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An important number of young people are seeking a career within an international organisation, whereas there are a limited number of positions. In this section, you will find information about the various entry points to a job market that is becoming increasingly competitive.

If you are a university student or a recent graduate, internships are about the first experience you can realistically aspire to within an international organisation. Undertaking an internship is a big investment in terms of time, energy and financial resources. Therefore, you should be aware of certain elements in order to get maximum value out of the experience.

How to make the best out of an internship |

The Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme, also known as Associate Expert (AE) Programme, is a donor funded programme that provides young professionals from donor countries an opportunity to gain experience in an international organisation.

The Swiss government finances several JPO positions per year. All those positions are regularly advertised in the online job database cinfoPoste, as well as on the official websites of those entities.

Considering the success and value of the JPO Program, other UN agencies have adopted the idea and initiated similar Associate Expert Programs. Some examples are:

International Monetary Fund (IMF)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
World Bank (WB): Junior Professional Associates Program (JPA)
Interamercian Development Bank
African Development Bank (AfDB)

The UNV Programme offers a broad range of volunteering opportunities for specialists, but also for young graduates and young professionals. cinfo is the focal agency for UNV in Switzerland. Thanks to many years of collaboration between the UNV Programme, SDC and cinfo, the chances for Swiss citizen to be recruited increased significantly.

Four times more Swiss citizens working as UN Volunteers: a review of the collaboration between Switzerland and UNV |