<p>If I came out of law school with a degree in international law or some sort, what kind of jobs would I be able to get in the UN? Would it be mostly secretarial, low-paying jobs?</p>
<p>Don’t go, no jobs. You won’t be able to get a job as a secretary at a hair salon, much less a secretary at the UN. People just wanting a plain old boring job as a lawyer are having an incredibly difficult time.</p>
<p>But that’s what I want to do…</p>
<p>Don’t let your dreams stop you!</p>
<p>But do know that the law field has taken a very, VERY hard hit in this economy. Make smart choices about which law schools and international MA programs to apply to.</p>
<p>Fluency in languages is quite desirable because you are going to be interacting with diplomats and staff from around the world.</p>
<p>Check with your career services office to see if they have any information. They must’ve had students in the past who have your dreams- working at the UN in some capacity. Who knows, maybe they even know of an alum working there.</p>
<p>While it is true that you shouldn’t give up entirely on your goals, you need to appreciate the reality of the situation. Your chances of landing any kind of international or human rights law job right out of law school, even if you go to Yale or Harvard, is slim to none. Tons and tons of law students want to work in the desirable, ethically-appealing fields: environmental law, international law, etc. Very few people (none?) start law school thinking “I really just want to do bankruptcy and personal injury.” So basically you need to go to the best law school, be near the top of your class, be a supreme court clerk, have personal connections to call on, and on and on. </p>
<p>Think about how many people, even just at the very top law schools, would love to have some sort of legal job with the UN. Think about how many graduates those top schools are pumping out every year. </p>
<p>The reason I sort of dismissed your idea of being a secretary is that imagine how an employer would view your application. Here you are with a fresh JD, dreams of making biglaw money, and saving the world. Why would they pick you over a typist with a BA in English? They’ll expect you to bolt for a legal job as soon as you have the chance. They’ll expect you to feel more entitled and want more money than an ordinary secretary. To top it off, a normal secretary would probably do a better job than you. </p>
<p>If you want to work at the UN, it is going to be in some other capacity than a lawyer. If you’re not going to be a lawyer, going to law school is a terrible, terrible idea. It will put you in debt, waste three years of your life, and make you less employable in any non-legal field.</p>
<p>as others I have said, most law graduates don’t get the job they want right after graduation. </p>
<p>On top of that, UN is very difficult to get in, especially if you are an American. They have quotes to fill and there are simply too many Americans applying. I do know one person who recently found got into UN but she is from a very small country and I believe she had some type of connection.</p>
<p>Also, law school is very expensive. Are you financially able to settle for a low paying secretary job with all the debt you’ve accumulate (unless you have a rich family who are willing to pay for you)? Not to mention that no one will hire you as a secretary in the first place because you are way overqualified with a law degree.</p>
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<p>like what?</p>
<p>What if I, instead, went to some place like SAIS or SIPA?</p>
<p>I would seriously reconsider your goal.</p>
<p>Is getting into UN really your goal, whether as a janitor or a legal cousel? Sure, SAIS or SIPA could take you into UN if you are lucky but is IR really what you want to do? And are you prepared that you mind end up not getting into UN (most likely outcome regardless of the ranking of your school).</p>
<p>Exactly. What is it that you want to do within the UN? You need to figure out a general area and then develop a plan that will help you work towards that goal. Who knows, you may find a job on the way that you will like so much that you will say “forget the UN.” If it’s just to be a blue-collared worker like cafeteria or janitorial, just keep checking the job postings then.</p>
<p>It sounds like you really should do more research on how that place really operates and the types of people who work there. I would imagine that a place like the UN would be heavily depended on connections because its highly political nature. As I’ve said before, start networking with anyone, you never know who knows who.</p>
<p>People need to quit thinking that you can go “work for the UN.” The UN employs all kinds of people. What job do you specifically want to do for the UN? Find out what that job is, then start figuring out how to get there.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, however, if that particular job is as a lawyer, it will be an uphill climb. I don’t think anyone means to discourage you but there’s a lot of misplaced romanticism about UN work. It’s tough to get and, based on what I’ve heard, often pretty crappy work unless you’re at the highest levels.</p>
<p>I realize I need to do more research - but I’m starting to figure all this out so asking these types of questions on forums is essentially my “research” </p>
<p>I am interested in other areas too - not just the UN, obviously. How about working for NGOs? I want to do human rights policy (Let me guess - wanting to do human rights is romanticizing too!?)</p>
<p>Working or volunteering for NGOs and “doing” human rights policy is not romanticizing. But you need to be ok knowing that you’ll likely be a small cog in the grand scheme of things for quite awhile. For example, doing human rights law is not something you’ll be able to really pursue until you have many years of high-level legal experience, lots of connections, etc. </p>
<p>Its never “romanticizing” to start volunteering in things that interest you. Start getting involved however you can and stick with it. That’ll give you a chance to see what the work is like, give you connections that can help you later, and will give you higher-ups that you can emulate to someday get where they are. The best type of research you can do is to get started!</p>
<p>If you love law and want to use it to tackle global issues, go to law school, but don’t go to law school because you think it will be your ticket into UN or NGO work. Even if you do go to law school for the right reasons, you might be disappointed at what awaits you.</p>
<p>A brief story: a cousin of mine went to law school because he wanted to apply law to help disadvantaged people. After he got his degree, he went into immigration law – and hated every minute of it. As a junior associate, he ended up in a small corner of an ill-equipped office doing research without much, if any, interaction with the clients. He quit after three years of the same stuff – he just couldn’t take it. When he went to law school, and even after he got his degree, he never knew exactly what kind of work he would be facing. </p>
<p>I echo the others: know your specific goals, then plan a way to achieve them. Understand what you will face from day one until you get to your ultimate goal to make sure you can tolerate the steps to get there.</p>
<p>Wanting to help others and have a career that contributes to the welfare of society is not some pie in the sky fantasy. It’s a noble goal that more people should strive for. No one is doubting the sincerity of your goals or your reasons for pursuing them.</p>
<p>The point many of us are trying to make is that your specific goals are both very vague and very difficult to fulfill. Working for the UN in an serious capacity is incredibly difficult because everyone wants to work for the UN. As someone mentioned, working for a NGO is great but your responsibilities will likely be minimal until you have several years of WE under your belt. Human Rights Law is one of the most narrow and competitive legal fields and is incredibly difficult to get into because the supply of lawyers, even from the very best schools, who want to practice it far outstrips the demand for these types of legal professionals.</p>
<p>If you’re concerned about doing good in the world, there are plenty of ways beyond the UN or big NGOs to do that. Setting your sights on working for these types of organizations is not necessarily a bad idea but you need to realize how competitive it is.</p>
<p>I realize working for the UN or getting involved with NGOs is not as simple as going to school and getting a job. I realize that I’m not the only one who wants to pursue such a career. I realize that it is a competitive field and that like most things, it will be an “uphill climb”. That said, as some of you have mentioned, there is research to be done and I’m doing just that - asking around on forums, visiting websites, etc. But when the first (and last) response I get is stuff like, “Don’t bet on it,” “it’s harder than you think,” “Do more research and then come back,” “Most people who’ve had similar goals as you failed,” “Stop romanticizing,” “It’s too competitive,” rather than practical advice as to how to get there and what steps to take to maximize the possibility of actually fulfilling my big dream, then obviously there is no research being done, is there?</p>
<p>there have been some good (though vague as my goals themselves) advices on here, though, so thanks for that.</p>
<p>BUMPPPPPPpppppppp</p>
<p>ok here are some practical advise for you for a more professional job at the UN:
- Drop your US citizenship and then get one from some developing country. That should significantly increase your chance.
- Get more international experience (and I mean by physically being outside the US), whether long term studying abroad or employment.
- Be willing to move overseas. Sure, the heartquarter and the center of the UN politics is in NYC but most of the average Joe’s including most of the UN agencies are spread across the globe.
- As far as I know you would need a graduate degree for most professional jobs at the UN
- Don’t forget the UN agencies like UNICEF. You might have an easier time getting an internship in those agencies and then build your career from there.</p>