Organization: UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Location: Ankara
Grade: Internship – Internship
Occupational Groups:
Human Resources
Closing Date: 2025-02-04
Conditions of Reference
A full-time internship in the Human Resources Unit of UNHCR in Ankara, Turkey, is being offered by the UN Refugee Agency.
UNHCR is a worldwide organization that was founded in December 1950 with the mission of saving lives, defending rights, and creating a better future for stateless people, internally displaced populations, refugees, asylum seekers, and returnees. Millions of men, women, and children are compelled to leave their homes each year in order to avoid persecution and violence. Currently working in more than 130 nations, UNHCR uses its extensive experience to safeguard and care for millions of people.
We are thrilled to provide a six-month internship position at UNHCR’s Human Resources department to a driven and enthusiastic person with a strong interest in human resources. This internship offers a rare opportunity to have hands-on experience with HR procedures in UNHCR and the larger UN system.
The intern will actively participate in hiring procedures and work with a global, diversified team of coworkers from all over the world, all while being supervised by the Senior HR Assistant and team members.
Responsibilities:
• Prepare attestations for national and international staff.
• Assist in advertising vacancies.
• Assisting the team members with eligibility checks for candidates.
• Organize online written tests and interviews.
• Conduct recruitment related checks and clearances
• Maintain and update staff personnel files as required.
• Provide clerical assistance for HR processes.
• Perform additional related tasks as assigned.
Qualifications
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.
NOTE: An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.
Desirable qualifications and skills
• Graduated or under-graduated student in social sciences or any other related fields.
• Possess strong communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Be fluent in English and Turkish with excellent writing skills (additional languages are a plus).
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office tools (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Show a strong willingness to learn, adapt, and grow professionally.
• Exhibit excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Be a collaborative and flexible team player.
General Conditions
The hiring office will provide interns who do not receive financial support from a third party (e.g., the university or government grant) a Food and Local Transportation Allowance (the Allowance), calculated in USD and normally payable in local currency via bank transfer.
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Ankara.
Interns are fully responsible for arranging medical insurance covering the full internship period. UNHCR accepts no responsibility for any costs connected to the medical insurance of interns. A copy of proof of valid medical insurance covering the period of the Internship Agreement is required by UNHCR. UNHCR does not cover the costs of medical evacuation of interns; therefore, interns working in locations other than their country of residence must ensure that their medical insurance covers emergency medical evacuation. Furthermore, the medical insurance selected by interns should provide the necessary geographical coverage for both accidents and illness.
Obtaining and renewing current visas and residence permits including all associated costs, are the primary responsibility of the intern. UNHCR may assist by providing supporting documentation if needed.
Status
Interns are neither staff members under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, nor officials within the meaning of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Bilateral host country agreements with UNHCR may regulate the status of interns. Unless specifically accepted under a host country agreement, interns are subject to and must observe their obligations under local law, including laws relating to taxation and social security.
Duration
Internships will initially be granted for a minimum period of two months, up to a maximum of six months. Upon the agreement of the intern and the manager, an internship may be extended up to a maximum total cumulative duration of eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships, provided that the eligibility criteria continue to be met. An intern may undertake multiple consecutive internship assignments as long as the total cumulative internship duration is not exceeded.
PLEASE DO NOT USE TURKISH CHARACTERS IN YOUR NAME & SURNAME INFORMATION.
Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to successful reference checks and integrity clearance.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
Candidates should be legally present in Türkiye at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
Non-Turkish citizens are required to upload their residence permits or relevant documents under the ‘Certifications’ section, by selecting the type as ‘Personnel Administration – Other’, in order to be considered for this job opening. Applications by non-Turkish citizens will NOT be considered if a valid residence permit is not attached to the application.
For further information on how to apply, please visit ‘UNHCR – Application and Selection’ page, at https://www.unhcr.org/how-to-apply.html.
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other information
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
Home-Based
No
How to apply
Simply click on the apply button, fill out of the form, upload your documents