Working for international organisations
Updated 22 November 2022
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Overview of international organisations
These inter-governmental organisations take a global approach to tackling a wide range of issues, such as sustainable development, conflict and climate change. The most well-known include the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank.
You can develop your skills and make a real difference to issues of international importance at the highest levels in a wide variety of openings. There are roles in headquarters, such as New York, Geneva and Vienna, and in the international field across the globe.
UK nationals in international organisations
The UK government wants international organisations to have strong leadership structures that can shape effective and efficient organisations. We support merit-based recruitment to ensure that positions are filled by talented individuals. We want to see strong British candidates applying for, and taking up important roles within these organisations, to join the many already working there.
The government aims to ensure UK nationals with the right skills and experience know about the career opportunities international organisations offer. Building an accurate understanding of who is interested and their expertise will also help us to identify the best candidates for appointments.
How to apply
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has partnered with Impactpool, an external recruitment organisation. Impactpool enables UK nationals interested in a career in international organisations to subscribe to regular job alerts matching their preferences. Impactpool’s database will enable the FCDO and Impactpool to reach candidates with the right skills and experience for priority multilateral roles. If you subscribe, you can also learn more about upcoming vacancies in international organisations suited to them via a monthly newsletter.
Find out more about Multilateral Jobs for UK nationals.
International organisations also have their own recruitment websites where you can find information on the latest vacancies, how to apply, pay packages and more on working for them. Find out what it is like to work at the UN on the UN Association-UK website.
For most roles, you will need to apply directly to the recruiting organisation. The government cannot guarantee that an application will be successful, nor intervene in the recruitment process.
Opportunities for young professionals: Junior Professional Officers (JPOs)
The JPO programme allows junior colleagues to gain experience through working in a UN body, with a view to pursuing a career in an international organisation. The FCDO occasionally funds priority JPO positions, which will be advertised through Multilateral Jobs UK.
Young Professionals Programme (YPP)
The UK is not currently eligible for the YPP scheme and so British nationals cannot apply for this programme. However, if you are also a national of another country (ie dual national) that is participating in the YPP, then you may be able to apply for the programme as a national of that country. Read more information about the YPP scheme.
Internships
The UN and other organisations also offer internships. Find out more about the UN’s internship programme.
Disclaimer
We hope that you find the information on these pages useful. It is intended for general information and is not comprehensive advice which you should rely on. Note that the information does not contain any promises of future employment with international organisations or endorsement of any kind.
We do not accept liability for any loss or damage arising from use of these pages to the extent that this is permitted by law. Any dispute arising from use of these pages will be subject to the law of England and Wales. The general terms and conditions which relate to information on the GOV.UK website apply to the information on these pages.