I am not gonna tell you how to violate the rules.
I will provide advice on writing your PHP (the UN application form) etc. You pass everything else yourself.
The basic requirements are listed in the job you apply for. The UN is like a Government so you have multiple areas from finance and accounting to political affairs. You will be based all over the world and mainly in the bad places.
You have many different UN entities which have different rules and requirements for a job. I work for the UN Secretariat, which is the political wing of the UN.
UNICEF deals with Children, UNHCR with Refugees. Just like the Government they are all specialized. I will answer questions specifically for areas in the political wing. Meaning I have no clue how OCHA, WHO, UNHCR etc recruit.
To apply for the UN Secretariat which means New York, Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi, Bangkok and all the DPKO field missions across the world you will apply to the following website:
To answer your questions. The bare minimum requirement for a job is the following:
Education - You need a bachelors in the field you are applying for. You can’t have a law degree and apply for an accountants post.
Work Experience - You need a minimum number of **relevant **years of experience for your grade and job. If you are a:
P-3= Minimum of 5 years
P-4 = Minimum of 7 years
P-5 = Minimum of 10 years
D1 + D2 = Minimum of 15 years
of relevant experience.
Language - Fluency in English and a second language are good. We have a limited number of Arabic speakers so you should definitely start learning that.
Also with recruitment the UN now follows a rostering system. Where you apply for jobs based on generic vacancy where you are placed on a list that means you are deemed qualified for the post.
The methodology consists of a test and a UN interview process.
Who are you fooling, the only way to get a post in the UN is through connections External applicants can write them 100 applications and then will not even hear a moo.
Then you hear someone landed a job there and by chance he is son/daugther/bro of someone who works there or they have connections with some diplomat.
For P jobs, you have to recommended by your government, so we know who this works in third world countries.
For G jobs, there are lesser opportunties for external candidates as they are filled even before the job opens in the market.
Of course there are jobs for specialist but as those are hard to find and they cannot be filled with connections only.
Another thing the UN is no more a hot place to work for as it once was. You are not given a permanent contract, means each year you have to prove that you are needed and the bosses get to decide your fate. Then you have little say as you are working by taking orders, its like a army basically, those who like this structure are there for long. A lot of ppl get fed up and leave for elsewhere.
External applicants can write them 100 applications and then will not even hear a moo.