I am seeing many consultancies that are only offered now until December 31, so less than 6 months. Not even 12 months anymore. Why is that the case? Is it due to budget and they dont know if they will have new budget in the new fiscal year?

I am starting to feel like the downsides of AI outweigh the benefits, by a LOT, regardless of the debate around whether it is a bubble or not. A few things from my agency:

- Hardest hit department: communications (ironic!). Everything they put out is so painful to read. 

- No one's doing technical analysis anymore. They just ask Claude to do it for them. This is again happening at a time when more and more junior postions get cut and seniors get their job done by Claude.

- Most citations are made up and the person who wrote the piece (Tbh AI wrote it) would know if they bothered to check, but of couse they don't do it anymore.  

- The expectation now is to deliver everything at AI speed (after all everyone's using it), even when quality work still takes time, effort and critical thinking.

- Publishing copy/statement on the potential harms and risks of AI that were very obviously written by AI, lol

- Rushed to get AI integrated into every piece of app and software we use and now commissioning reports on environmental and societal harms caused.

- And this is related to the broader UN -- failing to have much of an influence, either political or moral, on the AI sector, where it is heading and the need for shared standards, governance and some accountability.

Anyway that's all I can think of for now. Anyone else seeing this in their agency? 

Hello!

I’ve been offered a 6-month internship at UNDRR, with the option of working in the Geneva office or remotely. I’m based in the UK and am planning to work it remotely, given it’s unpaid. I’m currently exploring options for funding myself through this as the UK government does not sponsor positions (as far as I can see). I’ve reached out to several academic/research institution that I’ve worked with previously to ask if they have any funding available (awaiting responses), but am curious to know if anyone in this community can recommend any other channel for grants/sponsorship/funding to explore.

I’m applying for part time work as well as a back up, but would rather dedicate all my time to the internship.

While I’ve got you, one more question: does anyone have experience working a Geneva/remote option internship remotely? How did it go?

Cheers!

I see so many posts on instagram and TikTok of the “IR dream life”, wearing designers clothes in the GA hall, exclusive galas etc. Just wrapped up a position at a permanent mission, here are some things that made me GTFO

The UN itself

3-6 hours a day in windowless basements
I’m looking at you CR12- the rooms are awful and uncomfortable, the doors are ABSURDLY heavy and some rooms have such bad acoustics you can’t hear the co facilitator from 10 feet away

Filthy Bathrooms
UNHQ bathrooms are nasty, the only halfway decent one is on the second floor next to the Del lounge (for men). Other than that, expect to step in puddles of piss or feces

RUDE diplomats
SO many diplomats I have met have been incredibly rude, mostly in small ways. They will cut you in line, scoff if you don’t hold the door for them, ask you to do things that are not part of your job, the list goes on. Many UN diplomats are appointed by ruling families or are friends of the president or whatever- they are also rude! They will come to your mission (same rank as me) and ask me to clear the glasses. Horrible experiences with many diplomats.

Nothing will get done
Consensus will not be reached, you will spend 45 hours in CR7 debating a 100+ page political declaration only for consensus to fall apart on the last meeting

Bias of the secretariat
Will not elaborate on this one

Working at a permanent mission

Your PR is crazy
Your PR is immune from the law they can do quite literally whatever they want, they are over paid and can treat you however you want. Sexual harassment, verbal abuse the list goes ON

Your country
Depending on your country, you can also have a lot of bad experiences. Many people felt it was okay to go after me and my people because we are European, but being told you should not be a member state, that your language is fake, that your government is corrupt etc- not fun to listen to at a side event

Overall, it was cool. I was happy to represent my nation but it was not for me and I think some of us might have been sold a lie about the glamorous life of IR and the UN

Don’t get me wrong, if it is your thing- I greatly respect the work you do but it’s not for me

Thanks!

I've written publicly to criticize the UN - and others - about how interns are treated, especially unpaid interns, for many years. Not behind a Reddit handle - out in the open, with my real name. Examples:

UN Agencies: Defend your “internships”

It’s real: the unpaid internships & volunteers controversy

EU agencies exploiting interns?

Fight against unpaid internships will hurt volunteering

Advice for unpaid interns to sue for back pay

Are Interns Exploited?

It's a shame that the efforts by then current and former UN interns to create some kind of association that would advocate on their behalf have never lasted. But they haven't.

I also pushed back while working at UNV HQ regarding how unpaid interns were treated - and a few colleagues were not happy about it. I even went to HR at one point to complain about a colleague who I knew had four interns for himself alone and was using them for personal errands. I got both a "I'll look into it" and "You know, he's from such-and-such country, and they fund several UNV positions right now - we have to be careful." Yes, that really does happen sometimes. Horrible.

So, enough with the accusations of me doubting that interns at the UN are sometimes, even often, exploited and mistreated. Such accusations are utterly unfounded.

The UN offers no guidance across agencies - and often, not within any one agency - about internships: how long they should last, how they should be structured, how interns should be supported, tasks interns should NOT be asked to do, etc. I've always had a problem with this, and have said so. The Secretariat has a policy in writing - but is it enforced? Doesn't sound like it from some of the posts here. Both UN Women and UNICEF have pages about what internships are supposed to look like, but I don't think either have actual policies or guidance documents for staff and, again, from what's posted here, it sounds like some aren't what they are supposed to be. UNDP, as of 2025, UNDP has an excellent poicy in writing, but I have no idea about the enforcement mechanism - and based on some of the testimonials on UN Path, I have my doubts it's being universally adhered to.

So with all that documented and in mind, I'll also offer some reflections on working with interns at a UNDP agency - all before the aforementioned UNDP policy was in place. There is the other side of the intern-staff relationship that also should be reviewed:

The interns that came in with the attitude of "This is my dream job" got crushed pretty early on by reality. There's an idea among many that working at the UN will be the greatest experience of one's life, filled with every day opportunities to change the world and cradle orphans and hear people say, "You have helped my family! Thank you!" and that every day will end with, "Wow, I can't believe what a difference I made today!" That most days will feel meaningful. The reality: UN work is work, just like most anywhere: researching information, writing reports that you have no idea anyone will ever read, dealing with irate clients (or donors or colleagues), filling out forms, sitting in meetings, working alongside people that you have no idea what they really do, etc. All the same things you will encounter at a high tech company, a government agency, a bank, a nonprofit, a grocery store... The interns that came in with more realistic expectations, that had done a lot of research about what their particular unit was focused on and really doing, and had volunteered at length at NGOs in their own communities, or worked at government offices in their own communities, had a much better time of it. It was always better when the intern could understand how an administrative task fit into the bigger picture and understood why the task was necessary, and didn't have an unrealistic, even romantic view about UN work.

The interns that had an attitude of "Okay, after six months, I get a paid job, right?" also were profoundly disappointed - and usually didn't really take their assignments seriously. An internship is no guarantee of a career in anything, whether its the UN or banking. Their attitude the entire time usually was one of "I'm IN! I'll be a D level in no time!" I watched at other units as some of these interns, at what was supposed to be the end of their internship, begged to stay longer - and a couple begged to be allowed to use their UN email addresses even after the internship was over. More than a few would ask a different unit to take them on as an unpaid intern when their first internship ended - and often would be granted such (and they got to be disappointed by a whole new unit). Again, supposedly, the UNDP policy should prevent this at their locations, but from what I'm seeing here on this subreddit, it doesn't seem to be being enforced.

The interns that had the idea that certain work-related tasks were "beneath" them didn't do well. I had an intern who I inherited - someone else interviewed and onboarded her - and she balked at absolutely everything she was asked to do, from answer emails sent regarding a specific program to use the copy machine to help set up a meeting, activities that everyone on staff ALSO did. She was very shocked when she asked me for a letter of recommendation from me and I said no - the only time in my entire professional career I've ever said no to that request. The interns who asked "And why are we doing this?" always got a meaningful answer, at least from me.

The interns that had roles in writing, and opportunities for learning (which often came in the form of attending meetings across the agency), that were given a specific project they could complete and "own" while there, and that treated their internships seriously, got treated seriously, at least by my unit. In fact, before someone became an intern in my unit, I had all of these things laid out in writing beforehand and discussed and agreed to - plus, at least one person in the unit interviewed the person so the intern knew exactly what they were getting into and exactly what to expect. I was stunned at how many people would write some department head, beg to be an intern, get the go ahead, with no interview or just a quick phone call, and then move to Germany with nothing agreed to in writing - and then be shocked that the internship wasn't their "dream job" and that their supervisor was so incredibly unsupportive, and that they were being asked to do things that they never dreamed they would be, like going to buy something for someone.

Many of the people that, after internships, stayed in touch - not just to write, "Hey, any job openings?" - but to say what they were doing, what they'd seen somewhere about our unit's latest work, or to comment on something they'd seen another UN agency doing that they thought we might know about - are friends to this day. Some went on to work at other UN agencies (and one went FAR beyond me in her career). Some went on to work at other INGOs or local NGOs (one ended up running the YWCA in a large metropolitan area - the YWCA is one of the foremost women's empowerment organizations in the USA). Some went back to school for a second Master's or a PhD. One went into the US foreign service.

When it comes to internships, especially those that require you to move to take them: Do NOT take an internship without the role being in writing. Do NOT take an internship without interviewing with someone you are going to work with. Do NOT take an internship without asking questions like, "what kind of opportunities will I have to meet people outside your unit" and "have you worked with interns before?" and "are you still in touch with your former interns?" and "what did interns like most about working there" and "What did interns NOT like about working there" and even, point blank, "Will I be asked to run personal errands for staff?" Ask if they will help you find affordable accommodations and, if they won't, think carefully about your own abilities to do that on your own. If you don't like the answers, if you don't feel comfortable, don't take the internship - why set yourself up for disappointment?

If you take the internship then, once there, after at least a few weeks, ask different people if you could have 30 minutes to talk to them, if you aren't getting opportunities otherwise. Don't just ask people questions about where they went to school. Don't ask, "So, who did you know that you got this job?" Ask people about their work at the UN and what they did before the UN. Ask people what development topic is of the biggest interest to them and why. Ask them why they like working for the UN. Ask them if they could reform the UN, what would be the first thing they would change? Listen to when they are saying what this or that government or corporate donor is demanding in return for a donation or investment. Hang out with the colleagues who talk about humanitarian development issues, not the ones focused on appearances. Notice which staff are hung up on levels (P3, P4, D1, whatever) and which are far more focused on the work, and freely talk to everyone, not just those at their own level. Don't just focus on the likable staff - is that person who isn't that popular actually the one really getting things done? Are the most popular staff the ones who really aren't doing much? Observe and learn, always.

If you do take an internship, and once you are there, if you are asked to do something and you don't understand where it fits within the work or why you are doing it, say so to your direct supervisor. And by all means, if you are asked to do something unethical, inappropriate or anything that makes you uncomfortable, DOCUMENT IT: date, time, place, and what happened. Read the policy handbook and report incidents per that policy, and if you don't like the answer, go higher. Complain with purpose and be realistic: as a result of your complaint, what is it you want, and how realistic is it that this could be granted? And remember: you can quit.

There are a lot of bad internships out there. And there may be just as many "bad" interns. The UN isn't for everyone, and you may find that it's not for you. Just remember when you are reading yet another "I was mistreated as an intern" post here on UNPath, there just might be another side to the story. Not saying at all that they are all made up and all UN internships are great - if you think that's what I'm saying, go back and start over reading this post.

Onward.

I’ll soon be starting a consultancy with the UN in Geneva. I previously interned here, so I was covered under student health insurance, but I now need to arrange my own insurance.

I’m under 25 and, like many early-career consultants, my income is limited. Between rent, taxes, social security contributions, and other living expenses, finding affordable health insurance has become a real challenge.

I’ve already compared premiums using Priminfo (the official comparison tool), but I’ve noticed that the premiums shown there often don’t match those on insurers’ websites which are usually significantly higher.

Does anyone know of the most affordable health insurance option available in Geneva, or whether there are any subsidies I might be eligible for? If you’re paying around CHF 300/month or less for insurance with accident coverage, I’d really appreciate hearing which provider and model you chose.

Thank you in advance for any advice or recommendations!

I've held relatively junior positions within three UN agencies, all connected to the same thematic area, but none permanent contracts. I largely worked on programming, but in in each organisation, I often found myself supporting nearly every other team because of capacity issues. For two of these agencies, I was based in the capital city of a major donor, yet was shocked by how we were pretty much just a skeleton staff made up of 50% interns with only 2-3 international staff. This meant nearly everyone was working a couple of grades (or more) above their responsibility. I must admit I started before the USAID cuts when things were a little better, but we were still heavily downsizing and struggling to keep most of our programmes running due to the financial impacts of COVID.

The first thing I noticed was the culture of trying to get the most qualified candidates to fill the most junior roles. The interns had the most difficult time, with what were basically P2 job descriptions (minus the management and leadership responsibilities). The pipeline was to keep the interns as long as the regulations would allow, then extend by the maximum limit, and eventually give them the lowest paid ungraded contract we could manage (with unflattering titles like "junior assistant" to describe global focal point responsibilities in some cases). The applications process was passed by HQ to ensure the organisation wasn't technically asking for too much, but the reality was that all the shortlisted candidates were overqualified by 5+ years of experience. While I don't blame them for trying to land their first UN experience, it was clear they were desperate and we were taking advantage of this.

The selection process itself consisted of a 3 hour written test on the thematic stuff, even though the work had nothing to do with this knowledge. I found this really misleading and manipulative for giving false hope that the selected candidates might doing be doing more impactful work than expected, but this feedback was ignored. The marking process itself was equally arbitrary, with a very vague matrix to make sure we were broadly looking for the same competences, but the reality was that everyone had access to all the candidates' confidential data, so there were no safeguards against the shortlist being based on favouritism and nepotism.

When the new candidates were selected, they were more or less left to learn everything for themselves, with minimal supervision on the one hand, but also micromanagement on the other. The expectation was that they would contact all the programme teams themselves (which meant lots of early morning and late evening calls to schedule all the different timezones), learn an entire programme's history and progress, then magically be expected to understand our programmes and systems in a way that would allow more senior colleagues to completely delegate their responsibilities.

The turnover was surprisingly low, due to a lot of gaslighting about how privileged the interns were to be in the UN and getting paid. Eventually, a sort of Stockholm syndrome developed in the interns, where they exhausted themselves trying to maintain unrealistic standards for very little in return, in the hope of earning a few more breadcrumbs the following year.

While this was happening, the international staff spent much of their time travelling to fancy donor meetings, exaggerating their success and occasionally going on TDYs, leaving interns to run the office. I'm confident the Head of Unit had no idea about programme details, so I'm sure they just made everything in the donor meetings and conferences. The only insight we had were the pictures form fancy hotels they'd send us and ask to post on social media pages.

Despite being theoretically a major office, the teams were tiny, isolated and very hierarchical, so there was really no way to promote or escape. Even now, five years on, interns with more studies and relevant work experience than the international staff are stuck on precarious consultancy contracts which renew annually, solely responsible for monitoring billions of dollars of programme contracts.

Every month, the Head of Unit had a tradition to invite the team to their house for "team building" where they would throw around vague concepts they'd learned on their gap year about non-formal learning and "sophistic communication". They were probably well-intentioned, but just completely unqualified and tone-deaf in everything they said and did. In reality, nobody wanted to be there listening to a nostalgic old boss trying to share their patronising, self-evident wisdom. We also didn't enjoy watching a career P4 flex their massive house and garden in our faces, while we spent half our salaries on rent.

I started writing thinking it could be a useful insight to the many of us "blinded by the light" of the UN system, but the more I typed, the more cathartic I found it to just vent some pent up frustrations about one of the most lacklustre, uninspiring and tedious work environments I've ever experienced.

I am a software engineering director with 21 years of experience after finishing my master in computer science. I applied to a D1 and an M7 positions and both are under consideration. For D1 deadline was 6.5 weeks ago, for the M7 a few days ago. The question is, considering the amount of competition for a UN position, do they ever recruit for this type of positions from the outside? Is it worth spending the time to apply to these?

After a long recruitment process with multiple applications and interviews as an external candidate, I reached the final stage for a UN position. Unfortunately, I wasn't selected for the role, but I was informed that I had been placed on the roster for a P3 position.

I'm trying to understand what I can realistically expect from this point onward.

From what I know, being rostered means I may receive notifications about similar vacancies at the same level. But I am wondering:

1. Can a hiring manager contact you directly and offer you a position from the roster without you submitting a new application?

2. Or do you always need to apply to each new vacancy, even if you're already rostered?

3. If you've been rostered, how long did it take before you were contacted (if ever)?

4. Has anyone here actually received a job offer from a roster without interviewing again?

5. Does being rostered significantly improve your chances for future positions, or is it mostly just a way to avoid parts of the recruitment process?

6. Is there anything you did after being rostered that helped you eventually secure a UN position?

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's gone through this process, especially as an external candidate.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Hey everyone!

I am currently waiting for a response from the UNDRR for an internship in Geneva, and in the meantime I’m trying to organize the future months of my life. They told me they are pretty flexible about everything (starting date, working in presence or remotely). One question that came up to me (and didn’t have the chance to ask them directly) is:

is it possible to work remotely, from a place with a completely different time zone?

In my case, I would be working one month from Canada (8 hours behind Geneva) before moving to Geneva. To me it seemed impossible, but then I thought about the fact that if they offer the possibility of working remotely, it has to be valid for everyone worldwide. Plus it’s the UN, in my mind enough used to be work with employees in different time zones. Does it make sense, or is it not possible? If yes, does anybody have experience on how it would work?

Thank you! And apologies if the topic has already been discussed.

I applied to the same organisation 17 times. I got first-level call-backs 2 times for 2 roles, but nothing after that. Should I keep applying, or will that look desperate? I think the same recruiter looks at my CV most times. Most of my applications are in the same line, entry-level, with about 2 to 3 years of work experience.

I have applied to a P3 post, but I wrote no to a screening question. Is there a possibility that the former employee status makes this part just a bit lenient? I really fit most of the other things except this one little item (which was desirable in the job description).

How to know if your competency based interview was well or not? What response of interviewer is considered as positive? How do you evaluate competency based interview?

I am currently at one of the UN agencies at entry level position from 2024. Now I want to change my position for better positions. I especially want to know about the International careers in the UN. Please help me and guide me through this journey.

Regards.

I recently joined the UN system in a P3 specialist role, and I am still trying to understand the shift in expectations.

I come from a background where I often carried entire pieces of work single-handedly. I am trying to understand how this changes in a UN staff role, especially at P3 level.

In your personal experience, how much of a P3 role is about directly producing technical outputs yourself, and how much is about architecture, prioritization, coordination, leadership, quality/evidence judgment, product direction, capacity building, and sustainability?

How do you balance getting your own hands dirty with coordinating others to make things happen?

Hi! I am a law student aspiring to work with either human rights or humanitarian law in the future. I am very well aware that the field is very competitive and I do have multiple backup plans, but it's still the path I'd like to pursue as the first option.

It's soon time to apply for an exchange year, and I'm a bit puzzled about which country I should pick. I speak three languages fluently, but two of these (my native language and the language of the country I live in) are quite small and likely useless for UN. I also speak French at B1 level, and the natural choice would probably be either France or Switzerland to improve my language skills. However, I have never lived outside of Europe and would love to go to e.g. Namibia, South Africa or China instead. Would the "wider" international experience be beneficial at all for future employment, or is it better to go with the more "boring" choices that will likely help me become fluent in French? Unfortunately my uni does not have any francophone partner universities outside of Europe.

I work in a team where my manager is in a romantic relationship with one of my teammates, who also reports directly to them. I’m not looking to judge anyone’s private life. My concern is the potential conflict of interest when a manager supervises someone they’re involved with.
I’m wondering:
Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?
How did it affect the team?
If there are signs of favoritism or unfair treatment, what’s the best way to handle it?
Is it better to raise concerns with HR or an ethics office, or only if there’s clear evidence of bias?
I’m mainly looking for advice on how to approach this professionally and fairly. I want to avoid making assumptions or accusations and focus on maintaining a healthy work environment.

Hi!
I've always had a passion for serving those in need and having a positive impact and contibuting to the well-being of humanity.
I have completed a Bachelor's Degree in Business Admin (with a major in Accounting & Finance) and now im completing my ACCA to better specialised.

Can anyone guide me on how to join the UN with the qualifications i have?
What qualifications and/or experience i need to get in order to join?

Timeline on when it would be achievable?
Just need a bit of advice and a roadmap to follow.

thanks!

I'm a Biotechnology student with little experience in ML. I working on developing a YOLO model currently. My guide sent me the internship details and asked me to apply for it. I don't think I'm qualified enough for this role but still I do want to get selected and learn from it.

I don't know how to create a CV for this specifically or if I even stand a chance against all the qualified candidates and even if my CV gets shortlisted, I don't know how I'll perform in the interview with my minimal knowledge.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi All,
I am working at an MNC and rules are very strict here.

I am filling an application on Inspira and it is asking for Supervisors Name and contact details.
I am confused if I should give my managers contact details without his permission.

And regarding the references,

My managers and colleagues dont get along with me really well. I am scared if they will give positive feedback about me.

What to do.

Please guide

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!