I am graduating with my BA this spring (from a well-ranked university in USA), and was interesting in shifting to Geneva to pursue short-term contracts with the UN and affiliated organizations... I intend on continuing my education after taking a year or so off academia (I am going to pursue law and/or public policy and particularly focus on human rights).
For those of you with knowledge of taking up short-term contracts with the UN, how likely is it that I will get a job? I know there is a lot of red tape to get through, so is it really feasible for a complete outsider to get a job?
What is a good estimate for how much money I will need on a monthly basis? I'm single, don't mind sharing an apartment/living in a boarding house, and can live pretty cheaply I'm sure.
I am also considering taking up an internship, for which there is a stipend of 1500 chf per month...is this a reasonable amount to buffer costs? I don't mind getting a part time job, is it easy for new arrivals to Geneva to get a job in a restaurant or pub?
I am still exploring a lot of options, most of which are in USA, but this seemed like a great opportunity for me, as I'd love to live abroad for some time and I'm passionate about the UN... any advice?
They may or may not be hard to get, but it can't hurt to ask.
With only a BA, I would say that you have no chance of getting short-term work. If you mean short-term like 6-12 months, even these are keenly contested positions and you would need work experience and preferably a Master's degree to get them. And even better, contacts!
The lower-level jobs in the UN (G-level) aren't usually put out short term.
If you're really keen to work with the UN, I'd suggest the following plan of action... try for an internship in Geneva (but again, you'll earn no money). Email various places with your CV, but do not be surprised or offended to get no reply.
Then go do a Master's in a field you find very interesting and which you can use in the UN. Don't go for international development or human rights or international relations JUST because these are the UN areas. They are hotly competitive! If you like computer programming or logistics or finance or management or law or whatever, do that and try to get work experience or do thesis topics on UN-type issues.
Learn French and maybe another UN language (Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish) as part of your course if you can.
Then get some work experience wherever you can, preferably outside of your home country.
Once you have the work experience, you may be able to apply for UN jobs, or apply with UN Volunteers. (NB: volunteers with the UN need 5 years work experience, unless you go to a country recovering from or currently in war, then you only need a year or two.)
That said, these jobs will not suit the original poster as they take a VERY long time to fill. (e.g. you may be asked to interview 10 months after you submitted your application, or you may be given the results of your interview 5 months afterwards.)
I think that getting an internship would be the best way to start if you are really keen. You may realise that the dream is far from reality. Or you may really love it and decide firmly to pursue the dream. It is entirely open at this stage.
Some things to know beforehand are as follows:
1. You have to be enrolled in a post-gradute programme to be eligible for an internship;
2. Internships with the UN secretariat are unpaid. This is not open for negotiation, it was a General Assembly decision. Some specialised agencies, such as WIPO, have paid internships, but they will mostly be unpaid, especially if you are looking for one in OHCHR.
3. If you get an internship with the UN you will have to sign an agreement which basically says that you are aware of the policy that makes you uneligible for any employment with the Organisation for the period of 6 months after the completion of the intership. This was again decided by the General Assembly because internships were seen as a foot in the door for rich, privileged people from developed countries.
In general terms, it is very difficult to get a job with a bachelor's degree only and no work experience, especially in human rights. Your competition will be qualified lawyers or researches with several years of human-rights related experience.
The only way to get in on a regular contract with no experience is by taking the national competitive exam (see link here: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm ), but only if you have the right nationality. Some countries are perennially overrepresented (Canada, India or Russia, for example). USA is on the other hand often underrepresented, mostly because many Americans' attitude to the UN is similar to that of Charles R. Soles.
Getting in as a consultant or on a short-term contract is possible, but only if you know the people who are willing to hire you. These jobs are never advertised.
For most positions you need many years experience and a Masters of a PhD. Maybe as previous poster said starting with an internship would be a good idea.
I did an internship at the UN Information Service in Vienna, Austria, during my first year of law school. The experience made me decide that I did not want to work for the UN though. It seemed there were a lot of bored and frustrated people working there.
I hope you'll have a better experience if that's your dream place of employment. 7 years out of law school and I still haven't found my dream job yet.
Since y’all seem to know a bit about working for the UN in Geneva, I have a BS in Political Science and Masters Degree in Public Administration and about 4 years experience in public policy analysis but not much experience in international relations (though do have some educational background). Do I have a good chance? Aside from that anyone work for UN in Geneva that would like to share what it is like in terms of the organization and the city.
I wouldn't ever say anyone had a "good chance" of working in the UN. What helps is to either know the people who are hiring or already be working in another part of the UN. Otherwise, it can be a struggle!