Your interest in undertaking an internship with the UNDP Office in Romania is acknowledged with great pleasure. We hope the below information will further raise your interest and encourage you to apply for internship in our office.
Objective
The UNDP Romania Country Office offers selected outstanding university students the opportunity to acquire experience working as interns in the United Nations system. The internship provides a compact understanding of UNDP’ s development policies, thematic priorities, and technical cooperation activities. Interns specialize in the areas of democratic governance, sustainable environmental policies, poverty reduction, and other activities related to sustainable human development. In so doing they acquire practical experience in various aspects of project management in an international work environment.
What to expect/ Nature of work
Under the supervision of the designated office staff (normally, Head of Section receiving the intern), the intern will:
- Assist in the organization of conferences, forums or other collaborative events;
- Assist in developing of products/services
- Draft letters, minutes, memos and other Section operations’ related documents;
- File documents;
- Collect information related to the Section’s portfolio;
- Translate important documents between English and Romanian, upon request;
- Arrange appointments, receive visitors, and screen telephone calls;
- Deal with written correspondence upon request;
- Update portfolio web sites;
- Perform other duties related and in support to the Section’s operations.
Assignments may vary in length, according to the availability and academic requirements as well as the needs of the UNDP office in Romania. Normally they should last no less than 6 weeks and no more than six months. UNDP offers part-time or full-time (5 days/week, 40 hours/week) internships throughout the year.
Eligibility
Interns are selected on a competitive basis. UNDP may accept interns providing the following conditions are met:
a) enrolment:
• enrolled in a degree programme in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) at the time of application and during the internship (if a candidate is graduating before the internship period begins, they are no longer eligible); or
• have completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree, if pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages;
• not have graduated prior to the beginning of the internship.
b) skills:
• proficiency in English and normally at least one additional UNDP working language (i.e., French or Spanish). Fluency in Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian is an asset;
• computer literate in standard software applications;
• demonstrated keen interest in the work of the UN, and of UNDP in particular, and have a personal commitment to UNDP’s Statement of Purpose and to the ideals of the UN Charter; and
• demonstrated the ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
Financial Aspects
The internship programme operates on a non-salaried basis. The subsistence and travel costs connected with the internship programme must be borne by interns or by other institutions. Interns are responsible for arranging their own travel to Bucharest, health and medical insurance and accommodation.
Status of an Intern
Interns are considered gratis personnel. They are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity. The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. Interns cannot apply for posts during the period of internship. There must be minimum 3 months break after internship before any type of UNDP contract is signed. UN Office of Legal Affairs strongly discourage any practice involving sending UN interns on field activities or official trips.
Medical Coverage
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs or hardships arising from illness or accidents incurred during the internship. Interns must therefore carry adequate and regular medical and life insurance. Proof of medical coverage/visa must be provided before the internship commences.
How to apply
The following documents should be sent to UNDP Office in Bucharest:
- A letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date;
- A reference letter from a senior faculty member who is fully acquainted with the student’s performance;
- A brief paper setting out the reasons why he/she is seeking an internship with UNDP and what is expected from the experience and how he/she can benefit UNDP;
- UNDP internship application form (could be downloaded from here)
- Resume;
- Proof of life/accident insurance for locations in which internship will be carried out;
- Medical certificate of good health from a recognized physician.
All documents related to internships of Romanian nationals should be addressed at:
- UN House, 48A Primaverii Blvd, 011975 Bucharest, Romania
- or by email to: recruitment.ro@undp.org
As a general rule, applicants will be subject to competitive selection.
As soon as we find an internship opportunity suitable to your interest and background, we will contact you.