Main purpose of job:

To assist the UK Human Rights Team at the UK Mission in Geneva with attending and reporting from meetings of the UN Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review and the human rights treaty bodies, and to provide administrative and policy support.

This internship offers a unique opportunity to participate in the UK Mission’s human rights work as an integral part of the UK delegation, under the guidance of senior staff. The internship will offer a chance to learn about the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and about working on human rights issues in an international context. The work will be focused on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the UN treaty bodies. The selected intern will mainly attend human rights meetings at the UN, draft reports from meetings, assist with research and summaries of reports, and participate in organising events. A supervisor will guide the intern and provide on-the-job training.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Attending and taking accurate and accessible records of official meetings of the Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review, human rights treaty bodies, as well as other meetings at the UN, and drafting reports from such meetings.
• Administrative & policy support to the Human Rights Team.
• Assisting with the organisation of events and meetings.
• Research and analytical work, preparing background information.

Our Ideal Candidate Shows:

• Fluent written and spoken English (C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages);
• Degree in Human Rights, International Law, Diplomacy, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant discipline;
• Prior relevant internship or work experience (Human Rights, International organisations, NGO’s or UN);
• Strong interest in working in the human rights field and the UN;
• Previous experience in drafting and reporting;
• Very good computer skills (Microsoft Office Word and Outlook);
• The successful candidate needs to be highly motivated, flexible and a great team player;
• Excellent skills in communication, and personal organisation (time management);
• Willingness to undergo a mandatory security check.

Nice to have:

• A master’s degree in one of the aforementioned disciplines would be an advantage;
• Experience of working in a small team.

The UK Mission will offer the intern a monthly training allowance of 1,450 CHF. Please note that interns will need to arrange and pay for their own travel and accommodation, as well as any other living costs and are subject to Swiss taxes. This internship will be for a period of 11 months.

All applicants should have permission to live and work in Switzerland.

Applicants that have the right to live and work in Geneva and don’t require a visa sponsorship are: Nationals from United Kingdom, European Union and EFTA, along with Nationals of: Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Principality of Andorra, Principality of Monaco, San Marino, Singapore and Vatican – these applicants are eligible to live and work in Switzerland as long as holding a full passport valid for at least 12 months.

All other applicants need to have permission to live and work in Switzerland.

Where applicable, we encourage successful applicants to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) prior to entering Switzerland.

The Mission offers a contribution to the payment of travel insurance for the duration of internship, in place of Private Swiss Health Insurance that includes health & accident cover for all interns.

The final appointment and commencement of internship will be dependent upon successful security clearance.

Learning and development opportunities:

The UK Mission Geneva attaches great importance to the learning and development of its staff, with both formal and informal training and development opportunities available for all employees, in line with a personalised development plan. This learning and development offer is facilitated by the Mission’s L&D Committee, and supported by the L&D Champion.

This is a great opportunity to ‘learn on the job’, quickly being given responsibility for significant areas of activity, and having close supervision and guidance as necessary. There are some ‘all staff’ learning and development opportunities, as well being able to take part of wider UK Mission corporate activities.

There are also resources available for interns to undertake Learning and Development opportunities.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”. We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Interviews will be held remotely (TEAMS)

Please be advised that the UK Mission will not be able to support any cost during the Recruitment and Selection process, Security Check nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR . Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

Please apply: