There are over 200 international organisations employing over 100,000 staff. Recruitment varies from centrally-managed competitions to individual job adverts, especially at mid and senior levels. Most organisations use centralised programmes to recruit staff at more junior levels, e.g. young professionals or graduates with 1-2 years’ experience (see Young Professional Programmes).
In addition, there are a number of websites that advertise jobs vacancies from a range of international organisations These sites can be accessed via the links on the right hand side of this page.
Warning: there have been reported cases of bogus sites claiming to offer job opportunities in the UN and other organisations. Applicants are never asked to make any payment at any stage of the recruitment process, and are not asked to submit information on bank accounts.
The UN is a large and diverse body, with over 80,000 staff in offices around the world working on a wide range of issues, from human rights to cultural heritage. As well as the Secretariat, there are over 250 other UN programmes and agencies, including UNICEF, the UN Development Programme and the World Health Organisation. Most parts of the UN family advertise vacancies online to both internal and external candidates.
Access the UN Secretariat jobs portal, and learn more about careers in the UN.
The International Civil Service Commission website contains links to the employment and vacancy pages of 40 UN bodies.
The international financial institutions are the largest providers of development finance to developing countries. They include:
The last 10 years have seen a huge growth in global funds, set up to tackle specific global issues. These include the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the Global Alliance on Vaccines (GAVI), the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Drug Purchasing Facility (UNITAID). These organisations do not operate any centralised recruitment, and instead recruit staff as vacancies arise.
The EU is an important donor, with delegations in over 100 countries. Unlike other organisations, the EU typically recruits through centrally-run competitions, known as ‘concours’. Individuals who have been successful in those competitions are placed on a reserve list and may then apply for vacancies within the organisation. Their employment with the EU will only start when they make a successful application and take up a post.
The EU runs separate competitions for different categories of staff, including administrative staff, professional/policy staff, interpreters and translators, and legal staff. As well as competitions for permanent staff, there are also smaller, more frequent competitions for temporary contract staff.
Access the European Commission website publishing details of recruitment processes and upcoming EC competitions.
The EU competitions are highly competitive. Under the ‘European Fast Stream’ programme, the UK government recruits a small number of graduates each year and provides them with experience and training that will boost their chances of passing the EU competitions. Participants are based in a UK Civil Service department and also have the chance to work in the European Commission for five months on an internship.
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