United Nations Internships

Overview

Search official UN internship openings across departments and duty stations.

About United Nations Careers

United Nations internships place students and recent graduates directly within UN Secretariat departments and offices worldwide, giving firsthand exposure to how the UN's day-to-day policy, research and administrative work happens. Most are unpaid (a long-standing point of criticism of the programme), typically last two to six months, and are commonly used as a stepping stone toward the UN's more competitive entry-level recruitment tracks like the Young Professionals Programme.

Benefits & Compensation

• Varies by agency

Requirements & Eligibility

• Target level: Students and recent graduates

How to Apply

1. 1Create a profile on the UN careers portal (careers.un.org) and browse internship postings by department, duty station and academic field.
2. 2Confirm you meet the academic requirement — typically enrollment in or recent completion of a relevant graduate-level degree program.
3. 3Apply directly to specific internship postings that match your field, since the UN does not run one general internship pool covering every department.