Q. Are Fellowships with UNFPA paid?

A. Fellows of the UNFPA Youth Innovator Fellowship Programme will receive a stipend to cover meals and other basic needs. In addition, UNFPA covers expenses related to travel, accommodation and health insurance.

Q. How long do Fellowships last?

A. Fellowships last for 12 months.

Q. Is it possible to participate in a fellowship even though at the time I will be enrolled within an academic program?

A. The Fellowship programme is full-time for a period of 12 months. If your academic institution allows you to be absent for the full duration of the programme, you are able to apply.

Q. What sort of accommodation is provided for?

A. Housing accommodations will be independent, furnished rooms with attached or shared bathrooms and with heating and air-conditioning. This will likely be within an international housing building, sharing other communal facilities such as dining and laundry.

Q. Will I bear any expenses?

A. Expenses related to housing/stipend/travel will be covered by UNFPA – it is not anticipated that fellows should need to cover expenses directly related to the programme. The stiped is provided to cover any basic needs.

Q. Does studying a relevant Undergraduate/Masters Course demonstrate interest in the area?

A. Yes, however studying an area related to UNFPA’s mandate would only be one way of demonstrating interest, we are also looking for ways in which you are active in your community. UNFPA welcomes studies of all disciplines as long as you have demonstrated interest and dedication to development issues established through either volunteer experience, work experience, or affiliations with a youth network or NGO, in areas of UNFPA’s mandate (see About us | UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund).

Q. What is the minimum level of education required?

A. There is no minimum level of education required, candidates will be assessed based on their demonstrated experience and interest in areas of UNFPA’s mandate.

Applications

Q. May I apply for more than one fellowship at a time?

A. You may only apply for the fellowship in a region that your country of residence and citizenship is eligible for. Details of eligible countries are listed online in the application form. Please note that there is a management profile and a technical profile; you may apply to both should you meet the minimum criteria.

Q. If I apply for a fellowship in another region, will UNFPA help me get necessary work permits?

A. You can only apply for the Fellowship in the region for which your country is eligible. If you are placed in your own Country Office, no work permits should be required. If you are placed within the Regional Office, then UNFPA will assist with work permits as required.

Q. Are competency-based Interviews used?

A. If you have applied for a position and received an invitation for an interview, you can expect a Competency Based Interview (CBI) as one of the selection methods. Identify the competencies that are core to the post from the vacancy announcement/job profile. Familiarize yourself with the UNFPA’s revised competency framework (posted on the website) to prepare yourself for the competency based interview. We also recommend you watch the video by UNFPA’s Director of Human Resources Michael Emery available in our resources, link here.

Q. How long will it take to fill the fellowship positions?

A. The length of recruitment at UNFPA can vary depending on a number of circumstances, e.g. the number of applicants and whether technical testing is required, but you should expect it to take up to four months after applying until selection and on-boarding.

Q. I find the application process a bit confusing? Do you have any advice for me?

A. Please carefully read the UNFPA eRecruit System Step-by-Step Guide to Applying, posted online, before applying to any position. Please note that the Fellowship selection process may incorporate additional requirements that will be communicated should you progress.

Q. Is it necessary to submit evidence of language proficiency with the application? If so, what kind of evidence is acceptable?

A. At the application stage, it is not necessary to submit any evidence of language proficiency. Your truthful statement in your e-recruit application is sufficient. (Where possible, indicate the level of coursework and/or any language diplomas, test results [e.g. DELF, DALF, TOEFL, TESL]). Your language and communications skills (and possibly also job knowledge/expertise) likely would be assessed further should you be selected for the next stage of the evaluation process.

Q. Will I be informed of the status of my application?

A. For applications made via the e-Recruitment system, the system will acknowledge safe receipt of your application. Only candidates who are shortlisted will subsequently be contacted (normally 4 to 6 weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement). Due to the large volume of applications received, UNFPA regrets it is unable to contact all other applicants personally.

You can determine the status of your application at any time by logging into the e-Recruit system and navigating to the ‘My Applications’ page. In the grid on the ‘My Applications’ page, you will notice ‘Recruiting Status’ and ‘Application Status’ fields next to each job opening for which you have started an application, as follows:

Recruiting Status: The recruiting status lets you know where we are in the recruiting process.

Open: The system is still accepting applications to the position. You may submit a new application or edit and re-submit an existing application while the status is ‘Open’.

Closed: The job advertisement deadline has passed. New applications are not being accepted. Changes to existing applications are also not permitted.

Candidates Notified: Candidates have been contacted for interview or additional screening. If you have not been contacted by the recruiting team, then unfortunately you have not been shortlisted for interview.

Filled: Someone has been hired, the position has been filled, or the position is no longer available.

Application Status: The application status tells you the status of your application.

Not Applied: Your application has been started, but it has not been submitted.

Applied: Your application has been submitted. You may edit and re-submit your application up until the closing date of the job opening.

(编辑 Jim)