United Nations

Cafeteria Manager

June - September 2019 • Port-au-Prince, Ouest

What I liked

I like the opportunity that it gave me to enlarge my network, meeting people from different nationalities. It also increased my leadership skills, especially when dealing when upper management in UN.

What I wish was different

I wish this experience could be more durable.

Advice

I would suggest to keep studying and keep moving forward your goals, don't study because others are studying, but do it for specific objectives and goals.

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Intern

May - July 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Exciting environment.

What I wish was different

The organization’s mission did not agree with my personal opinions or beliefs.

Advice

Know yourself.

1 One person found this helpful

Intern

September 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Challenging tasks that gave me a lot of valuable experience.

What I wish was different

The responsibility was heavy for an unpaid internship during the school year.

Advice

Make sure you have enough time to take it on. It’s the responsibility of a real job and you have to fit everything in along with other work and school.

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Political Affairs Intern

September 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Fantastic to learn about an intergovernmental organization and the role it plays in a security space like counterterrorism. In many way I have been treated like any other Junior Political Officer and given very substantive tasking.

What I wish was different

The UN is institutionally very frustrating, from in-fighting to the simple lack of accountability and enforcement mechanisms.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask every question that comes to mind. There are no stupid ones and it's an incredibly steep learning curve.

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Project Policy Analyst

January - December 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Access to high-up people at various agencies. Multilateral agency, mission-driven.

What I wish was different

Small team, no peers within the group.

Advice

Take advantage of opportunities to attend meetings at the UN!

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Department of Field Support Intern

June - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I liked being around and working with a diverse group of hardworking people

What I wish was different

I wish that I would have been able to revive a stipend or some type of compensation

Advice

Be prepared to work hard but know the results will be incredibly rewarding

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Project Intern

June - August 2017 • Panama City, Panama City

What I liked

Great on-hands experience

What I wish was different

I wished I would have gotten more involved with the organization as a whole, and not focus so much on the office I was at

Advice

1 One person found this helpful

Adviser

May 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I worked for Permanent Mission of Georgia at the United Nations as an adviser for the First Committee. As a Georgian, it was a huge privileged to represent the interests of my people in the biggest international organization. I worked along honorable diplomats and high level delegations. My primary focus was disbarment and illicit trade of illegal weaponry and small arms.

What I wish was different

Since most of the UN missions do not pay their interns, I applied for Student Affairs Internship Fund that covers the basic costs that could be associated with the experience. I filled out all the documentation on time and sent over the rest to my employer to fill out. Unfortunately, my email went to junk folder and my employer was late to submit the mentioned documents. That way, I worked full time from May until mid August but had to cover all the expenses out of pocket. Moral of the story is that no matter how important the people on the other side are, never hesitate to pick up the phone and call them up to remind them regarding your personal interest. I assumed they had submitted it and simply were too busy to respond to my email. That assumption made me lose out on potential fund I most definitely needed.

Advice

The mentioned internship allowed me to land high profile connections and several potential job opportunities once I graduate. Having experience to work in United Nations is something that not a lot of people can show off on their resume, specially at this age. My internship opportunity was not given to me because I had connections or I read a posting on a website. I reached out to the mention institution (way more than once) and finally I was able to go through a process that took a whole year. That being said, do not wait for the magical day when someone offers you your dream internship or a job, do not limit yourself with the job postings you've been refreshing this whole time. Go and get it yourself, I would have never been where I am right now if I had done so myself.

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Executive Assistant to Ambassador

June - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Great vibe of United Nations and lifetime amazing diplomatic and real political experience.

What I wish was different

I wish it'd been paid internship because it is really expensive to live in New York city.

Advice

Don't get excited too much when you meet highly ranked diplomats, foreign ministers or head of states, just keep your heads up and try to make unforgettable first impression. Diplomatic ethics is a key.

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Intern

May - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I was treated like a coworker and with the utmost respect. Everyone I met was friendly and willing to help me, and the work was varied. There’s always something new and exciting happening at the UN and it’s great to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

What I wish was different

Nothing! I really enjoyed my time there.

Advice

Come in with an open mind. Working at the UN is not like working anywhere else.

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Environment Affairs Intern

May - August 2018 • Incheon, South Korea

What I liked

I learned how sustainable development goals are implemented, measured and calculated. For example, the United States has an SDG index score of 72.7, and I have learned what methods and calculations are used to come up with the number. It was very interesting to experience the benefits of networking. My supervisor connected me with Korean Ministry of Environment and Korea Environment Corporation, which led me to receive full funding and even stipends to participate in a conference as a notetaker. Every task the United Nations does is related to sustainability. As the end of my internship period approached, I could more clearly understand the system and protocol of international organizations. Participating in many activities and conferences as well as working directly within specific sustainability topics allowed me to narrow down options of what I can/want to do after graduating this coming December.

What I wish was different

My internship experience was quite different than other interns in the office. First, most of the fellow interns were pursuing graduate degrees whereas I was just finishing up my bachelors. Second, I wish I received some proper training since I got to travel around to participate in conferences, workshops, and seminars as a notetaker, which is usually what consultants do instead of interns. This was possible because I received fundings from various sources.

Advice

I found my internship opportunity and applied through the official United Nations website. I strongly encourage students to visit their website to search through available positions since there are many internship opportunities throughout various sectors in numerous countries. I say choose the internship that best fits your interest. If the internship site does tasks related to your specific focus, any work you will do is much more engaging. Look for funding opportunities from government, academic, NGOs, the public and private sector and even associations. There are so many scholarships and programs available to make the most of your internship experience. Take all the advantages you can get from the university. For example, I was able to find out about numerous opportunities to fund my internship with the United Nations during a course taught by one of the school's faculty members.

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Intern

May - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I loved being at the UN Secretariat and having access to the wonderful events and meetings there.

What I wish was different

I wish that my internship could have been longer and that I wish I could have gotten paid!!

Advice

I would say make the most of your time and network/ask lots of questions if you are looking to return to the UN one day!

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Wildlife Crime Intern

May - September 2018 • Geneva, Switzerland

What I liked

I was able to work with several different areas within the department to get a better idea of how the Secretariat functioned as a whole.

What I wish was different

I do wish there could have been a stipend to offset the high cost of living in Geneva.

Advice

I would advise anyone looking to apply to a position like this to send in their application as early as possible, as the department I was in seemed to accept interns on a rolling basis over several months.

1 One person found this helpful