Careers and internships in European Institutions May 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government, Graduate recruitment, internships, politics, work abroad , add a commentCareers Colleagues of mine from SOAS and Queen Mary’s College went on a recent ‘EU’ Careers day organised by the European Personnel Selection Office. University careers advisers are being targeted in this way to help increase the number of British graduates consider careers in the European institutions. Here are a few key points from the day covering: work experience with MEPS; working in the European Parliament; The role of the ECs UK representation office; internships in the European Institutions and the launching of the new European Banking Authority based in London.
- Socialist & Democrats in Europe (SDE). A representative from this organisation was at the event. The SDE represents Labour parties across Europe. He talked about how MEPs offer great work experience. MEPs are heavily involved in reviewing legislation generated by the European Commission and, consequently, their interns spend a high proportion of their time drafting and researching legislation. More so than interns with UK MPs On the down side parliament closes during the summer months which makes it difficult to get work experience. The rest of the year offers more interesting possibilities. The SDE themselves also offer internships – and w4mp.org was cited – as ever – as the web site to check.
- European Parliament, Administrator Route
Work for the European Parliament as an ‘Administrator’ (this is the catch all phrase for people working for the EP who are not MEPs), you need Mother Tongue in English, French or German and a second EU language
For 1st promotion in 2/3 years, also need a 3rd working language. This poses challenges for UK recruits and UK nationals are vastly underrepresented in EU.
Many British personnel are retiring and more British nationals are needed to replace them.
Since the enlargement process, English is succeeding French as the Lingua Franca, and there is a demand for native speakers who can write high standards of English (this point was reiterated throughout the day for both European Parliament and the European Commission).
They welcome applications from immediate graduates, but having some post-study work experience is much preferred. A typical profile of an applicant to the graduate route would be a good degree, possibly a Masters in European Studies, 2 to 3 years working in civil service/law firm/management consultant or other.
As a Desk Officer (typical entry level role for a graduate) may spend time working with the nominated MEP responsible for reviewing legislation (called a Rapporteur) by sitting on Committee and liaising with the MEP on drafts, or content. Typically a British Desk Officer would be nominated if the Rapporteur is a British MEP.
*European Commission: Representation in the United Kingdom (and some tips for applying to the EU institutions)
The EC Representation in the UK is a little like an Embassy representing the EC in the UK. It’s about explaining the EU to UK audiences such as the Press, Trade organisations, Chambers of Commerce, Civil Servants and the general public. A Political section of the Representation deal with different parties and groups. It’s also about explaining the UK to the EU.
More good news for Law and Economics students – these backgrounds are very popular amongst EC staff. There is always a need for lawyers, and if someone trained as a barrister/solicitor in the UK and then came into Brussels it would be very highly regarded. Equally some law firms like people who’ve had experience working in the EU before applying for lawyer jobs.
More autonomy in the EC civil service than in the UK. You’re encouraged and expected to move on, and around.
In your application, demonstrate that you strong extra curricular activities and participated in clubs/societies as a leader. Get an internship if you can. Or get involved in European Politics, or meet your MEP.
- European Union Interns/Traineeships
- Each EU institution has its own traineeship recruitment and selection process. Two entry deadlines each year in March and July
- Applications on line – includes questions about academics, work experience, languages and a motivation section
- Traineeship/stage office do an initial sift, and candidates are put onto the “blue book”. Institutions then select which candidate they would like to take on. Some will do a telephone interview .
- In the motivation section, candidates often forget to sell the skills they would offer the Institution and instead focus on talking about what they know about the institution.
- During the five month learning experience ensure you sit with manager and establish with them what you want out of this time.
- At each deadline there are between 6500 and 7500 applicants. And they take on 650.
- A good idea to have some work experience before applying to the traineeships. Make sure this stands out in your application.
- Have to have finished degree before applying.
- EC internships are available to people from outside the EU, but follow-on jobs are not.
- It’s good to have languages to apply, but English is needed more and more.
- European Banking Authority, City of London
A new office (started Jan 1st 2011) with a current staff of 35 that looks set to expand to over 150 in a year’s time.
Double remit of writing banking legislation and oversight with three core parts: Bank Regulation, Oversight Authority, and Operations.
They are currently growing organically and offering opportunities as and when the need arises. They are currently recruiting at all levels – opportunities on their website and EPSO.
Standard need to be EU citizen and speak two languages, with English as the clear working language.
As the organisation is in the City of London and newly-emerging, this organisation offers strong developmental opportunities in an important area.
FCO Internships 2011 (women only) March 28, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Careers Advice, Government, careers, internships, politics, work experience , add a commentMarissa Bell is a third year Geography student. Last year she did an internship programme with the FCO called the ‘Partner University Placement Scheme’ (known as PUPS – details at www.partneruniversities.co.uk). The scheme is being advertised again for the summer of 2011 (female, penultimate year undergraduates only and closing date 6 April) and we talked to her about her experience
How difficult was it to secure the placement? Well the first stage was a fairly thorough, competency based, application form – a bit like a graduate recruitment application. After that I had to take online aptitude tests and finally, after security vetting, I was offered the position. I was delighted there wasn’t an interview as I was on holiday in the States. In fact I completed the application form when I was recovering from jet lag after arriving in the USA.
What is the placement for? The PUPS scheme is to encourage under-represented groups to apply for the Fast Stream and hopefully end up in the diplomatic stream but other government departments as well.
What did you expect from the programme? Naively I thought I could progress from the scheme to be considered for direct recruitment after the programme but I soon realised that it was really a good preparation for the Fast Stream which I would still have to go through.
What did you do on the placement? I was in the ‘Protocol Directorate’ which looks after overseas diplomatic missions in the UK, they deal with overseas visits by foreign heads of state and even Royal Weddings! The kind of things I did included administration. This meant drafting letters to embassies and other diplomatic missions about things such as diplomatic immunity and rights to stay for diplomat’s children. I dealt with the database registration of new mission staff and issuing ID cards for them. I also spend a day with the visits section of the Directorate which meant I accompanied the Secretary General of OECD on a UK visit. This was great – I was driven around to Treasury, Parliament and 11 Downing Street and we were greeted by David Cameron!
Then there was preparation for the Fast Stream. This involved interview training, a review of the competencies needed and a chance to do a group presentation to a board of FCO directors.
What was it like? Incredibly enlightening. It shattered some preconceptions. For example, I wasn’t actually surrounded by middle class white men. There was a really diverse range of people. Different cultures, ethnic backgrounds. People were incredibly friendly as well. I thought they would be distant and intimidating but it wasn’t like that. I felt very welcomed and supported.
What did you learn? Well I realised that there was a high level of cooperation between the FCO and diplomatic missions. This was also true of the different departments of the FCO as well. Lots of support and sharing of information.
Did it make you want to apply to the Fast Stream? Yes. It made me feel I would be able to fit in there and that it was a supportive and friendly environment. I also realised it would be a challenging place to work, considering the range of things they have to deal with – everything from the drugs trade to climate change. It made me a better candidate because I had greater awareness of the FCO culture and the range of issues they deal with. The preparation also helped me realise what I needed to focus on in my application.
What advice would you give to applicants? Make sure you get your application checked early – don’t forget you only have a two week window to apply in. The Careers Service is the obvious place for this. Check the recruitment process and if they are still using aptitude tests then make sure you practice because it made a difference for me. If you are successful make the most of your time there. For example I was able to secure another internship with the British Embassy in Zagreb by being proactive and getting advice and support from your FCO colleagues. They encouraged me to write to the Ambassador directly – I was impressed when he wrote back within an hour
Opportunities in Parliament March 16, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, internships, politics , add a commentOne of my colleagues visited an FCO assessment centre event and did a useful bit of networking by coming back with the business card of someone who works for the Journal Office in the House of Commons. I’m meeting the gentleman soon but in the meantime he has provided some useful links.
* Graduate Fast Stream brochure for Careers in Parliament: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/jobs/faststream.pdf
* A link to a ‘sandwich student’ page: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/commonshro/hofc-ssp/ Sandwich placements are not a common feature of courses at traditional universities such as King’s College but others may find this a useful lead.
* Exciting news about some proposed ‘Speaker’s internships’: http://www.epolitix.com/policy/parliament/parliament-article/newsarticle/parliamentary-intern-scheme-to-widen-access-to-politics/
* The Parliamentary Jobs gateway is at: http://www.parliament.uk/about/working/
* The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) may have suitable postgrad fellowship placements: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/bicameral/post/about6/
* Currently (March 2011) 193 vacancies listed on the unofficial site for Members’ staff: www.w4mp.org
* External mentoring. Opportunities with the National Mentoring Consortium http://www.uel.ac.uk/nmc/ in reaching out to ethnic minority under-graduates and students with disability and dyslexia.
Eventually, I’ll make sure all of these opportunities and links are made available via careerstagged.co.uk using the search term ‘parliament’
You may also be interested in another article about someone working in parliament at http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/blog/development/index.php/2009/11/03/policy-work-in-the-uk-parliament/
The low down on United Nations Careers March 11, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, Graduate recruitment, UN, international development, internships, politics , add a commentRebecca Hunter, a student at King’s College London attended a UN careers event which the college model UN organisation put together. She has written up a piece for the student paper ‘Roar’ and has kindly given permission for us to post it here as well.
“The week of February 28th was all about exploring media-related careers. After a long week submersed in how to’s on journalism, film, TV, and media law, though, I needed a break. To mix it up, I attended a surprisingly insightful, panel-style career planning event hosted by the KCL Model United Nations society. Here are the panelists’ credentials as provided on the Model United Nations event page:
Dr. Leila Simona Talani worked as an Associate Expert on immigration issues at the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention in Cairo.
Ms. Gabriella Trudi worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross and shared her considerable experience about careers in NGO’s.
Mark Bassett worked at the World Bank and is now a consultant, with Bupa International Markets Division as one of his clients.
Tim Kellow is a Peace and Security Programme Officer at the United Nations Association of the UK.
Now, I am not your typical UN applicant. I don’t dream of working off grid in Bosnia, like panelist Gabrielle Trudi; my career aspirations were not shaped by one film on the Rwandan genocide, like panelist Tim Kellow; and leaving a good role in the public/private sector to work for the UN, like panelist Mark Bassett did, leaves me dumbfounded. However, I did find this presentation highly insightful and chalked with wisdom for people who are passionate about pursuing UN-related careers ranging from working with the General Assembly or a UN field mission to less directly related careers, like working for a UN-related think tank or NGO. (But trust me, the word ‘pursuing’ was not placed there haphazardly. You need to be prepared to put in some serious work to procure one of these highly competitive positions.). The panel was most insightful, though, because it gave potential UN employees a glimpse of the UN as an employer—not just a purveyor of global diplomacy. The panelists successfully discussed the difficulties of securing and maintaining a desirable post within the UN, as well as what they each had learned after years of experience on the UN-related careers path. My only criticism of the event is that they ran out of time for questions at the end. A longer Q & A period would have definitely enhanced the impact of this event.
Without further ado, here are the top 3 insights I gleaned from this event:
1. What is the toughest thing about having a UN-related career? ‘Starting it’ – Trudi ‘Landing your first job in the industry’ – Kellow
2. What does it take to join up? ‘Knowledge, skills, and character.’ – Bassett, ‘Internships are the way in.’ – Kellow, ‘Resilience and adaptability’ – Trudi (on skills essential to field work)
3. What should I do if I want to pursue a UN-related career? ‘Apply to the UN’s Junior Professional Officer Program or the Associate Experts Program.’ – Talani ; ‘Become an expert in your field of interest and the UN will seek you out and make room for your skill set.’ – Bassett; ‘Prove yourself in the field and you may be recruited by the UN for your knowledge of the region’ –Trudi ; ‘Get into the industry with a job/internship then use the connections you gain to get to where you want to be’ — Kellow
For more information about the KCL Model UN society, head to KCLMUN.org
For more information about careers with the United Nations, check out: www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/internships.htm”
Thanks to Rebecca for letting us publish this. I’d just add one more link careerstagged.co.uk search on United Nations for heaps of useful links
EU Careers Month January 26, 2011
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , add a commentA Foreign Office initiative called EU Careers Month coincides perfectly with our careers event at King’s College London called, ‘Careers in the EU institutions’. Our event will be happening on Monday 28th February 17.30 to 19.00 hours in The Great Hall. No need to book, just turn up – though you will need to be a King’s student or alumnus.
The event will be hosted by the EU careers ambassador from King’s College, James McIlwraith. This is a grand sounding title but James has been tasked by the European personnel selection office to raise awareness of European opportunities amongst King’s students. James will be joined by the Head of the European Fast Stream, Margaret Prythergch, as well EU representatives in the UK. The event will cover careers in the EU institutions, internships, careers for linguists, the European FastStream, application tips and a chance to meet some recent recruits.
Meanwhile The Foreign Office’s EU Careers Month is to be launched on Monday 7 February. As part of their campaign they have produced a website containing all you need to know about a career in the EU. The site will contain helpful information for students, including ‘day in the life of’ films, case studies, top tips, competitions and the opportunity to ask for expert advice. Please note the link only goes live on 00:01 hours on the 7 February. www.telegraph.co.uk/eucareers
European Union Careers November 11, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : European Union Careers, Government , add a commentThe key web sites for careers in the European Union are
www.civilservice.gov.uk/faststream
www.facebook.com – EU Careers
You might also read an earlier post with some useful links http://bit.ly/cpEfnv
Interning at the UNHCR in Geneva October 3, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, UN, international development, internships , 1 comment so farMarieke Van Buuren completed an MA at King’s College London’s War Studies department. After this she took a policy internship with the UNHCR in Geneva. Subsequently she has taken another internship with the International Labour Organisation. We spoke to her about how she got the UNHCR internship and what tips she has for current students.
HOW DID YOU GET THE INTERNSHIP? When I was thinking of applying for an UNHCR internship I saw an ad on the website for an internship with the Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) in Geneva http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=search&docid=3e76f9e85&query=pdes. When I applied there were no positions available at PDES, but the person who received my application said she would pass it around other departments. I followed up with an email. After a few weeks of emailing, eventually someone from the Africa Bureau contacted me for an interview.
Most UNHCR internships are not advertised. You can apply to a roster online (http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c49d.html), however people rarely refer to it when recruiting interns. When I was at UNHCR, there were about 30 interns, only one of which had been recruited through the roster.
WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE SELECTED? I think for a large part it was due to persistence and being at the right place at the right time. The UNHCR usually has a large pool of interns, and many departments often need interns. Networking seems to be essential in finding a place. In my case, I was lucky someone took the time to pass my CV around, although I do think keeping in touch and being persistent in emailing helped.
Apart from these general comments, I do think my degree background showed my interest in the UNHCR and refugee issues in general. I wrote both my BSc and MA thesis on protracted refugee situations. I did not have a background in the subject I ended up working on (climate change). However I did do research on resources and conflict, and provided a link between climate change and the consequences for refugees. Furthermore I ended up working on many conflict related issues and my MA in Conflict, Security and Development was very useful in this regard.
WHAT DID THE INTERNSHIP INVOLVE? I worked for the Policy Unit of the Africa Bureau. As I mentioned, my main task was working on climate change. I researched and wrote a paper for offices in the field. This involved both desk-based research and interviewing relevant experts in other departments.
After a few weeks I became involved with other projects of the policy unit. I assisted with conflict analysis for UNHCR’s contribution to the Peace Building Commission and did work on statistics and donor publications for the External Relations Officer. During the period I was there I was also able to attend and assist with the annual Africa Bureau meeting, during which the representatives in the field come to Geneva to attend a week of seminars and discussions. It was quite easy to get involved with these other projects. People are usually available for a quick coffee to discuss what they’re working on, and they often welcome some assistance. My supervisor was also very good in introducing me to people working on projects I might be interested in.
WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT IT? The best thing about the internship was the opportunity to get an insight into how the organisation works and what the current issues in the sector are. Because the UNHCR in Geneva is so large there were always interesting meetings and debates from other departments. After writing on the UNHCR in my thesis, it was great to experience first hand what I had been researching.
WHAT WAS THE WORST THING ABOUT IT? The internship is not paid. Apart from the ILO, no UN organisations offer remunerated internships. Although I would definitely recommend this internship, you do need sufficient funds. The cost of living in Geneva is very high (probably even higher than London).
HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR CAREER THINKING? One of the reasons I wanted to do an internship with the UNHCR was to see what it would be like working for such a large intergovernmental organisation. Now that I have experienced working for the UN as well as small NGO’s, I’ve developed a better insight into the possibilities and pros and cons of working with these types of organisations.
WHAT WOULD YOUR TIPS BE FOR OTHER STUDENTS? In general, and especially for the UN, I would recommend sending out a ‘cold call’ application. Try to find an email address of someone working for the organisation, and try to do some networking. All the internships I have done were not advertised. Furthermore, most advertised UN internship vacancies state they only accept students. However, among the interns at the UNHCR there were both students and graduates (some previous interns had even been professionals looking for a career switch). So do not be deterred by this when sending out a general application.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU FEEL OUR READERS SHOULD KNOW? With the UNHCR there is officially no opportunity for the internship to develop into a paid position. Interns have to wait for six months after their internship ends before they can apply at the UNHCR.
Working as a Parliamentary Researcher September 3, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, internships, skills , add a commentGrainne Magee completed a Masters in the War Studies Department at King’s College London in 2008. She now works as a Parliamentary Researcher for Philip Davies the Conservative MP for Shipley. We talked to her about her career.
What is your academic and work background? As well as the War Studies Masters I have a 2.1 degree in History from Queen Mary College. During my A levels and degree I worked part-time as a retail assistant for Marks and Spencers. Towards the end of my degree I worked on a ‘Camp America’ type programme in the USA and in the following year and during my Masters I worked for them in the UK as an ‘area rep’ helping to market the programme and recruit students for the USA scheme. After my Masters I got a six month post as a research assistant with the King’s Centre for Military Health Research. Some of my modules related to war and the mental health of soldiers so this was a natural fit. After this I took a few months out for a round-the-world trip. When I came back I managed to get an interview for the Henry Jackson Society but in the feedback after I wasn’t appointed I was advised to get some more experience. In fact they offered to forward my CV to Philip Davies who had been an MP since 2005. I did a 3 month internship with him and then a 3 month internship with the Royal British Legion. After all that the paid position with Philip Davies came up and I’ve now been in that position for 6 months.
Tell me about your initial interview with Philip Davies. It was with him and the person who was his researcher at the time. It was quite an informal interview. They were interested in my personality traits, my policy interests and whether I had the skills they needed in communication and dealing with the public. I was really surprised when Philip said that the thing that most impressed him was my retail experience with Marks and Spencers. In retrospect I can see that he knew the researcher would have to be dealing a lot with his network and not least his constituents – the people who vote for him.
In terms of my policy interests I came in with more of an international relations focus but in terms of Philip’s interests in criminal justice there was some common ground because many ex-soldiers end up in the British Prison system.
What was the internship like? I was offered a choice of working on two different projects. The ‘Better Off Out’ campaign which argues for a UK withdrawal from the EU project and a critique of Harriet Harman’s equalities bill. I opted to work on the latter though this meant I spent a long time going through a 500 page Bill seeing where Philip had opportunities to make interventions in the form of amendments or questions.
This raises a question for me of how aligned a researcher has to be with his employer’s politics? Well you don’t have to be a party member (although you do if you want to attend the Party conference).Nor do you have to agree with every position they take but I would say you do need to be broadly aligned. I think at the very least it would make you a better researcher. Also Westminster is a bubble and once you are identified with one political camp it can make it hard to cross over. It works differently in think tanks where they may appreciate people with conflicting opinions. Philip has a small team and it works better if we have that broad consensus politically.
What does the job of Parliamentary Researcher involve? Well it can be different depending on who the MP is and how they are designing the team. It is one of the thing prospective researchers and interns might find out because MPs may expect people to do a combination of constituency work and diary secretarial work. My job has a number of different elements.
Firstly, research, of course is a big element. Right now I’m working on one of Philip’s significant national interests – criminal justice. The theme is ‘Prison does work, but there are ways of improving the system’. As a result, I have been to visit 6 prisons – Belmarsh, Feltham, Latchmere House, Wormwood Scrubs (all London), Wakefield and Leeds (West Yorks). This is a really interesting part of the job. Other issues I have had to look at relate to Philip’s work on the Culture, Media and Sports Committee. For example providing a background briefing for the discussion on the Channel 4 annual report. These briefings aren’t necessarily political but are designed to ensure the committee and Philip can ask the right questions to ensure things are scrutinised properly. The briefings aren’t academic papers – typically they would be two pages of A4 with bullet points flagging up relevant topics and containing pertinent facts.
Media monitoring. One of things I do even on the way to work on the train but also when I get to Parliament is to read the newspapers and flag up stories that may involve the range of issues Philip is concerned with. Things such as criminal justice, the EU, the Lisbon Treaty. As well as newspapers I look at a whole range of sources, political blogs, media monitoring services, resources such as Dods. This might result in an intervention such as the tabling of a question in the House. Philip can make his own decisions about what and how he intervenes but he does like to have an informed second opinion and that’s also part of my role.
Social media. Philip is very busy and had to be persuaded to engage with things like Facebook and Twitter. So I look after this for him and make sure he keeps his profile there. Preferably in a way that gets the debate around the issues going.
Adminstration. As with any job there’s always an element of admin to do. This could involve things like booking tickets, making travel arrangements. It also involves giving the occasional tour of Parliament – which is a fab thing to be able to do.
Are you enjoying the job? It’s been great. I’ve been taken out of my comfort zone focus on international affairs and had to learn about other contemporary issues. I’ve been introduced to the Prime Minister and Vince Cable – David Cameron made a very early speech in Philip’s constituency. Also Philip’s role on the Culture, Media and Sports Committee means I get invited along with him to lots of interesting events.
I get a sense of you to some extent helping to manage Philip’s career but how do you manage your own? I am aware that most researchers do the job maybe for two years or so before moving on. Although some would stay longer if the MPs career develops and they find their role developing at the same time. In the medium term I am considering a career in public affairs and Parliament is a great launchpad for that. There are some great networks here and I make it my business to get involved. Besides who could resist and after-work rounders game or a get together for researchers in the local pub?
What tips do you have for current students?
- Intern early. I left it until after my Masters and this slowed things down
- Be proactive – when you are interning make sure you maximise the opportunity. As an unpaid intern you may not be obliged to attend certain things like staff meetings but I would recommend that you do.
- Work hard and smart. You can build a reputation by being ‘on it’.
- Get involved – take advantage of any extra curricular opportunities when you are interning. There are networking opportunities that might pay off in the medium if not the short term
- Be patient – you may not get a job straight away after your internship but if you have done a good job people will remember you.
Would you recommend using the Careers Service? Oh, yes, OK. In fact I did and came along for help with my application for an internship and for a practice interview
Working in an international development consultancy July 22, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, Intelligence and security, development consultancies, international development , add a commentAlison Hoskins completed a Masters in International Relations at King’s College in 2009. She completed the MA part time while continuing to work as a teacher. She now works as a consultant in the London office of Africa Practice a strategic communications consultancy that works with governments and corporate clients in Africa. I spoke to Alison about her career change and about her successful experience of applying to the Civil Service FastStream.
Why did you stop being a teacher? It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy teaching. I did it for six years but I found myself increasingly interested in politics and international relations and there isn’t any outlet for that in school teaching unfortunately. So I completed an MA in International Relations part-time over 2 years, which was funded by my teaching work.
That must have made it hard to do the internships that seem to be so important? Well, I think you are right about it being important but I think the fact that I’d worked as a teacher counted for something. I couldn’t afford to commit significant periods of time to internships, but I did do a couple of related periods of work experience. I got a place on the BBC’s work experience programme at the World Service. That was four weeks unpaid but really useful and interesting. I also worked one day a week for six months at Dod’s Parliamentary Communications. This helped as well. I got some improved admin skills – there was lots of database work, but they are also a well recognised name So all that together with a good academic track record and the fact that I spoke French helped me get interviews.
You also applied to the FastStream. Tell me about that. Actually I applied twice and it was because a speaker at the War Studies Alumni event said that he had applied again after being unsuccessful first time round that I also applied again and this time I got offered a position, although they have had to defer it for a year because of the budget cuts.
What tips do you have for people applying to the FastStream? Well do apply again if you need to. My performance at the Assesment Centre improved second time around. I would also say do practice for the numeracy tests. It’s more difficult to improve your verbal test scores but numeracy definitely improves with practice. On the E-tray exercises which are all about decision making and prioritising in the arena of policy recommendations, my tip would be to work through with a bit of velocity and don’t deliberate too long. You have 30 questions to get through in 45 minutes and not answering them can cost you more than submitting less than perfect answers. I resisted re-reading the material you get presented with on which your decisions have to be made. Occasionally I consulted it when I knew exactly which document I needed, but in general I trusted my memory of what the issues were. There is also an assessment centre – which is pretty awful really! This included interviews. There are no big surprises here. They tell you they will be asking about the core competencies such as ‘Learning and Improving’ and ‘Building Relationships’. Questions typically start with things like, ‘ Can you think of a time when…’ or ‘Can you give us an example of a good team you have been in?’ They will then drill into what you say. ‘What was good’, ‘What was difficult..?’, ‘What would you do differently?’ You need to be ready to defend what you did or did not do in situations.
In the meantime you also applied to Africa Practice. How did that come about? Well it was after I came to the careers office I read about them and sent them a speculative letter. It wasn’t straightforward but they said they might have something but they were seeing a few people and they had the possibility of some short term work coming up. I went along for what seemed like an informal interview but in the end they offered me some paid work with the possibility of continuing work if they secured more contracts.
What are you doing for them? Well, the client they were talking about was the African Union but since I’ve started I have also been doing some work for the government of Gabon. In Gabon a new President has come to power after 40 years. Because he is the son of the previous President he wants to make sure that his Presidency involves a shake-up in government communications internally and externally. This involves us advising on transparent internal systems, reshaping the way Gabon is perceived externally, particularly to investors, and a separate stream of work involves creating and supporting the First Lady’s role of meaningful philanthropy. The world doesn’t know about Gabon’s biodiversity initiatives and it’s work to counter climate change through protecting the Congo Basin. Regarding the African Union, we are supporting them in their major project of making 2010 the Year of Peace and Security in Africa. It’s a significant push to end conflict on the continent. We’re creating for them a communication strategy that will help them reach out to new partners in building peace, and reach out to ordinary Africans in a way that they’ve never been able to before.
What kinds of work does this involve? For example I have had to draft a number of speeches for the Chairperson of the African Union. I’ve also had to write shorter speeches for Heads of State – including President Zuma of South Africa. The speeches have to be politically and culturally sensitive and generally positive. You have to be aware of the political context and the specific messages that need to be conveyed.
I have to put together events. For example we have arranged a meeting of people the AU have enrolled as ‘Peace Ambassadors’, including FW De Klerk and Archbishop Tutu. This area of work includes working up what are virtually job descriptions for the role and putting together a prospectus together for the first meeting, for example how the meeting will be organised and what the topics are and how things get taken forward. One of the ideas is to have the Ambassadors make certain ‘pledges’ about what they intend to contribute. We are going to record these and seek advertising space for them, and I’ve been involved in organising that.
I’ve had to learn a lot very quickly about media relations. Trying to make sure our client’s messages get aired in the media. For example, contacting Africa correspondents of newspapers and the BBC and persuading them that the stories are worth telling.
I’ve some really interesting experiences: I’ve already been out to Addis Ababa to go work at the African Union, I went to see the Ugandan Ambassador to Ethiopia while I was there, and I’ve just met Mo Ibrahim at his office in London.
Working for the UN May 6, 2010
Posted by Jeff Riley in : Government, Intelligence and security, UN, Uncategorized, emergency relief, international development, internships, skills , 2commentshttp://careers.un.org/ A new web site finally starts to make sense of the complex of organisations that makes up the United Nations. Clear sections cover Why Work at UN? including a list of the family of organisations such as UNESCO that comprise it. A map under ‘Where we are’ lists the main offices and sub offices but this doesn’t include the subsidiary organisations. So, for example the fact that The World Food Programme and the UNHCR have offices on the Strand is not obvious
A section on What can I do at the UN? includes a comprehensive list of the core competencies they look for together with some detailed examples of how they might be evidenced. A job networks section groups together all the different jobs under broad umbrellas such as economic and social development, safety and security or political, peace and security. Some inspiring career paths showcase one woman for example who started out as a clerical assistant in Antigua who is now heading up the HR section in Beirut – and it only took her 35 years! Lots of case studies here to demonstrate the ways people have developed their careers together with associated vacancies in those categories and the site also explains the various categories so you can see whether you are eligible. For example some jobs are designated P2 level which means you have to have at least two years practical, relevant experience to apply. However you can now also see that without this experience you may be able to take part in the National Competitive Recruitment Examination and a link takes you directly to the relevant site. As I read all this I was thinking – at last I won’t have to try and understand it ever again!
The site also explains about the UN volunteer programme – which is for experienced personnel and the internship programme which is more appropriate for Masters and Phd level students. One good test for the site is that the internship section does point you towards the UNICEF internship programme as well as the HQ internships in New York and Geneva for example. Following the UNICEF links quickly got me to the UNICEF internship programme in India which I knew existed. So full marks for the site so far.
