Finding
A Job At The UN
Learning Where
To Look For A Job In The UN ~ by Michele Ann Jenkins
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| Geneva,
Switzerland is the longtime home of the UN family and supports a thriving
community of ex-pats on long and short term contracts. For anyone
looking for an alternative to teaching English or working as an au pair,
short term employment with the UN is a sometimes overlooked option.
There a seven
UN organizations based in Geneva-- WHO, ILO, WIPO, UIT. Other Europe-based
UN organizations include the FAO in Rome and UNESCO in Paris. Each organization
also has several-- sometimes dozens-- of regional and country offices all
over the world. The majority of employees at UN organizations are renewable
short term contracts (STCs) lasting 3-11 months. STCs cover everything
from web programming, to administrative work, to medical doctors and statisticians.
Negotiating
the UN bureaucratic maze can be daunting, but getting a STC can shortcut
a lot of the complexities of working in another country and lead to an
interesting couple of months that look great on a resume. UN employees
usually do not need to apply for a work visa in the country they are employed
in, nor do they need to pay any taxes on their salary in either their home
country or country of residence. A UN contract can also streamline the
process of renting or buying a home and opening a new bank account. Many
STCs will include a round trip plane ticket from your home country-- but
this doesn't extend to other family members, nor will they usually pay
for any other relocation costs like shipping.
Finding
a job
Finding out
about vacancies at any of these organizations can be the hardest part of
the job. While some organizations maintain online job centers, many openings
are announced only internally or on paper at organization offices. |
| The civilization
of Angkor in present day Cambodia was based on slavery, worship of the
God-King and moving and directing water. The first King to begin the project
of Angkor was Yasorvarman I, who ruled from 889 to 900 A. D.
The backbone of the Angkor empire was an irrigation system, made
up of an extensive network of canals, reserviors and dams, that stretched
from the Siem Reap river to deep into the countryside. The canals linked
up even the most remote settlements of the kingdom. The waterways and the
economic activity that took place along them allowed the kings of Angkor
to expand their power: the kingdom would stretch from the Mekong Delta
to Laos, then across to Thailand and Burma and south towards Malaya |
| The UN
helped restore order to Cambodia in 1991 after the Khmer Rouge and later
the Vietnamese army wrecked the country for 14 years. The UN peacekeeping
mission in Cambodia acted as the blueprint for similar missions in Yugoslavia
and East Timor. (Photo: Angkor Mat: 12th century palace of Suryavarman
II) |
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There are
several different types of UN employment as well as involving complicated
salary scale based on "grades" and "steps". Employees are separated into
three categories: D-staff are directors who are expected to have a Ph.D.
and extensive background in their area as well as general management in
a large organization. P-staff are professionals usually with a MA or at
least a graduate degree and several years experience. G-staff are general
staff who make up most of an organization's staff. Each year of employment
(each 11 month contract counts as a year) earns you 1 step which translates
to a salary increase and often an increase in health and dental benefits.
Knowing the grade of employment you are qualified for will make the job
search easier.
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| The main
offices of the UN in Europe are located in the Palais Des Nations (Palace
of Nations) in Geneva. The Palace was bulit by the League of Nations between
the years 1929-1936. The League chose Geneva as its headquarters in 1919
and built the Palace on a beautiful spot: Ariana Park, Lake Geneva and
Mount Blanc are all within sight from the Palace. |
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UN
organizations also have country quotas that restrict how many people they
can hire from each country and give preference to applicants from under-represented
nations. If you have dual citizenship or are a national of a country besides
the US, UK, or Canada be sure to state this on any esquires or applications.
Knowing one of the organization's 'working languages' besides English is
also an asset. In Geneva the working languages are English, French, and
Spanish. If you aren't fluent in another language-- or are a complete beginner
willing to learn-- you should mention that as well since the UN provides
free language classes to both short and long term staff.
Each organization
has a Personal Information Form that can be downloaded from their website.
The completed form, a copy of your resume, and a passport photo are needed
for each job you apply for through 'official channels'. Less officially,
if you know the name or email address of a potential employer you can try
sending them a cover letter and resume directly.
Living in
Geneva
Geneva itself
is surprisingly small but populated with an amazing cross section of residents
from every corner of the world. It's not uncommon to take a stroll along
Lake Geneva among a crowd of Brits in blue jeans, Italians in red leather
pants, Indian women in saris and fully veiled women from Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately this diversity requires a little more effort to discover
in Geneva's food or nightlife. A usual Friday night out will include Swiss-Italian
food and drinks at one of the many faux Irish pubs in town-- but there's
more to this little town on the lake for those willing to look beneath
the surface. English is the working language for so many Geneva residents
that it's not hard to get by without more than a few phrases of French. |
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The cost of
living is relatively high, especially if you plan to eat out on a regular
basis. Finding and renting an affordable apartment can also
be a time consuming effort. Unless you plan to stay for more than six months
subletting might be a better option. Everyone is always coming and going
in Geneva and many people sublet their apartments while they are on contract
break or duty travel. There are a number of English language classifieds
online as well as rental resources at the Geneva Welcome Center.
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| One
of the highlights of living in Geneva is its location at the center of
Europe. All of Europe seems like it's less than 4 hours away: 3 hours to
Milan by train, 3 1/2 hours to Paris on the TGV high-speed train,
less than two hours to Barcelona, London, or Amsterdam by plane--- not
to mention the Swiss Alps and cities such as Zurich, Bern, and Lugano.
Winter weekends can be spent skiing or snowboarding at several resorts
in the nearby French Alps-- several bus companies run affordable bus and
lift ticket options for day trips. Summer and Fall is the time for High
Alpine hiking and swims in Lake Geneva..
Resources:
http://icsc.un.org/vab/list.htmUN
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT BULLETIN
http://www.un.dk/english/Opportunities/un_family.htmLinks
to UN
organizations
UN Organizations
The World
Health Organization (WHO) Geneva, Switzerland - http://www.who.int
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The International
Labor Organization (ILO) Geneva, Switzerland - www.ilo.gov
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International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) Geneva, Switzerland
Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Rome, Italy - www.fao.int
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| Portugal
left East Timor in 1975 and the Indonesians invaded the same year:
Indonesia officially annexed East Timor in 1976. Talks for independence
from Indonesia began in 1999 and those talks led to UN monitored free elections
in April 2002, with the majority of the people in East Timor voting for
complete independence from Indonesia. |
| The photo
above is from the northern coast of East Timor. Interesting that tree at
the far end of the beach. |
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| Michele
Ann Jenkins is a writer and web developer currently living in Geneva, Switzerland.
You can read more about her travels at www.majink.org/trav |
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