So… You want to work for a UN Agency? My Internship Experience.
Beginners take on how to land an internship at an International Organization
So ever since I shared where I was interning in July 2019, many people have asked me multiple questions about how I started, what I did do to get the internship and how I found the experience. I thought this was great way to kick off my writing on medium!
Why the UN World Food Program: African Risk Capacity?
Early in 2019, whilst studying abroad in Australia I felt this intense need to gain experience in my field as a public health professional. I wanted to have more guidance on where I would focus my postgraduate studies. I was very much interested in the future of public health and where I could play a role.
I also have a great passion for global issues which started at a very young age. My passions also lie international development (specifically in my home continent Africa), disease prevention and sustainable public health interventions, so I only found it fitting to look into opportunities in an international organisation. For me this was a bold choice as we were groomed to believe that those jobs were for people who had way more experience than I had but I went for it anyway.
I decided to see if there were internships available within South Africa on the World Food Program’s (WFP) Job portal. Luckily, I stumbled upon this amazing opportunity here in South Africa and decided to apply right away.
How was the application process?
I must mention before explaining the process, that most of the time, to work for the UN or many of its sub-organizations, you must be in the process of getting an advanced degree (ie. Master’s degree or above). Sometimes however, you may come across a few gems that don’t require that, like my position as an intern where they were looking for people who are completing their undergraduate degrees.
Having no family or friends in the UN system, the entire process was new to me. I didn’t have anyone to consult but the internet, so shout out to those of you who posted their experiences online. It really helped me !
Anyways, like most jobs I was required to upload my CV and Cover Letter for the position. I was also expected to answer a few questions about my interest in the African Risk Capacity, my background, my skills, and my availability. Once that was submitted and complete I had to do a written assessment where my skill sets and technical knowledge was being tested. My experience was slightly unique because I was required to complete this test over Skype as I was still living in Melbourne at the time.
As noted on the website, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the next steps in the application process. Luckily for me, I heard back within 3 weeks that I had been shortlisted and selected for an interview!
Did you have to interview?
Yes! After receiving an email stating that I was shortlisted for the internship, I had an hour long interview with a panel consisting of my current (and awesome) supervisor and HR staff members. We went through my CV, spoke about my interests and the internship’s terms of reference. I personally really enjoy interviews because who can talk better about you and your interests than yourself?!
It was a great dialogue during which I was able to answer questions, ask questions and talk more about my interests outside of work.
Within the same week of my interview, I received the great news that I had been selected as the Outbreaks and Epidemics intern! At the time, I was still abroad in Melbourne so I was so excited and immediately began planning my trip to back home to South Africa.
How long was the Internship? What exactly did you do?
Right to the good stuff!
My internship was 8 months long.
My official duties and responsibilities were a mixture of administrative and technical work. This. included the following: knowledge management and communication (organising events, writing reports), research and data management (online database management, research on pathogens etc..) country and donor engagements ( host workshops, draft concept notes and presentations, participate in meetings). I was fortunate enough to participate in much more of what the team is doing.
Reflecting on your internship experience, how did you find it?
Reflecting on my personal experience working at the African Risk Capacity as an intern has proved to be immensely valuable to advancing my professional career, it was also a cherished turning point in not only to my career but also to me as a human being. Having the opportunity to participate on missions and to work in the field allowed me to put my academic experience into good use. Dividing the team into five different working streams worked well as it allowed me to gain insight on all the various levels of the project and also provided me with insight into different career pathways. I also got the opportunity to work with data analysts and learn statistical data language R, which is something I had not learnt during my time at Monash.
Working in a team such as the one at ARC has made me value of sharing experiences and constantly sharing ideas. I also got the chance to work for an international organization. I went from reading about these various organisations on news bulletins online to having the chance to understand and know what it is like to work at these places from the inside. Huge.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet dignitaries, work under an incredibly accomplished and immensely supportive supervisor, learn from amazing staff members and build skills that will enhance not only my personal and professional growth, but my educational growth as well.
A word for the new graduate looking for professional experience?
Honestly, it would be brave and just go for it! Did I think I would have an opportunity like this so early on in my career? nope. I thought I needed to be a more experienced, better version of myself to get there and it’s simply not true. What is there to lose by shooting your shot at that big law firm or international organisation? nothing.
Make job seeking portals part of your daily social media intake.
These are my go to’s:
- unjobs.org
- reliefweb.int/jobs
What’s next for you?
Well, for the most part I look forward to completing my Honours degree in Demography and Population Studies at the University of Witwatersrand. I also look forward to growing as Public Health Professional in the opportunities that are afforded to me.
