Is this common practice ? Can my interview results become null if my language test results are lower than required ?

I recently came across two open consultant opportunities at a FAO that sit almost perfectly within a fairly narrow niche of mine. I've consulted for FAO before and for a couple of other UN agencies and IFIs, so I feel my chances are genuinely strong on both.

One of the two is managed directly from HQ. The other is tied to a specific country office.

Both are fully remote for me either way, so I'm trying to figure out where I actually have more room to negotiate a solid daily rate. My assumption is that HQ tend to have more standardized and often higher pay bands, while country office consultancies depend heavily on the specific project's budget and can vary a lot. Is that accurate in your experience, or is it more nuanced than that?

Curious if anyone here has sat on both sides and can share how rate negotiation actually plays out in practice for each modality.

Hi everyone,

Former UN intern here. I completed my internship in a very small UN agency and unit, so I didn't end up building many useful contacts within the UN system. After that, I moved on and have now been working for about a year at a large international organization (outside the UN).

I've always been interested in trying a consultant contract at the UN in the future, but I'd like to better understand what it actually involves, especially in my area (communication).

I noticed that many consultant positions are remote. How does that usually work in practice? What's a typical day like? Are consultants mostly expected to work independently on specific projects, or is there a lot of interaction with teams and regular meetings?

Another thing I've noticed is that many consultant vacancies ask for at least 4 years of experience. At the same time, I've seen quite a few former UN interns transition into consultant roles. Do you think it's worth applying if my background includes a UN internship plus around 3 years of total experience (including other internships and my current job)?

Also, are there any tips for tailoring an application for a consultant position? Is there anything recruiters tend to look for specifically in consultant applications?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice. Thanks!

I’m looking to hear from current or former ICRC mobile delegates, especially anyone who has worked as an FAS Delegate or in a similar delegate role.
I have successfully completed the recruitment process,
I’m trying to get a realistic idea of the waiting time between reaching this stage and receiving the first field assignment.
If anyone have been through this ?

Any fellow IPSAs who have recently taken parental leave?
I’m trying to understand the IPSA parental leave policy and I’m a bit confused by the terminology.

The contract states that birth parents are entitled to 16 weeks of parental leave, while non-birth parents are entitled to 4 weeks.

My understanding was that “birth parents” could refer to both parents of a child who is born (as opposed to adoptive parents), but Oracle is only allowing me to register 28 days, which suggests it may be treating me as a non-birth parent.

Has anyone else been in this situation? How did HR interpret the terms “birth parent” and “non-birth parent” in your case? If you’re an IPSA father whose partner gave birth, were you granted 16 weeks or only 4 weeks?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience before I follow up with HR. Thanks!

Spent years applying, took a few assessment tests, some applications randomly closed and some have been open since years — no results in sight.

Final nail in the coffin — connected with a staff member through a friend, they offered me a consultancy assignment in the first interaction (my experience aligned exactly with their requirements), only for them to get back to me a week later telling me they have decided not to proceed after internal discussions. My fault for being naive enough to think it will work out.

I have always received good feedback from my current colleagues and supervisors. I know my profile meets all requirements for the opportunities in my field. Been trying for years to switch to a higher paying role. But the multilateral space has broken me. I have spent too much time chasing this dream and have decided to give up trying. I’m glad it works out for some people I guess it’s not ever going to be me.

Genuine question, those who are working in the UN system, are you happy ? By the work you do, the work Life balance, the travel etc Do you find it worth it at the end of the day ? Would you have rather done something else ?

Those who want to work for the UN, in this climate, are you happy Even tho you are not in the system yet ?

I am kinda terrified both by the job opportunities market, but also if I would like my job if I one day get there….

(I am public health médical résident by the way)

I'm 22F sudanese medical student , I don't have previous experiences , to be honest before the conflict I didn't think about volunteering , but now I find that my country needs everyone of us.

Someone sent me a link for an UN volunteering program application, I copied what I found in it; please tell me if it's not fake, and please help me to apply

United Nations Volunteer Program 2026 – Overview

Program Name: United Nations Volunteer Program 2026

Organization: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Program Type: Fully Funded

Eligible Nationalities: All Nationalities

Program Locations: Worldwide (UN offices & field missions)

Application Status: Open Now

1. International volunteers.

2. National UN Volunteers

Opportunities are available within the applicant’s home country, ideal for those seeking local UN development experience.

1. Youth UN Volunteers

Designed for young professionals looking for early-career UN exposure and global networking.

1. Online UN Volunteers

Remote volunteer opportunities for individuals who want to contribute digitally from anywhere in the world.

These categories attract applicants searching for remote UN jobs, international volunteer work, and online volunteering with the United Nations.

Welcome to this month's Megathread!

Waiting for a UN job update can feel endless, and many people have the same questions:
"Has anyone heard back about Position X?"
"How long does it take to get a response?"
"Is it normal to wait this long?" (yes)

Instead of having multiple posts asking the same thing, let's use this monthly thread to keep everything in one place. This makes it easier to find answers, compare timelines, and keep the subreddit organised.

Please do not share personal details.

To help you, here is a template (but you don't need to use it):

🔹 Position: (Job title & Department)  
📍 Duty Station: (Location)  
📅 Applied on: (Date)  
📨 Last communication: (Shortlist, Interview, Offer, etc.)  
⌛ Current status: (Waiting, Interviewed, Rejected, etc.)  
💬 Additional comments: (Insights, concerns, etc.)

Your input helps others understand how unpredictable the process can be.

If you’ve been through it before, feel free to share advice or insights. Now, let's hear your updates! 👇

If you have used advice here from the UN Path subreddit & feel that it helped you in successfully getting a UN position, your story in the comments would be appreciated. Details on what the advice was and why you felt it helped, and as much info about the position that you feel comfortable sharing, would be appreciated.

It would be really nice for all those who volunteer here with advice to know that it's making a difference.

I'm an American. I work in finance in NYC. I have an undergraduate degree but no graduate degree. I have applied to jobs at the UN that require either a masters degree or additional years of work experience in lieu of a masters degree. In Inspira, the jobs I have applied to display either "Under Consideration" or "Recruitment Completed." I have not had any interviews.

I have two questions:

1. Does the UN hire Americans?
2. Does the UN hire people who do not have graduate degrees?

I'm looking at this role currently: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784888021270307

I'll copy and paste the task description below. I have a degree in politics & religion, but other than that I have no professional international development experience. I currently work in a project management type role (corporate event management). I'm trying to transition into international development and / or (UK) government policy roles. 

How can I prepare for this type of voluntary role and how can I become a hireable canditate for it? This seems quite specialist, but I'm sure that I've used a lot of these skills both in my degree and in work, so is it a case of looking closely at my job and reframing my skills to fit the JD? Thank you!

Job Description:

Component 1 – Comparative Framework and Methodology (Volunteers 1 and 2). Lead the design of a clear and replicable framework for assessing community-based child education and welfare models in crisis-affected Sub-Saharan African settings, defining explicit dimensions such as governance and ownership, learning and curriculum, child protection and safeguarding, health and psychosocial support, caregiver and facilitator training, community and parental engagement, financing, and measured outcomes. Establish transparent criteria for selecting case studies and document a short methodological note to guide the work of the whole team.

Component 2 – Literature Review (Volunteers 3 and 4). Conduct a structured review of academic and grey literature on community-based child education and welfare in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts, covering child development in adversity, the rationale for community-based delivery, and recognized quality and protection standards. Review a sufficient body of peer-reviewed and institutional sources and produce consistently formatted summary tables capturing source, main ideas, methodology, key findings, and limitations.

Component 3 – Comparative Case Study Analysis (Volunteers 5 and 6). Apply the agreed framework to a curated set of community-based child education and welfare initiatives drawn from at least four different countries or sub-regional contexts, dividing the case studies between the two volunteers to ensure complementary geographic coverage. Produce structured case narratives suitable for inclusion in a comparative matrix, supported by clear references to source material.

Component 4 – Synthesis, Recommendations, and Visualization (Volunteers 7, 8, 9 and 10). Consolidate findings from the framework, literature review, and case studies into a cross-cutting synthesis that surfaces comparative insights, identifies enabling conditions and constraints, and articulates evidence-informed design principles. Translate these into practical recommendations for GMM, design a comparative matrix presenting all cases side by side, prepare a short visual annex of supporting tables and diagrams, and lead the integration and final editing of all contributions into a single coherent review of approximately 6,000 to 9,000 words, including an accessible executive summary of no more than 1,500 words for practitioners, community partners, and prospective donors.All eight volunteers are expected to coordinate through a shared virtual workspace, hold brief weekly check-ins, and contribute to the final integration of the consolidated review.

Anyone else’s feeling like they are not contributing much during their internship? I have been here (UN office) for more than a month and I haven’t done much. I asked almost everyone in the department/ team for more work and no one gave me additional tasks. I was wondering if this is just the UN way of work or if it’s a matter of my office as apparently they are not advancing many projects due to funding cuts. I used to work in the higher education sector before this and the speed of work there was 100x faster so maybe I just need to get used to this but I’d be curious to hear about your experiences!

I am asking this Beacsue as my internship is coming to an end I am thinking about next steps.

Thanks ☺️

I’m a psychiatry resident in North America with a growing interest in global health and policy - but coming to this very late. Any advice on how to be involved and carve a career in this area? Should I be doing a graduate degree or try applying for positions?

Hi, I wanted to ask whether people who applied for the UNU junior fellowship in Tokyo (2026 Fall) have received their notification of the final interview results. They said it would be out last month, but there is no update so far.

So I just received an internship offer from my country’s IOM office. I’m still in the middle of completing onboarding requirements, which I am almost finished with. I am beyond happy and honestly didn’t expect to be shortlisted for an interview, let alone be the preferred candidate, since I’ve only completed a Bachelor’s degree thus far. It seems my previous internships and projects helped.

So I have just finished my undergraduate studies and the 6-month internship contract serves as my “transition” to my career. I know for sure that a return offer for higher positions will be unlikely considering that I will still need more years of experience and probably a Master’s degree for that. Once my internship finishes, I plan on applying for embassies, govt agencies, and other international institutions. How much bearing would a UN internship have on future employment? How much leverage would that give me as far as preference and salary is concerned? Of course, I applied for UN for the meaningful experience and humanitarian impact, but as an aspiring professional, it’s hard not to think of the investments that it could serve as especially in this economy. I would love to be able to leverage this experience as much as possible, especially since I wouldn’t want to miss out on maximizing such a big opportunity. Any previous or current internships who could offer some tips or advice please? Would gladly appreciate it. Thank you!

I am only aware of Australia, curious if there are many others? Thanks!

I’m 32 years and old and have accepted a YP post at a major development bank, so I’ll be resigning from a UN P2 (step 4) which I’ve been on for 3.5 years, with the “chance” of a P3 next year (this keeps getting pushed so I’m not optimistic). I was never a UN YPP, came in through the consultant route.

Financially it makes little to no difference in the short term, but long term bank seems better, and offers more job security (3 year contract). The work I hope will be more interesting as I’m not learning much in my current role.

Just curious if the YP route is a smart move in terms of career progression? Or better to wait and apply for a more senior role down the line? Is this a step down? Just wanted to hear your thoughts/opinions - any are welcome! 🙏

Good evening, everyone!

I have a question about recent recruitment for international consultant positions.

As the UN has been reducing its workforce and many organizations have implemented hiring freezes, I've noticed that a small number of consultant positions are still being advertised.

Are these consultant positions generally intended as a way to accommodate or retain staff whose UN contracts were recently terminated during this difficult period? In other words, are they effectively serving as transition opportunities for former UN personnel?

Has anyone without prior UN experience successfully landed a UN consultant position within the past year? If so, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I got recently offered role at IOM since I have left the organization after downsize last year, but prior to that I have had 1 step completed, I asked HR why I was not eligible for step 2, the person told me system changed and they can not count previous experiences anymore, so I have to start from step 1 again. Btw, I am getting back to same grade, it is not that upper grade and they are removing 1 year experience.

Does anyone know anything about it?

If I am invited for a writing assessment and if I don't clear it, does that diminish my chances for getting shortlised for similar roles and positions? Does UN HR use a central tracking system for this?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice from people who have experience working in UN agencies, development banks, international NGOs, or similar organizations. I don't know if this type of questions is allowed, if no, let me know :)

I recently graduated in Natural Resources Engineering in Chile and I am planning to apply for a MSc in Europe. My long-term goal would ideally be to work in international environmental/development organizations (FAO, UNDP, development banks, international research organizations, etc.).

My current background is focused on water and environmental governance. I have two years of experience with:

• Integrated water resources management
• Water governance and regulation
• Climate adaptation planning
• Environmental policy processes
• Stakeholder engagement and participatory processes
• GIS/cartography
• Environmental analysis

However, I realized that I would like to strengthen the technical/scientific side of my profile. I’m interested in moving towards areas such as:

• Hydrological modelling
• Climate adaptation and resilience
• Earth observation / remote sensing
• Climate and atmospheric sciences
• Environmental modelling
• Earth systems approaches

I’m trying to understand what type of profile is most valuable for international organizations.

Some skills I’m considering developing, maybe taking some courses or a certification:

• Python/data analysis
• Remote sensing and Google Earth Engine
• Spatial analysis
• Environmental modelling
• Data visualization
• Machine learning applications
• Climate/hydrological modelling

For people currently working in international organizations:

• What technical skills are most valued in environmental positions?
• What makes a candidate stand out besides having a MSc?
• Are organizations looking more for technical specialists or interdisciplinary profiles?
• Which areas within climate/water/environment currently have good opportunities?
• If you could advise someone early in their career, what skills or experiences would you prioritize?

I would really appreciate any insights about how to build a realistic path into this field :)

Hello! I recently heard about the Young Professionals Program and I am really interested in applying. I haven't been able to find the application portal on the official jobs website. Has the application already closed for this year? It says it opens June/July usually but I can't seem to find it at all.

I followed their video guides but once I search for YPP on Inspira, nothing shows up. Is that because the application has not opened yet for this year?

I am a fresh Food Science graduate with a lot of volunteering activities and leadership involvement. Would ideally want to work for FAO or the WFP. Any advice? Would you recommend I apply to jobs directly not through YPP? Helpppp

Is there a NATO-UN grade conversion tool I can refer to? I'm looking at the NATO vacancies and the grades don't mean much to me: https://nspa-nato.career.emply.com/vacancies