UN Profiles

Matt from the UK, United Nations in Vienna

What was your department and posting location - and what did your
job involve?

I was a summer intern at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, Austria. I worked in the external relations department with the UN spokesperson. My primary task was to coordinate information between UNODC's 22 field offices, so I got to input into a range of issues from opium production in Afghanistan to crime and instability in West Africa.

I followed this with a consultancy at the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, where I worked to turn technocratic documents about protecting against nuclear terrorism into a more appealing form for the Agency's donors!

How did you get your position?

I applied for UNODC as a postgraduate student. According to UN rules, you must be enrolled in a university degree while undertaking your internship.

For the consultancy, I kept an ear to the ground while in Vienna and was fortunate enough to hear of the opportunity at the IAEA. It was then as simple as sending off the UN's personal history form - the P11 - and a covering letter!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved with the UN?

Think about what kind of skills your have to offer. The UN recruits people from a wide range of professions and background, from scientists and security personnel to public information and political affairs specialists. The sooner you find your niche, the better!

What qualification or experience was the most useful for getting into the UN?

Although I was studying for Master's while at the UN, I already had almost 2 years work experience. I'd say this definitely helped my application. Dispelling one of the many UN myths, I didn't have a second language. While knowledge of two or more official UN languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russia and Chinese) is a great benefit, for headquarters placements fluent English is often sufficient.

What is most satisfying about working for the UN?

The truly international environment was the best thing about being at the UN. In my office alone I sat with people from all over the world: Austria, the USA, Comoros, China and Peru.


UNITED NATIONS PROFILES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt from the UK, United Nations in Vienna What was your department and posting location - and what did your job involve? I was a summer intern at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, Austria. I worked in the external relations department with the UN spokesperson. My primary task was to coordinate information between UNODC's 22 field offices, so I got to input into a range of issues from opium production in Afghanistan to crime and instability in West Africa. I followed this with a consultancy at the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, where I worked to turn technocratic documents about protecting against nuclear terrorism into a more appealing form for the Agency's donors! How did you get your position? I applied for UNODC as a postgraduate student. According to UN rules, you must be enrolled in a university degree while undertaking your internship. For the consultancy, I kept an ear to the ground while in Vienna and was fortunate enough to hear of the opportunity at the IAEA. It was then as simple as sending off the UN's personal history form - the P11 - and a covering letter! What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved with the UN? Think about what kind of skills your have to offer. The UN recruits people from a wide range of professions and background, from scientists and security personnel to public information and political affairs specialists. The sooner you find your niche, the better! What qualification or experience was the most useful for getting into the UN? Although I was studying for Master's while at the UN, I already had almost 2 years work experience. I'd say this definitely helped my application. Dispelling one of the many UN myths, I didn't have a second language. While knowledge of two or more official UN languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russia and Chinese) is a great benefit, for headquarters placements fluent English is often sufficient. What is most satisfying about working for the UN? The truly international environment was the best thing about being at the UN. In my office alone I sat with people from all over the world: Austria, the USA, Comoros, China and Peru.