How much does a UN employee receive per month - salaries in international organizations. Specialty "international affairs": practice and work in the OSCE, the UN and the EU Work in the UN reviews

Vladislav Satisfied, a former intern at the Department of Political Affairs for Central and Central Asia at the United Nations Office in New York, told how one can complete an internship without knowing the language, meet the minister during lunch, and why it is impossible to get a job at the UN.

Why the UN?

There was no desire to get specifically to the UN, there was an interest just to go on an internship abroad. At that time, it was a huge adventure, since I never studied English in depth and, accordingly, knew the language very poorly (approx. Vlad's profile language is German). When I arrived in the US, I had several pages of text written by my girlfriend with me:
what I had to say at customs to get me into the country.

What was the procedure for applying for an internship?

It was necessary to fill out a questionnaire, write a motivation letter and provide confirmation from the university department that we have English in the teaching load. I filled out the questionnaire somewhere in September and already before the new year I received a confirmation letter that I was accepted for an internship, a list of necessary documents for applying for a visa was also attached to the letter.

How did you manage to overcome the language barrier?

I was lucky, the head of the department, like my curator Brian, knew Russian. I can’t imagine how I would have done my internship if there weren’t people there who don’t understand Russian or are unable to say something in it. Otherwise, all my communication with them would be reduced to communication by email.

What were your responsibilities?

My job was pretty simple. I needed to track the events that took place in Central and Central Asia via the Internet. For this work, they were specifically looking for an intern from Russia, since in Central and Central Asia you can find more information in Russian than in English.

Describe the everyday life of a UN intern.

My working day began formally at 9 am, but here is the story: everyone was usually late for 20-30 minutes, that is, if you come at 9:30, then no one tells you anything, if you come at 10 am, they can make you remark, but later to come is already “not comme il faut”. I arrived at 9:30, in fact, like most of the department's employees. I had a general job, monitoring sites, collecting information on various policies, on the situation with water in a given region, that is, local questions on a specific place: what is happening in this region, who controls what, what moods, etc. Some collection of information. In addition, there were some questions related to private assignments. For example, one day an online meeting was organized between representatives of the central, Geneva and Kyrgyz offices, I had to make a report of this meeting. This was one of the most difficult tasks for me, because when 5-6 people speak a lot and very quickly, it is difficult to understand and take notes at the same time. I asked the curator if I could use a voice recorder and they told me that it was not possible, as this was classified information. However, I understood that without a voice recorder I would fail the task, so I hid the voice recorder in my shirt pocket and already at home deciphered the recording, which I deleted immediately after compiling the report and so far I have not told anyone what we were talking about then.
I was not particularly loaded for two reasons. The first is my low level of language, and the second is the high level of secrecy. The information that I collected is not secret, however, a further report to the management with certain conclusions based on the information I collected was marked “secret”.
Once a week, on Thursdays, we had a "week meeting" analogous to the Russian "letuchki". We talked about what the department is doing, what data is needed, what was done in a week. Thursday is a very convenient day, because if something needs to be completed this week, then there is still Friday.

What interesting things happened during off-duty hours?

At lunchtime, you can go to the "brown rally". The idea of ​​a “brown rally” is simple: in one of the conference halls of the UN building, employees gather for lunch, and at the same time they listen to speakers, ask questions, discuss, i.e. combine the pleasant with the useful. In fact, this is another “working meeting”, only you can also eat at it. Moreover, high-level people speak at these meetings, for example, once I listened to a speech by a deputy minister, and another time by an ambassador. What was strange to me was how a person can eat their own burger and ask the minister about the report at the same time. I can hardly imagine how I would eat during the speech of the dean at my faculty, or how the chairman of the committee of the city government at a meeting in Smolny would tell something to chewing people.

Were there any special events for interns?

I was the only trainee in my department. As a rule, there was one trainee in each department, but if the department is large, then two trainees worked. During my internship, 300 interns worked at the UN Headquarters in New York. We were given orientation lectures in the first days, where we were told about safety and other aspects of the work of interns.
Interns were given special cards to enter the UN building. The same cards provided the right to free admission to various cultural institutions, such as museums.

How realistic is it to get a job at the UN after an internship?

There is practically no chance. In order to officially get a job at the UN, you must work "in the fields." These are UN missions in developing countries, lasting 2-3 years, which are also very difficult to get into without practical skills. After that, you get in line for a vacant position. In addition, the number of languages ​​​​that you know is of great importance - the more, the better. If you are nevertheless hired, then first you go through a long trial period, after the trial period they conclude a contract with you for one, then for two years, and so on. To reach the rank of department head, you must have worked in the organization for at least 15 years, excluding work in the fields.
The second option is when you have worked somewhere else, you are a valuable specialist and you are invited to the UN. So, some former diplomats of the post-Soviet space ended up working in this organization.
Third option. I still think there are other workarounds. We had one of the orientation lectures, led by a young man of 24 years old. He held a position that, due to age and formal requirements, he could not hold, but nevertheless, he worked at the UN.

Did the internship help with finding a job in Russia?

Employers are usually interested in practical work experience. I was almost never asked about an internship during employment. In general, an internship abroad usually tells the employer that the applicant speaks a foreign language at a level sufficient for communication. Although in my case, at that moment, this statement was controversial.

Working in a team with people from different parts of the world, participating in decision-making that affects global politics, traveling to different countries - a career in international organizations has a number of advantages.

There is no universal recipe for making a career in an international organization. "Viele Wege führen nach oben," says Hans Willmann, host of the podium discussion "Careers in International Associations and Organizations" at the German Foreign Ministry at the end of January. "There are many paths leading to the cherished goal", but these are not always wide straight highways with signs; often you have to tread a bypass path on your own - through practices, internships and volunteer programs.

United Nations

United Nations building in New York

The United Nations, the largest international organization, needs no special introduction. Created at the end of World War II, today it has 192 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Germany. The working languages ​​of the UN are English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

"The United Nations Secretariat is constantly looking for knowledgeable and hardworking specialists of various profiles from different regions of the world," - these words open the "Employment Opportunities" section on the organization's official website. Getting into the UN is not easy, but nothing is impossible. In order to maintain a "geographical balance", the selection of employees to the UN Secretariat is carried out on a national basis within the framework of the National Competitive Recruitment Examinations (NCRE) program.

Every year, the organization's website publishes a list of countries whose citizens can apply for employment in the most important body of the UN. Russia and Germany are widely represented in the Secretariat, so in 2009 neither Russians nor Germans were recruited. "At the moment, the recruitment system in the UN Secretariat is being reformed. The electronic system "Galaxy" in the spring of 2010 will be replaced by a new, improved program," - said an employee of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Theresia Redigolo (Theresia Redigolo). She advises to regularly visit the organization's website and check if there are any quotas for recruiting employees from your country in the current year. The start of the qualifying round for the NCRE program is in August.

Practice at the UN

Getting an internship at the United Nations is easier than getting a job there. For example, an internship at the New York Headquarters is theoretically open to any senior student who is studying a specialty related to the work of the UN (international relations, law, economics, political science, journalism, demography, translation, public administration), is fluent in English or French and ... able to independently take care of the financing of the practice.

The UN budget does not include funds for the payment of fees to interns. Experts estimate the cost of living in New York at five thousand dollars a month. If this amount did not scare you away - the next deadline for applying for a two-month internship in New York (The United Nations Headquarters Internship Program) in September-November 2010 is mid-May.

You can, of course, find a city where the cost of living is not as high as in New York for an internship at the UN or one of the related organizations (UNICEF, UNESCO, WTO and others). For example, Nairobi, Madrid, Hamburg, Bangkok or Turin. A list of current vacancies can be found at the link at the bottom of the article.

OSCE

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe includes 56 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Germany. The history of the OSCE goes back to 1973-1975, when at the peak of the Cold War the warring parties at a meeting in Helsinki decided to conclude a truce. The goals of the organization are conflict prevention and crisis management. The official languages ​​are English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian.

Christo Polendakov

A great way to try out for the OSCE is the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) program. "The program includes three months of work in the secretariat in Vienna and six months of so-called "field work" in the OSCE representations in Central Asia, the Caucasus, South-East Europe or the Balkans," says Head of the OSCE Recruitment Section Kristo Polendakov ( Christo Polendakov).

Participants of the JPO program receive about a thousand euros per month. "This is not a lot of money, but practice shows that this is enough. The main "profit" of the program interns is the experience gained," adds Kristo Polendakov. This experience provides, according to him, advantages when applying for work in the OSCE, but does not guarantee employment.

The OSCE staff member notes that the university that the candidate graduated from also plays an important role in the selection of personnel. "Cambridge, Oxford and MGIMO are a sign of quality. However, in the modern world, the requirements are much wider. The knowledge of any of us can be useful in a certain situation. You need to be in the right place at the right time," says Kristo Polendakov, himself a graduate of MGIMO.

Practice in the OSCE

Practice in the OSCE - invaluable experience

You can take an internship at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna or at one of the offices in the Czech Republic, Moldova, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan or Ukraine. There is no OSCE office in Russia, the nearest representations are in Minsk and Kyiv.

Practice in the OSCE lasts from two to six months and is not paid. Students of the last courses not older than 30 years old from countries that are members of the organization can apply. To do this, you need to fill out a questionnaire on the OSCE website and send it along with an essay in which you need to justify your desire to do an internship, and (optionally) a CV by e-mail or regular mail three months before the planned start of the internship.

European Union

Plenary Hall of the European Parliament, Brussels

Citizens of countries outside the European Union, the entrance to the EU as employees, in theory, ordered. However, there are no rules without exceptions. "If a candidate from Russia, for example, wants to do an internship under a member of the European Parliament who deals with EU-Russia relations, then an exception can be made for him," says Brigitte Müller-Reck, an employee of the European Parliament's personnel department. ).

Another opportunity to get an internship in the European Parliament is the Robert Schumann Scholarship (Robert-Schuman-Praktikum). It is of two types - for all specialties and for journalists. One of the conditions is that the candidate must be a graduate of a university in one of the EU member states. The practice lasts five months. The nearest deadline for submitting documents is from March 15 to April 15.

Russian Irina Figut participated in the Robert Schumann program in the fall of 2008. Her tasks included communicating with the press and working on a corporate publication. “I did an internship at the European Parliament in Luxembourg. But we also attended sections in Brussels and Strasbourg,” says Irina. She especially liked to watch the parliamentary sessions, and to be an eyewitness of how the voting takes place and political decisions important for the whole world are made.

Context

How to find a place for an internship, how to properly prepare for it, and what should you pay attention to when receiving a certificate of completion? The answers to these and other questions can be found in the Deutsche Welle Help. (30.04.2009)

Do you want to prevent environmental degradation, help poor countries develop their economies, resolve civil conflicts, or promote social justice and the redistribution of capital? You will definitely be able to find the perfect job for you at the United Nations. The UN is a huge employer and offers opportunities for career advancement and career path choices comparable to those in large private companies. Although the competition for most positions is quite intense, with enough preparation and a bit of luck, you will have a chance to land your dream job at the UN.

Steps

Training

Browse the UN website to learn more about the organization's different areas of work. What areas of activity interest you the most? Are there any areas for which you already have the right qualifications? Are there areas in which you would like to work, but for which you do not have the right skills and experience? Do a little research on the organization and its structure before you start looking for open positions. A lot of useful information can be found on the following websites:

• UN official website (http://careers.un.org)
• UN Job Monster website (http://www.unjobmonster.com)
• UN Job List website (http://unjoblist.org)

1. Decide which category you would like to work in. Careers at the UN are divided into several categories, each of which has certain requirements for the level of education and area of ​​specialization. Within each category, there are several levels of positions that differ in terms of previous work experience requirements. Based on your skills, interests and experience, choose the category and level that suits you. Here are your options:

   • Professional and higher categories (P and D)
   • General service and related categories (G, TC, S, PIA, LT)
   • National Specialists (NO)
   • Field Service (FS)
   • Senior positions (SG, DSG, USG and ASG)

2. Make sure you have the required education and skills. Each position has specific educational and work experience requirements. Before applying for any position, make sure you meet all of its requirements; otherwise, your candidacy will not be considered. Here is a list of some of the requirements that are found in many UN vacancies:

   • Proficiency in English or French (these are the working languages ​​of the UN). Knowledge of additional languages ​​such as Arabic, Chinese, Spanish or Russian is also preferred.
   • Bachelor's degree or higher. Some low-level general positions (mostly administrative and clerical positions in the General Service category) require only a high school diploma and usually suitable work experience, but most UN positions require at least a bachelor's degree. Many specialized positions require higher academic degrees in the specialty.
   • Experience in a relevant field. Depending on the position, you may be required from 1 to 7 years of work experience.

3. Pass the oral exam. The oral exam includes an interview with the admissions committee, the purpose of which is to determine whether you have the skills and characteristics that are required to work in your specialty at the UN. Based on the results of this exam, you will know whether you will become a YPP member or not.

4. Get approval from the Central Board of Examiners. If you successfully pass the interview, you will be approved by the Central Examination Board for a position on the YPP work roster. When the next vacancy opens in your specialty, you will be offered this position.

   • Getting approval from the Central Examination Board does not guarantee a job. Although your chances of finding a job will be extremely high, a job offer depends on the number of open vacancies in your specialty.
   • If you did not pass the final exam, you will be notified that you have not been approved by the Central Examination Board.

• Paul is an advantage. Article 8 of the UN Charter states: "The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the right of men and women to participate in any capacity and under equal conditions in its principal and subsidiary organs." However, there is a clause in the UN Employment Regulations (ST/AI/2006/3, Section 9.3) that gives women the right to receive benefits in the process of applying for a job. If you are a woman and are on the UN job roster (a list of candidates who have been approved by the commission but have not received a job offer), your name will remain on the roster for three years", which means you can expect a job offer during that time. Men remain on the register for only two years.
• Be extremely careful when applying. Check spelling and grammar, information integrity, etc. Remember that every small blot can be a reason for your exclusion from the competition, especially since employers are usually inundated with thousands of applications.
• Submit your application as soon as possible. Employers usually don't take last-minute applications very seriously. In addition, there is no doubt that a large number of applications will come at the last moment, which means that your candidacy will be considered less carefully if your application is one of the last. Applications sent after the vacancy closes will not be considered.
• People who apply for jobs at the UN usually know someone in the organization. Do you know anyone? Think about how you can meet people who could help you get a job at the UN. Despite the principles and rules, merit is not always the key to employment at the UN. Also keep in mind the quotas of employees from each country and biases about certain countries - these factors can either work in your favor or hurt your chances.
• Feel free to find out more about the vacancy via email or phone. For example, you might ask if the position is open to lower-level UN staff. This way you will know what kind of competition you have. At the same time, don't be surprised if your attempts to get more information about the position are not successful.

On the one hand, it is not difficult, on the other hand, a lot depends not on you. First of all, the number of places (quotas for people) from each country is limited. It is also best that you match the required vacancy at the UN. Most often, the UN mission requires doctors, teachers, social workers, volunteers, lawyers, administrative staff and even experts in the economy (if we are talking about humanitarian missions).

The requirements for volunteers and interns are much less. For a lawyer or even a translator, you will need a master's degree and work experience. In addition, you need to know 2-3 languages ​​from the official languages ​​of the UN. For example, Russian + English (required as the language of international cooperation). Plus, you need the language of the region in which you are transferred.

Interns are usually students, both local and foreign. This is unpaid work, often not full-time. In time, it can last six months. After the "internship" you can not immediately apply for vacancies, you need to wait at least a year. These are the rules adopted by the UN. A service contract with long-term consultants is also possible. Usually these are contracts for 6-12 months, possibly with renewal. This is a project, not a permanent job. Another employment option: a short contract is concluded with local consultants for 3-6 months for piece work.

Another large group are international employees. Usually these are professional employees with an annually renewed contract. The wages here are naturally higher, since they live in a foreign country. If there is a family, then the payment increases slightly.

In addition, there are international consultants. A contract with them can be concluded for a certain number of days. The requirements for candidates are very high and, of course, they receive an appropriate salary.

If we are talking about UN peacekeeping operations, then the personnel are recruited from professional military or reserve officers of the UN member countries.

To apply, you need to download Form P-11 from the official website. It is a simple questionnaire that you fill out and send by e-mail. Then a commission of 3-5 people reviews it anonymously and makes a decision. This is followed by an interview with the candidate. You can see in advance where the UN missions are located and answer in the language of the country where you want to go.

Your active work as a student or your active civic activity are valued. For example, election observer, student parliament, participation in UN models, donation, volunteering.

Plus, yes, you're right, mission specific. It's one thing if it's a humanitarian mission to help children, then teachers and pediatricians are needed. It's another matter if the recovery after disasters, then engineers, builders, designers and the same volunteers are needed.

And again, if you are a volunteer or temporary employee, then you are taken on some kind of mission, if you are a permanent employee, then your versatility and the ability to help in different places are appreciated, for example, if you are a doctor.

Reply

Comment

Last academic year, MSLU created a pilot group of the strongest 5th year students of the Faculty of Translation, who, under the guidance of the head of the English Department I.M. Shokina took part in the preparation program for the UN exams in simultaneous translation. Oleg Lovkov, a graduate of the MSLU Faculty of Translation, spoke about his internship at the United Nations, the role of the Russian language as the official language of the UN, and employment prospects for graduates of our university.

- Oleg, tell us, what are the requirements for candidates who want to get an internship at the UN?

Firstly, knowledge of at least two foreign languages ​​that are official languages ​​of the United Nations. I speak English and French. Secondly, openness and communication skills are important selection criteria.

What department did you train in?

I did an internship in the Verbatim Recording Service. At all meetings, transcripts are kept, they are transferred to the English service and translated into English, and then sent to other languages. My responsibilities included translating wall reports from English into Russian.

- In your service men or women predominated?

The UN is trying to maintain a gender balance in all services, as this organization gives equal rights to both women and men.

- Did you have to acquire additional knowledge and skills that you did not receive at the university?

During the internship, I got the specifics of translating sten reports. I'm not sure what specifically teaches this somewhere specifically. The speeches of the speakers are quite complex both in terminology and in the construction of sentences. Sentences can be very long, but they cannot be broken up: when translating, the same structure must be maintained. Sometimes I struggled for thirty minutes over one sentence, but there is a lot of text, and I need to have time to translate everything. In addition, it is necessary to protect the honor of the university! I felt this responsibility. The first text I translated was literally full of corrections. Then we analyzed it with the head of the Russian section, after which, already taking into account previous mistakes, I translated the rest of the texts much better. But the first pancake is lumpy, I think everyone is like that. It must be taken into account that when translating excerpts from the Charter or the UN Resolution, one cannot change a word: everything is very strict. The rest of the knowledge and skills acquired at our university was enough for me.

- Describe the everyday life of an intern.

The working day lasts eight hours with a break for lunch. The schedule is flexible: you can come at nine o'clock, and at eleven, the main thing is to fulfill the norm. At first, I was advised to pay attention to quality, not quantity. In addition, interns do not have a strict norm, but it is desirable to do as much as possible, work quickly and efficiently, as this is a real chance to prove themselves. Employees have a norm of five texts in two days. By the end of the internship, I reached this standard.

All interns have a curator who notified us by e-mail about activities and events. In the first few weeks, we were shown how different services work. We went to meetings of the General Assembly of the Security Council, visited the simultaneous translation service, the UN library, watched how it works. The library has its own terminological base, which has been compiled for several years. Now everything is being digitized and entered into the UN database. And in the evenings, jazz evenings were arranged: ordinary employees gathered a musical group and invited interns to perform as well.

Of course, there were weekends and free time after work. I visited America for the first time, for me it was a culture shock. There is definitely something to see in New York. The city is very unusual, life in it boils day and night. I think it's my atmosphere.

One of the main goals of the United Nations is the development of friendly relations between countries and peoples...

The UN has a very friendly staff. Whoever I meet, everyone is ready to help and answer questions. In fact, this is a clear example of intercultural communication, which is taught at MSLU. I saw different nations in the UN. There were also indigenous peoples who walked in loincloths. Employees, of course, are advised to follow the dress code. But a strict dress code is followed in the building of the UN Secretariat and in the General Assembly. And where the translation service is located, there are no hard and fast rules.

A translator is a specialist not only in the field of linguistics, but also a connoisseur of different cultures, a person who is well versed in the political and economic spheres. In a word, this is an erudite person ...

Yes, definitely. The specifics of working at the UN implies knowledge of the geopolitical situation in the world, professional orientation in all important topics. If you need to clarify the features of a country, for example, Cuba, then you should go up to the Spanish section and get an answer to your question from the Cubans working there. Any UN staff member can be contacted for assistance. I never felt that I was inferior in rank: I was treated as an equal member of the team.

- How would you characterize the profession of an interpreter? Who is the translator?

A translator is a person who is able to masterfully connect two cultures so that the fact of translation is invisible.

If we talk about Russian, which is the official language of the UN, what does this status of mother tongue mean for our country and for you personally?

The Russian language is in great demand and is on an equal footing with other official UN languages. There is a lot of work in Russian because the meetings are held mainly in English, French and Spanish, and everything must be translated. But this is even good, since sitting back is boring.

- Have you ever felt a specific attitude towards Russia or towards Russians?

No, people don't judge Russia because they're on the news. Everyone has already understood that you need to get to know a person personally and have your own opinion about everything. There was no prejudice.

Yes, being where all world events are unfolding, attending meetings and translating serious texts of the Security Council, of course, you feel your involvement. Working at the UN and seeing with my own eyes what I used to see only on TV is very cool.

- This is a big step for a future career. What range of opportunities opens up after an internship at the UN?

I would like to try my hand at simultaneous translation. Perhaps I will teach at our university. But now I was offered to do another internship at UN television. They have excellent large studios, but there are no Russian specialists yet. I have already completed and sent the form. If everything works out, then this year I will once again go for an internship at the UN.

- What would you wish our students and graduates? How to achieve the same results that you have achieved?

In the UN, first of all, a good knowledge of the native language is valued. You must be fluent in your language, be able to speak beautifully, read books, and, of course, learn foreign languages. Everything that our university gives must be absorbed, because in the end everything will come in handy at the most unexpected moment. During the two months of the internship, I took advantage of many of the knowledge that MSLU gave me.

Interview prepared by Natalia Bukina