Additional Resources
The Institute has compiled a list of links for students and visitors interested in peace operations and humanitarian relief.
Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Relief Employment Opportunities
Students often ask about employment and volunteer opportunities in the general areas of humanitarian relief, peace operations, conflict resolution, and related fields. Since many, if not all, POTI students are interested in professional development and careers in these fields, we are pleased to share the names and links of organizations where such opportunities may be found. To be clear, the completion of POTI courses does not in any way ensure future employment. POTI Certificates of Completion are widely recognized as a demonstration of knowledge in a subject, and students are encouraged to list their POTI courses on job applications, including the official United Nations Personal History P11 form. POTI provides training on topics relevant to international organizations but is not part of the United Nations and cannot offer concrete assistance in obtaining a position. POTI cannot accept applications for United Nations jobs.
Students should understand that some employment opportunities always exist within the United Nations, but recruitment is very competitive. When new missions are being mounted, more new personnel will be needed. At other times, there may be no new missions and others may be concluding, resulting in a surplus of available and experienced people. Many people are eager to work for the United Nations, and the assignment of individuals to these jobs can be difficult to understand from an external perspective. However, if you are willing to be patient and expand your job search to include other organizations, as well as the United Nations, you may find opportunities.
“During my online training with POTI, I got promoted to Assistant Protection Officer. The promotion came as a result of my participation in the online training and presenting the certificate awarded to the Human Resource Officer of the organization. Not only did I get promoted because of the online training from POTI, but the training from this Institution has imparted much on my peace building and protection working experience.”
—David Benjamin, South Sudan
Are you interested in preparing for a career in peacekeeping?
For information on employment openings, internships, or a general overview of careers within the United Nations, click here.
Interested students might also consider volunteering with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) for deployment on a United Nations mission. This will be entry-level service. More information on how to volunteer through UNV.
Relief Web lists employment opportunities in humanitarian relief and maintains a current list of specific jobs.
UNjobs is an excellent source of information. This Swiss association lists a wide range of jobs related to the United Nations that can be sorted by organization and duty station.
Individuals interested in serving as uniformed military peacekeepers should enquire through their national ministry of defence. In almost all cases, a person must first be a member of the military of one of the nations that provides troops to peacekeeping missions before they are deployed as a United Nations peacekeeper. For a list of the nations that provide military personnel to serve as United Nations peacekeepers, follow this link.
Countries also provide police to United Nations missions. For these opportunities, applicants should enquire through their nation’s ministry of foreign affairs. For more on serving as a United Nations police officer, follow this link.
While you are applying for jobs, you may encounter companies or people who offer to help you apply or give you access to opportunities or resources for a fee. Be very cautious of such offers. Some are scams and others, while not breaking the law, provide information that you could obtain for free or offer advice that may or may not be accurate. The UN will never charge a job application fee and their recruitment processes should be fair and transparent. The Peace Operations Training Institute salutes our students who train for such opportunities, and we wish them well in their honourable careers of service.
If you are interested in working for humanitarian and similar organizations, both in the US and worldwide, Idealist has a long list of job opportunities. Many may be outside the fields you originally focused on, but we encourage you to consider them.
- For employment opportunities with CARE International
- For employment opportunities with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
- For employment opportunities with Doctors Without Borders
- For employment opportunities with ChildFund International
- For information about employment with Oxfam International