Dear Aspirant,

Clearly I feel, that you are fantasising things too much...

Please come down to earth.

To become a part of UN, you need to have strong qualifications, experience of atleast 15 years in your domain, mainly politics, development, economics, public services, public policy, etc.

Best wishes

Dear Simran,

Getting into the UN is extraordinary and I would say hold on to this aspiration for ever as anything is possible. I am currently doing my research for UN and from my experience I would say, you will need a basic degree from a well recognised college in India. Also don't forget that UN will only consider the brightest minds and please make sure you don't just pass with a merit but get a Distinction in your degree.
UN will largely need candidates from the Social sciences background like Economics, History, Politics, Sociology, Psychology, Development studies and also Management. But do not forget that UN also has technical roles like Database administration and stuff.
To correct on Anand Wadadekar's comment, UN dosen't recruit those with only 15 years of experience. They also recruit freshers and they have internship opportunities for college students as well. So keep an eye on their internship opportunities and apply for one in your related discipline. Hope this helps. All the best.

Dear Simran,

Well, good question. I think we have had telephonic conversation about choosing right career. Are you still confused?

As far jobs at UN is concerned, its really rewarding but competitive to get into UN. There are various ways to get into United Nations.

United Nations Volunteer Program: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that supports human development globally by promoting volunteerism. Please check more details at: www.unv.org/
Be part of it and serve as a volunteer. Upon completion of the voluntary task, UN provides certificate which may help you.

Internship Programs: The UN also offers internship program. You may work at UN. For more details, check this: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=ip

Temporary jobs and consultant positions: UN has temporary jobs and consultants. UN considers qualification (usually masters in social science, science, public health, management sciences and job specific qualification), experience (5-15 years based on the level of positions, higher level position requires higher experience) and competencies. Strengthen your skills, competencies and keep watch on career opportunities at UN.

Competencies and Values required to work with UN:

If you aspire to work with UN, you must have following core values and key competencies-
Core Values:
Integrity
Professionalism
Respect for diversity
Key Competencies:
Communication
Teamwork
Planning and organizing
Accountability
Creativity
Commitment to Continuous Learning

In addition to qualification, experiences and meeting core values and key competencies, UN demands other competencies based on your job profile. Please refere to below link for more details- https://careers.un.org/lbw/attachments/competencies_booklet_en.pdf

Hope this helps you. Wish you best luck for your bright career,
Apurva Kumar Pandya, PhD

Becoming a part of the United Nations (UN) can be a rewarding and impactful career choice. Here are some possible ways for an undergraduate (UG) student to work towards joining the UN:

Pursue Relevant Studies: Choose a field of study that aligns with the work of the UN. International relations, political science, global studies, development studies, economics, human rights, law, and social sciences are some common areas of focus. Acquiring a strong educational background in these fields can provide a solid foundation for a UN career.

Volunteer and Intern: Seek volunteer opportunities or internships with organizations that collaborate with or are affiliated with the UN. Many UN agencies, programs, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) offer internships that provide hands-on experience in areas such as research, policy analysis, project management, and advocacy. This can help you gain practical knowledge and build a network within the UN system. rankdle