Location: worldwide.
Compensation: varies.
Duration: 6-26 weeks with the possibility of extension.
Application deadline: depending on the vacancy.
UNICEF is one of the few UN agencies to change its internship policy from unpaid to paid internships. Interested students and graduates can apply for a variety of intern positions in multiple areas within the mandate of UNICEF, including Operations, Program and Policy, and External Relations. Different UNICEF offices around the world offer internships based on their need and capacity, so it is difficult to predict what kind of internships will be available in near future.
Interns’ duties and responsibilities will depend on the office they will be assigned to; however, interns can expect to take part in research projects, databases management or communications.
To apply for an internship with UNICEF, you must complete an online application and submit it through UNICEF e-recruitment system. Once you are registered in the system, you can submit multiple applications.
The core eligibility requirements include:
- A university degree (at least undergraduate, enrolled or graduated in the past two years) with demonstrated strong academic performance.
- Minimum 18 years of age.
- Fluency in English, French or Spanish. Knowledge of another UNICEF working language is desirable.
- Having no immediate relatives in any UNICEF office and no relatives in the line of the authority to which the intern will report to.
Other requirements such as relevant professional experience and skills are vacancy-specific. Not all internships offered by different UNICEF agencies are paid. When they are, the stipend amount will depend on the office and their capacities. For instance, the standard stipend given to interns at the UNICEF Headquarters in Geneva amounts to USD 1,500.
Please note that a UNICEF internship is not a guarantee of any future employment at UNICEF.
To see which internships are available at UNICEF at the moment, please visit the official website and the UNICEF job board.
UNICEF also offers a free online course.
