What is the experience of internship in the United Nations?

"International vision, China feelings" has always been the motivation for international students to study abroad. Although returnees are not as popular as in previous years, they are not as bad as everyone thinks. The following nine categories share with you what kind of experience it is to practice in the United Nations. Let's have a look.

Practice story sharing

Brief introduction of the author

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Hou zishuang

(pen name)

/Master of International Political Economy, London School of Economics and Political Science/

Will work at the United Nations Headquarters in new york.

/Currently working in the representative offices of the United Nations and the World Bank in China/

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From March to May, 20 17, I worked as an intern at the United Nations Headquarters in new york for two months. I got a short-term contract after my internship.

Although wages are nothing compared with the horribly high prices in Manhattan, new york, they can be self-sufficient. When the contract expires, it is possible to renew it and become a regular employee if the budget allows.

You can apply for an internship in the United Nations on Inspira. New york headquarters has many opportunities and high hit rate. Many China students practice here, but few of them stay after the internship. As a lucky person, I would like to talk about my efforts and experience during my internship, so as to provide reference for students who are interested in internship at the United Nations or even looking forward to staying and working.

How to get internship opportunities and accomplish internship tasks efficiently.

The United Nations Headquarters Building is located in the east of Manhattan, new york City, USA. This 39-story glass-faced slab building is called "Matchbox" because of its square cuboid shape, and it was designed by 10 architects from all over the world, including Liang Sicheng, the son of Liang Qichao.

Looking out from the French window of the dining room on the fourth floor of the United Nations, you can see the beautiful scenery of the East River in Manhattan. Ships come and go in an endless stream, forming an oil painting of Xu Yang in the afternoon. Although the food of the United Nations is not very delicious, it is also a relief to have such beautiful scenery.

Then how can I come in?

The internship selection of the United Nations Headquarters in new york is mainly based on professional fit, previous internship and interview performance. The interview is not difficult, so it is suggested to invest in more departments to improve the hit probability when applying, and to choose a job related to China or development proposition is more likely to be selected. For example, UNDESA, where I work in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, has recruited many people from China, so students can think more about it.

At that time, I applied for nearly 10 jobs and got two interview opportunities. Then at 65,438+00 in the evening, I endured the drowsiness of falling under my eyes and talked with new york across the ocean. After interviewing for 30 minutes, I finally hired one.

The two interview departments I got were related to the content and major of my previous internship. When I was studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science, I got a master's degree in international political economy. The department I applied for was the Development Cooperation Forum of the Ministry of Economic and Social Affairs.

So what do my internship tasks include?

To study the trends and processes in various fields of international cooperation, such as South-South cooperation, public-private partnership, mixed financing, climate change and technology transfer;

Update and improve the information on the website, relevant policies and publications of the Development Cooperation Forum;

In-depth participation in organizing high-level meetings, participating in topic writing, writing background research, propaganda slogans, high-level speeches, guest profiles, invitations and other written materials for high-level forums and United Nations partner forums held in Argentina and Tajikistan in 20 17 and 20 18, and finding and contacting conference stakeholders such as government agencies, international organizations, private enterprises and think tanks.

Full of trivial details

As can be seen from the above work, the work of the United Nations is very trivial. Even regular employees may have to deal with administrative tasks such as sending invitations and adjusting the format of publications. For example, my boss, a senior economic affairs official, asked me for "technical assistance" because the Word document format is not well adjusted, so this job is more suitable for people who are cautious about desk work.

gather

But even consulting materials, writing and revising manuscripts require rich knowledge accumulation and professional skills in related fields. For example, in the field of development cooperation, I need to master official development assistance (ODA), foreign investment (FDI), multilateral financial institutions, public-private partnership (PPP) and other forms of development cooperation, as well as the development trends and related hot topics in these fields.

study

Only in this way can we participate in organizing high-level meetings and writing publications accurately, powerfully and effectively. All these need to be summarized by reading a large number of publications of the United Nations and other international organizations such as the World Bank, the OECD and the International Monetary Fund. At that time, in order to meet the standards of the United Nations as soon as possible, I looked through the publications of previous departments and took some home for research.

In fact, the United Nations does not require high measurement ability, so many statistical data and trend charts need to refer to the OECD. However, the United Nations has a high demand for language, and it needs to be concise, decent and solemn, which depends on laying a good foundation in peacetime.

At present, the number of China people in the United Nations is rapidly expanding, and people from China can be seen from interns at the grass-roots level to officials at the Secretary-General level. As five permanent members and the third largest donor, China has the right to send officials at the level of Deputy Secretary-General to the United Nations. At present, officials sent by China serve as Deputy Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

With the withdrawal of the United States from the TPP, the Belt and Road Initiative in China is in full swing, and China's voice in the United Nations is growing. At present, a major project to be launched by our Ministry is the Belt and Road Policy Research and Capacity Building Project. This means that the United Nations needs more and more China employees to contribute to its development, which is good news for those who are interested in working for the United Nations.

In addition to internship, interns can also attend and attend various high-level meetings of the United Nations. For example, I attended a multi-party forum on the Korean nuclear issue with the participation of US Secretary of State Tilson, China Foreign Minister Wang Yi and UN Secretary-General Guterres, and gained a lot.

Interns can also attend meetings in some professional fields selectively. For example, during my tenure, I also attended a lecture on the role of science and technology in social and economic development, including Google Operations Director, and learned about a series of projects such as Google Balloon, which provided free WIFI for backward areas, thus strengthening the economic and social ties between these areas and the outside world and improving the level of development.

Sharing activities and dinners organized by regular employees are often held at United Nations Headquarters, and people usually make reservations in restaurants next to the United Nations. Students who are interested in continuing their development in the United Nations can actively participate and seek experience from those who have experienced it. For example, there is a very popular Turkish restaurant called "Alibaba" near the United Nations, where people often get together. At first I thought it was Ma Yun, but later I found it was just a coincidence.

The work pressure of the United Nations should be lower than that of private enterprises, and it will be busy when holding particularly important activities. The rest of the time is basically from nine to five, and there are more holidays, such as Happy Friday, which is exclusive to the United Nations. I once went to work on Happy Friday and found the door closed. I thought I was attacked by terrorists. I was shocked. Later, I learned that this is an exclusive festival of the United Nations.

Disadvantages of United Nations internship